Product Update

Is Yee Kwan Still in Business? (2026 Update)

Is Yee Kwan from Dragons’ Den still around in 2026? The deal it made, the dragons who invested, and where to buy Yee Kwan today.

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 2 March 20266 min read

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Yee Kwan pitched a range of East Asian ice cream and sorbet flavours in the Den and secured backing from Deborah Meaden. Years on, the brand is not just surviving, it is on menus across the country.

The Short Answer

Yee Kwan is still in business. The ice cream is served at restaurant chains including Wagamama, Giggling Squid, Banana Tree and Zizzi, sold through independent retailers and Japan Centre, and available direct from the company's own website.

The business has also grown internationally, with exports to Dubai and China. That is a rare outcome for a Den food brand, most of which struggle to move beyond a handful of local stockists.

The Dragons' Den Pitch

Yee Kwan appeared in Series 12, Episode 10, in the Food & Drink category. Founder Yee Kwan Chan had already been running the ice cream business since 2008, building flavours rooted in East Asian ingredients such as black sesame, matcha and lychee, a category that was still niche in UK ice cream aisles at the time.

The founder asked for 50,000 pounds in exchange for 30 percent of the company, a fairly generous equity offer that reflected how early-stage the wider retail rollout still was.

The Deal That Got Done

Deborah Meaden made the offer and put up the full 50,000 pounds for the 30 percent stake on the table, taking exactly the equity that was originally offered rather than pushing for more.

Deborah's background in consumer and leisure businesses made her a sensible partner for a food brand that needed to build out proper retail and hospitality distribution rather than just sell direct to consumers.

What Happened After the Deal

The growth since the pitch has been real and measurable. Yee Kwan built relationships with major restaurant chains, expanded its flavour range, and moved from a niche, founder-run operation into a proper wholesale supplier with a national footprint.

Reaching Wagamama and Zizzi menus is not a small achievement for a food brand of this size. Restaurant groups are demanding buyers, and staying on their supplier list for years running is a sign the product performs consistently, not just once.

Where Things Stand Now

Yee Kwan pitched in Series 12 out of the Food & Drink category, asked for 50,000 pounds for 30 percent, and closed that exact deal with Deborah Meaden.

Today the company remains a family-run business, supplying restaurants and independent retailers nationwide and selling directly through its own online shop, with export sales into Dubai and China on top. If you are wondering whether you can still get a taste of Yee Kwan, the answer is yes, and in more places than when it first pitched.

Why This Pitch Aged Well

East Asian flavours were a much smaller part of the UK ice cream market when Yee Kwan first pitched, and the business benefited from being early to a trend that has only grown since. Interest in Asian food and flavour profiles has expanded steadily across UK hospitality, and a family-run producer that already had the recipes and supply relationships in place was well positioned to ride that wave.

Sticking with a wholesale-first strategy, supplying restaurants rather than trying to compete directly with the big supermarket ice cream brands, also kept the business focused on channels where it had a genuine edge rather than trying to out-market far larger competitors.

The Value of a Restaurant-First Strategy

There is a broader lesson here for other Den food founders watching from home. Rather than pouring the investment into consumer marketing and a direct-to-consumer supply chain from day one, Yee Kwan focused on winning over restaurant buyers, professionals who make purchasing decisions based on product quality, consistency and price, not a flashy campaign.

That approach takes longer to build visible momentum, but it tends to be stickier. A restaurant chain that adds a supplier to its menu is committing to ongoing orders, not a single purchase, which explains why Yee Kwan's growth looks so durable years after its Den appearance.

Common Questions

Did Yee Kwan get a deal on Dragons' Den? Yes. Deborah Meaden invested the full 50,000 pounds asked for, in exchange for 30 percent of the company.

Is Yee Kwan ice cream still available? Yes. It is served at restaurant chains including Wagamama, Giggling Squid, Banana Tree and Zizzi, sold through Japan Centre and independent retailers, and available direct from the company's own website.

Does Yee Kwan sell outside the UK? Yes. The business exports to Dubai and China in addition to its UK wholesale and retail business.

Who founded Yee Kwan? Yee Kwan Chan launched the business in 2008, several years before pitching on the show.

Where to buy Yee Kwan

Still selling as of 2 March 2026. Check today's price and availability.

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See the full Yee Kwan deal breakdown and term sheet →