DDC Names Malik Sadiq as COO of DayDayCook Brands
DDC Enterprise, Ltd., a leading content-driven food consumer brand, has named Malik Sadiq as chief operating officer, effective immediately. Sadiq will spearhead the integration and growth of DayDayCook’s brands globally, including the recent additions of Noma Lin, Yai’s Thai and Omsom.
“Malik joins the DayDayCook leadership team at an important and exciting time as we recently completed our third Asian foods acquisition in the U.S.,” said Norma Chu, founder and CEO. “Malik brings unique experience of driving growth and operational efficiency — both organically and through M&A – and will help the Company efficiently execute on our business plan. We look forward to the impactful contributions he will undoubtedly make to our team as DayDayCook continues its journey to become an Asian food powerhouse.”
Sadiq has more than 25 years of global food and beverage experience with more than 15 years at Tyson Foods. Most recently he was the Cco-CEO and COO of LiveKindly Collective, a high-growth food company operating in 40 countries. Prior to this he was SVP of the International and Export divisions of Tyson Foods, growing revenue to $2 billion over his tenure. Sadiq received his doctorate and master’s in industrial engineering and a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
“I am very excited to join DDC and contribute to its strategy of acquiring authentic Asian brands and scaling for growth,” said Sadiq. “DDC is uniquely positioned to drive this strategy because of its Asian origin and heritage. I am excited to bring my years of operating and M&A experience to drive DDCs strategy.”
Founded in 2012, DayDayCook is a leading content-driven consumer brand offering easy and convenient ready-to-heat, ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat Asian food products. The company focuses on innovative and healthy meal solutions with a fast-growing omnichannel sales network in China and the United States, and through a strong online presence globally. The Company builds brand recognition through culinary and lifestyle content across major social media and e-commerce platforms.
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Palacios, EVERY Partner to Make Products Using Animal-Free Eggs
Grupo Empresarial Palacios Alimentación – the world’s largest producer of string chorizo and Spanish omelets and Spain’s leading producer of frozen desserts – has formalized a commercial agreement with The EVERY Company, a trailblazer in crafting highly functional ingredients without the use of animals.
This partnership marks a significant milestone for the food industry as Palacios will incorporate EVERY Egg, the world’s first chicken egg created without hens, into its flagship Spanish omelets and into the research and development of new products.
EVERY Egg made its prestigious debut at the 3-Michelin-Star restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, where its exceptional quality and versatility were showcased across a variety of dishes. From the delicate textures of a French omelet and the rich depths of a crème brûlée to the intricate layers of a chawanmushi and the innovative twist in a foaming cocktail, EVERY Egg has proven its culinary prowess, mirroring the traditional hen egg in both taste and functionality.
Palacios — which began as a local butcher shop in Albelda de Iregua, La Rioja, Spain before transforming itself into the world’s leading producer of Spanish omelets — has been on the forefront of integrating breakthrough innovations into traditional recipes. Palacios has a firm commitment to innovation, and proof of this is the start of this joint collaboration: quality, tradition and innovation go hand in hand.
“We were genuinely amazed by the delicious taste and culinary versatility of EVERY Egg,” the company says. “Its ability to seamlessly blend into a wide range of dishes while maintaining the authentic taste and texture of a high-quality hen egg is remarkable.”
With EVERY Egg, food companies finally have access to a guaranteed safe, reliable and humane egg source.
The partnership between EVERY and Palacios is a pioneering alliance that promises to revolutionize the food industry, bringing better ingredients to traditional dishes and introducing new culinary experiences for chefs and food enthusiasts worldwide.
Grupo Palacios originated in the 1960s, when Jaime Palacios and his wife, Dolores, continued the family business of a butcher shop in Albelda de Iregua, La Rioja. The big leap for the company began in 1983, with the inauguration of its sausage factory in Albelda de Iregua.
Since 1999, the company implemented a diversification strategy by introducing other value-added food products, including fresh tortillas, refrigerated pizzas, and frozen pastries, in addition to a complete range of 100 percent plant based products. Palacios has generated a turnover of more than 380 million euros in 2023, has 11 production plants in Spain, 1 in the United Kingdom and another in the United States, and its products are distributed in more than 50 countries.
In addition, Palacios has consolidated its position as the world’s leading company in the manufacture and marketing of chorizo sarta and refrigerated potato tortillas, with a workforce of more than 1,000 employees. The company constantly seeks innovative ways to reduce its environmental impact and promote responsible practices throughout its value chain.
The EVERY Company is a leader in the food technology space and is the first company in the world to commercialize highly functional egg proteins produced without chickens. Based in Daly City, Calif., EVERY has enhanced numerous commercial categories with its game-changing proteins, including pressed juice, baked goods and beverage alcohol, with more to come. With investors including AB InBev, the world’s largest fermentation company, and Anne Hathaway, EVERY has been recognized as one of the 50 Hottest Tech Companies in the World by Crunchbase, and among the 50 NEXT companies to Disrupt the World.
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Aniai Introduces Alpha Grill for Foodservice Hamburger Cooking
Aniai, a leader in kitchen automation and AI solutions, announced its first North American showroom in Midtown Manhattan. Aniai’s flagship product Alpha Grill leverages advanced AI and robotics to automate the hamburger patty cooking process, enhancing efficiency and consistency in restaurant kitchens. Aniai has partnered with several notable, North American, quick-service restaurant brands to conduct pilots, with an anticipated rollout at multiple locations over the next year.
With the launch of its New York showroom, Aniai is excited to offer existing and potential restaurant operators a direct glimpse of its Alpha Grill in action.
“We look forward to welcoming customers and industry professionals to our New York showroom to witness the future of kitchen automation,” says Eric Hansen, head of sales, North America. “I genuinely feel that we’re at the very beginning of a significant paradigm shift within the foodservice industry- a shift that embraces robotics to improve the lives of employees by reducing labor intensity and providing myriad ancillary benefits for restaurant operators over the long run.”
For restaurant operators who want to see firsthand the future of kitchen robotics sooner, Aniai made its second consecutive appearance at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago, where it showcased the Alpha Grill along with several enhancements, most notably, Alpha Cloud. Using cloud-based AI, Alpha Cloud can discern the color of hamburger patties and assess their quality in real-time through vision sensors that monitor the cooking process; promptly notifying kitchen staff about patty quality while ensuring rigorous and enhanced quality control.
“Seeing is believing,” said Aniai CEO Gunpil Hwang. “When introducing innovative technology that’s the first of its kind, it’s important that potential adopters can see it in action and to fully understand exactly how it can enhance their businesses. This is what we’re planning to accomplish with our New York showroom, a permanent extension of what we’ve offered at the NRA Show.”
Founded in 2020 and based in New York City, Aniai is a global innovator in automation and AI within the foodservice sector. The company’s mission is to empower restaurants to improve their kitchen operations by delivering intelligent solutions that increase production and enhance quality and service.
Aniai’s flagship Alpha Grill empowers restaurant team members to focus on crafting high-quality burgers while improving the employee experience by automating numerous mundane and repetitive tasks, including grill cleaning and cook time management. The semi-autonomous grill features a rapid cooking system with a double-sided grill capable of preparing up to eight hamburger patties at a time (or 200 patties per hour) and features an innovation self-cleaning function.
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