The Ministry of Commerce has called on more local businesses to join the Phnom Penh Kuyteav collective business system, which was created by the Cambodian Chefs Association to promote local products under the brand.

Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak said this while awarding certification to Uy Kuyteav, authorising its use of the Phnom Penh Kuyteav name, at Yi Sang restaurant on Friday.

A collective business system is an organisation composed of businesses, merchants and professionals from the same industry or geographical region. It typically pools resources, shares information and provides other benefits for its members.

Sorasak said that joining the collective brand Phnom Penh Kuyteav was crucial to boosting local production as well as contributing to national economic growth.

“I would like to appeal and encourage our noodle businessmen, both locally and internationally, to become members of the Cambodian Chefs Association and use the wider brand of ‘Phnom Penh Kuyteav’.

“This will contribute to the mission of building a successful noodle brand and a new collective business model for other sectors,” he said.

The Uy Kuyteav brand is managed and operated by the Almond Hospitality Group.

Almond Hospitality Group CEO Luu Meng said Uy Kuyteav is recognised as a premium noodle.

“Uy Kuyteav is so proud to be a Cambodian brand widely recognised and operated by Almond Group,” he said.

Meanwhile, Meng said this is the first time his company had decided to grant franchises to others.

Providing the franchise under the new system, he said, marks the progress of using the collective brand name “Phnom Penh Kuyteav”, which has quality control mechanisms and hygiene standards in line with proper technical standards.

He said Phnom Penh Kuyteav is not only delicious but would also attract foreign tourists to taste Khmer cuisine, opening up lucrative opportunities.

After its first launch in 2015, Uy Kuyteav Restaurant opened its second branch in Aeon Mall Phnom Penh in 2016. A third branch opened in Aeon Mall Sen Sok City in 2018.

Almond Hospitality Group plans to open at least 20 more Uy Kuyteav branches over the next five years.