Kahiki Foods

What Kahiki Foods does

Kahiki Foods is a US-based Asian frozen food brand that originated as the Kahiki Supper Club, a Tiki-themed restaurant in Columbus, Ohio founded in 1961. The company transitioned to retail frozen foods in 1995, ceased restaurant operations in 2001 to focus exclusively on the frozen food business, and was acquired in 2018 by CJ CheilJedang, a major South Korean food conglomerate, under whose ownership it now operates within the CJ Schwan's division. The legal entity is Schwan's Shared Services, LLC, headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota, with the brand's cultural roots in Columbus, Ohio where manufacturing and production are associated.

The product portfolio is organized into three sub-brand lines: STIRFRESH (stir-fry meals with vegetables and sauce, including Beef & Broccoli and General Tso's Chicken in both individual and family-size portions), Crispy Tempura (handmade tempura-battered white meat chicken with Asian sauces including General Tso's, Orange Chicken, and Sweet & Sour), and STEAM & SERVE (microwavable bag-steamed meals such as Chicken Fried Rice). The core technology is conventional frozen-food production: flash-freezing to preserve freshness, a small-batch handmade tempura batter process applied to freshly cut chicken, and steam-in-bag microwave preparation. Ingredients are sourced globally (lemongrass from Thailand, gochujang from Korea) and domestically (honey from Ohio's Deer Creek Honey Farms). The company holds SQF Level III certification, the highest food quality and safety classification from the Safe Quality Food Institute, maintained through annual audits.

Kahiki operates a consumer packaged goods business model, generating revenue through one-time-purchase retail sales at unit pricing set by retail partners. Distribution occurs through two channels: national retail grocery (frozen food aisles of major supermarket chains across the United States) and direct-to-consumer e-commerce via kahiki.com. The company employs approximately 200 people ('Kahikians') drawn from 22 different countries. The customer base consists of mainstream US grocery shoppers seeking convenient, restaurant-quality Asian-American frozen meals for quick weeknight dinners and family meals, with no subscription model, no enterprise accounts, and geographic reach limited to the United States.

Name

Kahiki Foods

Legal name

Schwan's Shared Services, LLC

Website

https://kahiki.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kahiki Foods is a US Asian frozen food brand selling stir-fry, tempura chicken, and steam-in-bag meals through national grocery retailers and direct e-commerce to mainstream US consumers seeking convenient restaurant-quality Asian meals at home. The brand is wholly owned by South Korea's CJ CheilJedang and operates within the CJ Schwan's division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Asian Foods

NAICS

Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412), Frozen Food Manufacturing (31141), Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers (42442)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen prepared meals & entrées manufacturing (AFAKAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Ethnic & International Meals (CRADADAE), Frozen Prepared Meals & Entrées Wholesale (AFAIAHAG)

Keywords

• Asian frozen meals
• Frozen stir fry
• Tempura chicken products
• Steam-bag meals
• Frozen Asian entrees

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Consumer Packaged Goods (Frozen Foods) Sales: Kahiki generates revenue through the sale of frozen Asian food products to consumers via retail grocery stores and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. Products are sold as one-time purchases at retail price points, with no subscription model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Kahiki Foods manufactures and sells ready-to-heat Asian frozen meals organized under three product lines: STIRFRESH® stir-fry meals with vegetables and sauce, Crispy Tempura battered chicken entrees, and STEAM & SERVE™ microwavable steamed meals cooked in the bag. Products are sold in standard and family-size portions at retail grocery stores nationwide and directly through the company's e-commerce website.

Product overview

Kahiki Foods is an Asian frozen food company offering a portfolio of ready-to-heat frozen meals organized under three product lines: Stirfresh (stir-fry meals with sauce and vegetables), Crispy Tempura (tempura-battered chicken with various Asian sauces), and Steam & Serve (microwave-ready meals in steaming bags). The product lines include specific offerings such as Beef & Broccoli, General Tso's Chicken, Orange Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Sweet Teriyaki, and Chicken Fried Rice. Products are available in both standard and family-sized portions. The company was founded in Columbus, Ohio, and is currently owned by CJ CheilJedang of Seoul, Korea. All products are manufactured in the United States with ingredients sourced globally and domestically, including honey from Ohio's Deer Creek Honey Farms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• STIRFRESH®: Stir fry frozen meal line featuring beef and broccoli, General Tso's chicken, and family-size options.
• Crispy Tempura
• STEAM & SERVE™

Products and services

• Kahiki® STIRFRESH® Beef & Broccoli A frozen stir-fry meal featuring seasoned sliced beef with broccoli in sauce, ready to prepare on stove top or microwave. Standard individual serving size for consumers seeking convenient Asian-style meals at home.
• Kahiki® STIRFRESH® Beef & Broccoli Family Size A larger family-sized version of the classic beef and broccoli stir-fry, serving approximately 7 people. Prepared on stove top or microwave for family meal occasions.
• Kahiki® STIRFRESH® General Tso's Chicken Plate A frozen stir-fry meal featuring lightly breaded chicken with General Tso's sauce, broccoli, carrots, and red bell pepper. Spicy dish with medium heat level, prepared on stove top or microwave.
• Kahiki® STIRFRESH® Sweet Teriyaki Family Size A family-sized frozen stir-fry featuring lightly breaded chicken in sweet teriyaki sauce with broccoli, carrots, and red bell pepper. Serves approximately 4 people and is prepared on stove top or microwave.
• Kahiki® Crispy Tempura General Tso's Chicken White meat chicken marinated in seasonings and coated with handmade tempura batter including Deer Creek honey, served with General Tso's sauce. Available in oven or deep fry preparation.
• Kahiki® Crispy Tempura Orange Chicken

Quantifiable outcome

• SQF Level III certification - highest certification for Food Quality and Safety

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bibigo: CJ CheilJedang's flagship US frozen Asian brand offering mandu, bibimbap, and stir-fry products. Directly comparable to Kahiki as a sister brand under the same parent, competing in the same frozen Asian category with overlapping target consumers.
• P.F. Chang's Home Menu: Conagra Brands' frozen Asian entrée line, including Orange Chicken, Beef & Broccoli, and General Tso's Chicken. Directly competes with Kahiki in the same retail frozen Asian meal aisles with overlapping SKU structure and target consumers.
• InnovAsian Cuisine: Frozen Asian entrée brand offering General Tso's, Orange Chicken, and similar Chinese-American dishes. Directly comparable to Kahiki on product format, retail channel, and target consumer occasion.

Broad incumbents

• Lean Cuisine: Nestlé's mainstream frozen entrée brand with an Asian-inspired lineup (e.g., Sesame Chicken). Competes with Kahiki in the same frozen-aisle and targets similar time-constrained dinner occasions.
• Stouffer's: Nestlé's flagship frozen entrée brand with a long-standing Asian-leaning portfolio (e.g., Satisfying Selections, ramen bowls). Broad incumbent competing with Kahiki for dinner-occasion share.
• Trader Joe's: Major US grocery chain with an extensive private-label frozen Asian assortment including mandu, fried rice, and orange chicken. Competes broadly with Kahiki on price and convenience, especially in coastal and premium markets.
• Tyson Foods (Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm Asian lines): Diversified protein-led frozen food manufacturer with growing ethnic/Asian ranges. Broad incumbent leveraging scale, retail relationships, and supply chain advantages that pressure smaller frozen brands like Kahiki.
• Marie Callender's: Conagra's frozen entrée and pot pie brand with a comfort-food portfolio. While more Western-skewed, it competes with Kahiki for the same weeknight family dinner occasion in retail frozen aisles.

Emerging players

• Saffron Road: Premium frozen ethnic meals brand spanning Asian, Indian, and Latin categories. Comparable to Kahiki on premium-ingredient positioning, halal/clean-label ethos, and natural-channel distribution, with overlapping target consumers.
• Amy's Kitchen: Premium organic frozen meal brand with a broad ethnic and comfort lineup. Competes with Kahiki in natural and mainstream grocery channels for the same convenience-seeking, ingredient-conscious consumer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KahikiFoods
• YouTubeyoutube.com/kahikifoods
• Facebookfacebook.com/KahikiFoods
• Instagraminstagram.com/KahikiFoods
• Pinterestpinterest.com/kahikifoods
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kahiki-foods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Kahiki Foods