Fusion focus: Italian food with a Japanese twist key for frozen food firm's SEA expansion
Amici has been serving Italian cuisine since 2007 at its two trattorias in Ibaraki. In 2021, it expanded into producing frozen ready-to-eat Italian staples for supermarkets.
But its strategy will shift when it expands into broader Asian retail markets, where competition is high for international food products.
One approach for capturing market interest is blending Japanese elements into Italian cuisine.
“We have always adhered to serving authentic Italian food. But this must change if we want to succeed beyond Japan. We are still strategizing and working on the recipes, gathering feedback from events such as this,” said Amici’s coordinator Jun Murakami, when asked how Amici will deal with competition from native Italian food producers.
Murakami was speaking to FoodNavigator-Asia at the Food Japan 2024 event, held at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre from 24–26 October.
Amici imports key ingredients like tomato sauce and cheese from Italy to ensure an authentic taste. The rest of the ingredients are sourced within Japan as they don’t affect the essential flavours.
Unlike many other eateries and brands in the country, Amici does not serve fusion Japanese Italian food so that they can cater to the local demand for authentic overseas cuisine, explained Murakami.
While its offerings in Japan is likely to remain unchanged, the Amici team has a few ideas on how to incorporate Japanese elements into its food for Asian retailers.
Japanese-Italian fusion – A unique appeal for South East Asia
For the pizza dough, Japanese rice flour could be used instead of the traditional Italian pizza flour, said Amici chef Yuji Ota.
Shoyu and miso paste can also be added to pastas and pizzas, which will give an umami boost and an authentic Japanese flavour.
The aim is to infuse an appropriate dose of product differentiation without ruining the authenticity of Italian food.
For snack offerings, Ota is considering flavours like matcha or adzuki for fried pizza, which is something like a calzone. This will add a Japanese twist to the traditional fried pizza, or pizza fritta, which originated in Naples.
Pizza fritta is a lesser-known cousin of Italian pizza. Instead of having the ingredients served on an open pizza, the sauces and fillings are enclosed within the dough.
These new flavours will add to its current fried pizza range, which currently includes classic Italian flavours like margherita, clam chowder, and chocolate – flavours that most Asians are familiar with.
“Japanese food is well received in Singapore, so adding more Japanese flavours to our product range will appeal more to consumers,” said Murakami, who said Amici is testing its products in Singapore before considering expansion to other neighbouring South East Asian regions.
Apart from geographical and cultural proximity, Singapore makes a suitable Asian hub with its diverse population and established demand for Japanese cuisine.
It is also a good place to develop halal-friendly offerings, which could support expansion into other South East Asian markets with significant Muslim populations.
As Amici tests its fusion creations, it hopes to bring a fresh take on Italian-Japanese cuisine to South East Asia’s ready-to-eat market.
The brand is balancing authenticity with local tastes as it starts its Asian expansion in Singapore – an approach it believes will help broaden its appeal across diverse markets in the region.
