Taiwan's DaChan plans to expand into U.S. processed food market

Taipei, April 11 (CNA) Taiwanese food conglomerate DaChan Great Wall Group plans to expand its footprint in the U.S. processed food market and introduce signature Taiwanese dishes such as beef noodles, the company said at an investor conference on Friday.

Following its acquisition of a majority stake in U.S.-based processed food maker Amy Food Inc. last year, DaChan plans to build two new processing plants in the United States, with construction expected to begin later this year, according to its chairman Han Chia-yu (韓家宇).

The new facilities will significantly boost production capacity, scaling up existing product lines such as spring rolls and dumplings, while adding traditional Taiwanese favorites like beef noodle soup to its offerings, Han said.

President Han Fang-hao (韓芳豪) noted that the acquisition of Amy Food was a strategic move to expand DaChan's presence in the U.S.

Amy Food already has strong distribution channels, selling to high school and university cafeterias as well as major supermarkets across the country, he said, adding that DaChan aims to further grow these operations using its own management capabilities.

When asked about the impact of U.S. tariff policies, Chairman Han said the group's Indonesian facility -- responsible for seafood processing and generating about 15 percent of its revenue from U.S. exports -- may be the most affected.

Meanwhile, DaChan's China operations mainly serve the local market and export only minimally to Japan, without shipping to the U.S., suggesting that overall tariff impacts will be limited.

Looking ahead, he said DaChan is moving forward with several major investments.

In Taiwan, new facilities for aquaculture feed, native chicken processing, white meat chicken portioning, and biotech manufacturing are expected to come online this year and start contributing to revenue in the second half.

In addition, expansion of the company's pig farm operations in Vietnam and seafood processing plant in Indonesia will also be completed in 2025, providing further operational momentum.

In 2024, DaChan posted consolidated revenue of NT$102.75 billion (US$3.16 billion), a year-on-year decrease of 7.52 percent.