Daiya Foods, a Canadian plant-based food group under the ownership of Japan’s Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, has named Hajime Fujita as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Fujita will take over the position previously held by Michael Watt, who had served in that capacity since 2019.
Fujita brings over 17 years of expertise in business and financial planning within the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and electronics sectors, with experience spanning the United States, Canada, Indonesia, China, and Japan.
In his most recent role, Fujita served as the Vice President of Business Planning at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals.
He has been assigned the responsibility of overseeing operations in North America and leading the ongoing international expansion of the brand.
Daiya’s product portfolio encompasses various plant-based offerings, such as cheese slices, dressings, spreads, yoghurts, and a selection of frozen dairy-free meals and desserts.
The company distributes its products through in-store sales and e-commerce partnerships, reaching 25,000 retailers in the United States and Canada. Additionally, it has a presence in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Fujita played a pivotal role in the pharmaceutical group’s acquisition of Daiya in 2017, as stated by the plant-based company.
In 2018, he transitioned to Daiya, assuming the position of Director for Financial Planning and Analysis, a role he held until 2021.
During that particular year, he joined the board of directors at the dairy-free group and assumed the role of Vice President at Otsuka’s American branch.
Commenting on his appointment, Fujita said, “There is enormous potential in the Daiya brand to push the highly competitive plant-based category to new heights, particularly through product innovation and bold marketing.”
While at Daiya, the company said Fujita had “a lead role” in establishing the company’s production site in Burnaby, British Columbia, which is said to be “the largest stand-alone plant-based food facility in North America.”
As per the official website of the government of British Columbia, Daiya’s production and office facility in Burnaby spans approximately 400,000 square feet.
Earlier this year, the company revealed plans to make a multi-million-dollar investment in fermentation technology, aiming to incorporate fermented plant-based cheeses into its product lineup. The fermentation site is slated to be established at the Burnaby facility, according to the group.
