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Room-mates Naoka Kojo and Caddie Mao formed Japanese cheesecake business 15centimeters when COVID-19 hit in 2020. Demand for their cheesecakes in flavours such as fresh Tahitian lime, macha and hojicha milk tea was so high they moved to an industrial kitchen at the height of the pandemic. They didn’t think 2021 could be as busy, but then came the latest lockdown.
“It’s 10 times busier than usual. We had 300 cake orders last week,” Mao said.
Naoka Kojo, co-creator of 15centimeters, prepares cheesecakes for baking.
Credit:Kate Geraghty
The business has even struggled to source enough ingredients. “We couldn’t get enough sugar during last year’s lockdown. This year it’s hard to buy enough eggs.”