Yosuke Masuko
Self-taught cheesemaker who turned backyard pizza parties into a 40+ restaurant empire across 5 countries
Who is Yosuke Masuko?
Yosuke Masuko is the Japanese founder of Pizza 4P's, a farm-to-table pizza chain launched in 2011 in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City with $100,000 in savings and just 4-5 tables. He taught himself mozzarella making from YouTube and tested 25+ milk sources to build his own cheese workshop in Da Lat producing 2,000+ burrata per day. Pizza 4P's now runs 40+ restaurants across 5 countries with post-tax profit of 115B VND (2023) and expanded to New York in 2025.
Notable Quotes
“Don't board the ship if you don't know where you're going. If the destination isn't clear, we won't leave the harbor.”
“If pizza can help me fulfill my personal mission — "Making the world smile for peace" — I'll pour all my energy into it.”
“I can't emphasize enough how important it is to understand yourself. Dig deep within — who you are, what you're passionate about.”
Advice
Start from passion, not a business plan
Pizza 4P's was born from backyard parties — genuine love for the craft, not market analysis.
Turn constraints into competitive advantages
No fresh mozzarella available? Learn to make it yourself. That constraint became something no competitor could replicate.
Sustainability is a business strategy, not a cost
Zero-waste restaurants, in-house cheese production, farm-to-table sourcing — reduces costs, creates differentiation, and builds loyalty simultaneously.
Key Highlights
- ✓From 5 tables ($100K, 2011) → 40+ restaurants across 5 countries
- ✓Self-taught mozzarella from YouTube — turned constraint into competitive moat
- ✓Dalat cheese factory: 2,000+ burrata balls/day, wholesale & export
- ✓After-tax profit 115B VND (2023), 38% growth YoY
Biography
Yosuke Masuko (born in Japan) previously worked at CyberAgent Ventures. In 2008, he moved to Hanoi to set up an investment office. While living in Vietnam, he and his wife Sanae Takasugi began hosting backyard pizza parties every weekend. The parties became so popular that friends urged them to open a restaurant. The biggest challenge: fresh mozzarella was nearly impossible to find in Vietnam. Masuko taught himself cheesemaking from YouTube, testing milk from over 25 sources. In 2011, with $100,000 in savings, the couple opened the first Pizza 4P's on Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1 — just 4-5 small tables. After 14 years: 40+ restaurants across 5 countries, a dedicated cheese factory in Don Duong (Dalat) producing 1,500-2,000 burrata and 2,000-3,000 mozzarella balls daily. In 2023, after-tax profit reached 115 billion VND ($4.6M), up 38% YoY. In 2025, expansion to New York (USA).
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Articles & Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
›Who is Yosuke Masuko?
Yosuke Masuko is the Japanese founder of Pizza 4P's, a farm-to-table pizza chain he launched in 2011 in HCMC with $100,000 in savings and 4-5 tables. He built the brand from backyard pizza parties into a 40+ restaurant chain across 5 countries.
›What is Pizza 4P's?
Pizza 4P's is a Japanese-Vietnamese pizza chain focused on farm-to-table sustainability. From opening its first store in 2011 in District 1 (HCMC), it now operates 40+ restaurants across Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan and New York (from 2025).
›How does Pizza 4P's source its cheese?
Yosuke Masuko taught himself mozzarella making from YouTube and tested 25+ milk sources. Pizza 4P's now runs its own cheese workshop in Don Duong, Da Lat, producing 1,500-2,000 burrata and 2,000-3,000 mozzarella per day.
›What is Pizza 4P's revenue?
In 2023, Pizza 4P's post-tax profit reached 115B VND — a 38% year-on-year increase. The company continues to expand internationally, opening in Nen Tokyo and New York in 2025.
›Why did Yosuke Masuko choose Vietnam?
He originally moved to Hanoi in 2008 to open a CyberAgent Ventures office. The backyard pizza parties he and his wife Sanae Takasugi hosted became so popular that friends encouraged them to open a restaurant — that became Pizza 4P's in 2011.
Other Experts
Summer Lê
Chef behind Vietnam's first and only Michelin Green Star, pioneering sustainable dining with 99% local ingredients
Trần Nhật Quang
Pioneer of Vietnam's first farm-to-cup Arabica coffee model
Hoàng Tùng
"Mr Pizza" — Vietnamese owner of Pizza Home chain, hands-on F&B content creator
Sanae Takasugi
Co-founder & Deputy CEO of Pizza 4P's — architect of the "Oneness" culture from pizza to life philosophy
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