Amara backs Cambodian hotpot restaurant chain

It comes about six months after Amara backed local restaurant and hotel group Thalias Hospitality. Taihei Yamada, chairman of the Amara investment committee, said his firm planned to “develop a F&B [food and beverage] empire.”

KFK Holdings is positioned as a multi-concept F&B group. It is best known for the hotpot chain Kungfu Kitchen, which has expanded from a single restaurant at the time of the company’s inception in December 2019 to 14 locations across Phnom Penh.

The company claims to offer diverse menus, balancing quality and authenticity with affordability. The plan is to work with Amada to improve business and financial capabilities, foster corporate governance, and expand market share.

An element of broader economic uplift has been featured as part of the strategy for both parties. KFK said its business mission is to invest in the people of Cambodia and nurture their talent.

“Kungfu Kitchen’s exceptional culinary offerings and strong brand presence with a focus on the affordable segment perfectly align with the rapidly growing demand along with the young population demography and the emergence of the middle class in Cambodia,” Yamada said in a statement.

“We strongly believe in the management team’s commitment and capability in developing and managing new brands with quality.

Yamada, previously an investor in the private equity unit at Norinchukin Bank, leads a management team of local business executives, including Monivann Hun, formerly of EY Cambodia. Socheat Lim, formerly of Cambodia's Leopard Capital, is the managing partner.

Amara is active across growth private equity and debt, including microfinance for small to medium-sized enterprises businesses and real estate projects, exclusively in Cambodia. It describes itself as a fund manager serving regional investors, as well as a platform for local entrepreneurs.

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• Topics
• Southeast Asia
• Consumer
• Expansion
• Cambodia
• food & beverage
• Emerging Markets