The group retained all its full-time staff throughout this period, with some redirected to work on Kenichi’s goal of launching a halal brand. Kenichi recalls: “We diverted some of our staff’s attention to creating halal versions. We finally succeeded and opened our first halal outlet in November 2020.”
Japanese cuisine, such as ramen, sushi and teppanyaki, is a favourite among Singaporeans. However, the lack of halal options means Muslim diners often miss out. Japan Foods Holding (SGX:5OI
) (JFH) is addressing this by providing a wide range of halal Japanese dishes.
In a previous interview with The Edge Singapore, executive chairman Takahashi Kenichi, who is also known as the father of ramen in Singapore for bringing the popular Ajisen Ramen brand, said that creating a truly satisfying halal ramen is challenging, especially since the soup base is typically made with pork bones. During the pandemic, when several of the company’s outlets were closed or operating at reduced capacity, the group decided to research and develop halal ramen.
