Day-Lee Foods

What Day-Lee Foods does

Day-Lee Foods, Inc. is a Santa Fe Springs, California-based food manufacturer and distributor that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of NH Foods Group, Japan. The company was founded in 1977 and employs 101-250 people, producing premium Asian-inspired frozen entrées, single-serve items, and appetizers under two national retail brands — Crazy Cuizine and Day-Lee Pride — at an SQF Level 2 audited processing plant regulated by the USDA, FDA, and local health authorities. Its product portfolio spans frozen gyoza, karaage chicken, katsu, shumai, chashu, sesame balls, spring rolls, premium meats including A5 Japanese Wagyu, and sushi-grade seafood.

The company monetizes through four primary streams: sales of branded retail products (Crazy Cuizine, Day-Lee Pride), co-packing and private-label contract manufacturing at its Southern California facility, import sales and trading of premium meats and seafood directly sourced globally for over 20 years, and food distribution to wholesalers, distributors, restaurants, and brokers across the United States with select international sales. Go-to-market is B2B direct sales supplemented by channel partners (wholesalers and distributors) and a product-catalog website with social media presence for the retail brands.

In January 2025, Day-Lee completed the acquisition of B and D Foods, Mountain View Packaging, and Tamarack Foods to expand frozen and prepared foods manufacturing capacity, packaging capabilities, and product offerings. The company benefits from NH Foods Group's global supply chain, quality control standards, and Pan-Asian sourcing network, which underpin its differentiation in authentic Japanese and broader Asian-inspired food categories.

Name

Day-Lee Foods

Legal name

Day-Lee Foods, Inc.

Website

https://day-lee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Day-Lee Foods is a Santa Fe Springs, California-based manufacturer and distributor of premium Asian-inspired frozen foods and a wholly owned subsidiary of NH Foods Group. It produces branded products (Crazy Cuizine, Day-Lee Pride), provides co-packing services, imports premium Japanese meats and seafood, and distributes nationally to wholesalers, restaurants, and retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Asian-Inspired Frozen Prepared Foods

NAICS

Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412), Snack Food Manufacturing (31191), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Ethnic & International Meals (CRADADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Snacks & Appetizers (CRADADAD), Specialty Snack Foods Manufacturing (Ethnic/Regional, Gourmet, Functional) (AFAKAIAO), Frozen prepared meals & entrées manufacturing (AFAKAHAA)

Keywords

• Asian frozen foods
• Food distribution services
• Contract food packaging
• Imported seafood meats
• Private label manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Fe Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Processed Food Retail Brands: Day-Lee Foods manufactures and markets premium quality Asian inspired entrées, single serve, and appetizer products under national retail brands – Crazy Cuizine and Day-Lee Pride. Revenue is generated through product sales to retailers and food service customers.
2. Co-Packing and Contract Manufacturing: The company provides co-packing and contract packaging services, producing private label products at their Southern California facility for other brands.
3. Import Sales and Trading: Day-Lee Foods operates as a direct importer of a variety of meat, fish, and seafood products from across the globe for over 20 years. This includes A5 Japanese Wagyu Beef, sushi grade fish, and domestic beef and poultry, sold to wholesalers and distributors.
4. Food Distribution: The company distributes food products nationally and internationally, serving restaurants, wholesalers, distributors, brokers, importers, and exporters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Day-Lee Foods manufactures premium quality Asian-inspired frozen entrées, single-serve products, and appetizers, marketed under two national retail brands—Crazy Cuizine and Day-Lee Pride. The company also provides co-packing and contract packaging services producing private label products at its Southern California facility, and operates as a direct wholesale importer of meat, fish, and seafood (including A5 Japanese Wagyu beef and sushi-grade fish) for over 20 years.

Product overview

Day-Lee Foods is a food manufacturing and distribution company specializing in premium Asian-inspired frozen and prepared foods. The company operates two national retail brands—Crazy Cuizine and Day-Lee Pride—offering frozen entrées, single-serve products, and appetizers. Day-Lee Foods provides co-packing and private label manufacturing services at its Southern California facility, which is regulated by USDA, FDA, and local health departments under SQF Level 2 standards. The company also operates as a direct importer of premium products including A5 Japanese Wagyu Beef and sushi-grade seafood, with over 20 years of import trading experience. Product portfolio spans beef (including Wagyu), pork, poultry, seafood (tuna, salmon, shrimp, shellfish), processed foods (gyoza, karaage, katsu, shumai), and specialty items (sauces, noodles, condiments). In January 2025, the company expanded through acquisition of B and D Foods, Mountain View Packaging, and Tamarack Foods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Crazy Cuizine: National retail brand offering Asian inspired entrées, single serve, and appetizer products.
• Day-Lee Pride

Products and services

• Crazy Cuizine National retail brand offering premium Asian-inspired frozen entrées, single-serve items, and appetizers sold through retail channels.
• Day-Lee Pride National retail brand featuring premium quality Asian-inspired frozen entrées, single-serve products, and appetizers including gyoza, karaage chicken, and chashu.
• Co-Pack and Contract Packing Contract manufacturing service producing private label and co-packed Asian-inspired frozen products at the company's SQF Level 2 audited Southern California facility.
• Import Sales and Trading (Wholesale) Direct wholesale import of meat, fish, and seafood products from global sources for over 20 years, including A5 Japanese Wagyu beef and sushi-grade fish supplied to wholesalers and distributors across the U.S.
• Food Distribution (National) National distribution of processed food retail brands, co-packed products, and food service items to wholesalers, distributors, and food service operators from the Southern California facility.
• International Sales International sales operations for export of the company's processed food and premium protein portfolio to global markets.
• Day-Lee Pride Gyoza Premium Asian-inspired frozen gyoza (dumplings) in beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, vegetable, and umami pork leek varieties.
• Day-Lee Pride Karaage Chicken Japanese-style fried chicken product in the Day-Lee Pride retail line.
• Shrimp Shumai Frozen shrimp shumai (steamed dumplings) product.
• Chicken Katsu Fritter Breaded chicken cutlet product in the processed foods line.
• Pork Belly Chashu and Pork Collar Chashu Slow-cooked braised pork products for Asian cuisine applications.
• Tonkatsu (Pork Loin Fritter) Breaded pork cutlet product in the processed foods catalog.
• Menchi Katsu (Breaded Ground Meat Cutlet) Breaded ground meat cutlet product in the processed foods line.
• Redondo's Arabiki Sausage Japanese-style arabiki (ground pork) sausage product sourced from Hawaii.
• Vegetable Spring Roll Frozen vegetable spring roll product in the appetizer line.
• Sesame Ball Sesame ball (jiandui) product in the appetizer line.
• Atsuyaki Tamago (Cooked Egg for Sushi) Japanese rolled egg (tamago) product designed for sushi preparation.
• Ikageso Karaage (Battered Squid Legs) Japanese karaage-style battered squid legs appetizer product.
• NH Meatless Fried Chicken Plant-based meatless fried chicken product in the catalog's Others category (Item #81001).
• Ajitsuke Inari (Fried Bean Curd) Seasoned fried tofu pouch (inari) product used in sushi applications (Item #F2053J).
• Naruto Maki (Fish Cake) Fish cake product with spiral pattern used as a sushi topping and garnish (Item #S2808).
• A5 Japanese Wagyu Beef Premium grade Japanese Wagyu beef imported directly, offered in cuts including ribeye, strip loin, tenderloin, chuck roll, and chuck short rib, sold to wholesalers and distributors.
• Beef Cuts Catalog Domestic and imported beef cuts offered through the company's wholesale catalog.
• Pork Catalog Pork products offered through the company's wholesale catalog.
• Poultry Catalog Poultry products offered through the company's wholesale catalog.
• Seafood Catalog Seafood products (tuna, salmon, shrimp, shellfish, and sushi-grade fish) offered through the company's wholesale catalog.

Quantifiable outcome

• SQF Level 2 certification demonstrates food safety and quality management compliance

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• B and D FoodscoreOthers · 3 January 2025Day-Lee Foods completed the acquisition of B and D Foods as part of strategic growth to expand product offerings and manufacturing capabilities in the frozen and prepared foods market. The deal maintains current operations at all locations.
• Mountain View PackagingcoreOthers · 3 January 2025Day-Lee Foods completed the acquisition of Mountain View Packaging to expand manufacturing capabilities in the frozen and prepared foods market. The deal maintains current operations at all locations.
• Tamarack FoodscoreOthers · 3 January 2025Day-Lee Foods completed the acquisition of Tamarack Foods to expand product offerings and manufacturing capabilities in the frozen and prepared foods market. The deal maintains current operations at all locations.
• NH Foods GroupcoreOthersDay-Lee Foods is a wholly owned subsidiary of NH Foods Group, Japan. Founded in 1942, NH Foods has grown to be a world leader in delivering a wide variety of specialties, including processed foods, fresh meats, ham, sausages, seafood, and dairy products. Day-Lee Foods operates under the guidance and quality control standards of their parent company.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Trident Seafoods: Largest US vertically integrated seafood company producing frozen prepared seafood products. Overlaps with Day-Lee's seafood import and distribution business, though operates at much broader scale across many cuisines.
• Maruha Nichiro: Japan-headquartered global seafood and processed food conglomerate, sister to NH Foods in the Japanese protein space. Competes with Day-Lee at the parent-group level across seafood and processed Asian foods globally.
• High Liner Foods: North American frozen seafood manufacturer and distributor serving retail and foodservice. Comparable to Day-Lee's frozen seafood distribution and import business but with broader frozen product portfolio.

Emerging players

• Mizkan Americas: Japanese food company (sauces, vinegars and prepared Asian condiments) with growing US presence supplying retail and foodservice channels adjacent to Day-Lee's processed Asian foods portfolio.

Direct peers

• Ajinomoto Foods North America: US frozen Asian foods arm of Japanese food major Ajinomoto, manufacturing Asian-inspired entrées, potstickers and appetizers for retail and foodservice — directly comparable to Day-Lee's branded and contract-manufacturing business.
• JFC International: Large Japanese food importer and distributor serving US restaurants, wholesalers and retailers. Closely comparable to Day-Lee's import trading and food distribution arms, with similar product categories and customer types.
• Mutual Trading Company: Specialty Japanese food importer and distributor serving restaurants, wholesalers and retailers in North America, with overlapping product assortment in frozen Japanese entrées and appetizers.
• Nishimoto / Wismettac Group: Asian food importer, distributor and co-manufacturer supplying Japanese and Pan-Asian products into the US market. Comparable to Day-Lee across its import trading, distribution and private-label capabilities.
• Windsor Quality Holdings: US manufacturer of Asian-style frozen meals and appetizers (including dumpling and Dim Sum-style products) owned by Charoen Pokphand, directly competing with Day-Lee's branded retail and foodservice offerings.
• Pulmuone Foods USA: US subsidiary of Korean food company Pulmuone, producing frozen Asian noodles, dumplings and tofu-based products for retail — competes for similar shelf space and foodservice customers as Day-Lee's Day-Lee Pride and Crazy Cuizine brands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Day-Lee-Foods-Inc-1582632365394161
• Instagraminstagram.com/crazy_cuizine

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Day-Lee Foods