What happens when a food tech venture capitalist and a flavours scientist — both coffee aficionados — meet? They form a sustainable bio-flavours start-up, Prefer, offering an audacious product such as bean-less coffee.
American neuroscience graduate Jake Berber was finishing his MBA programme at the National University of Singapore when he met Tan Ding Jie in 2022. Both were participants in the Singapore programme of Entrepreneur First, an early-stage tech accelerator founded in the UK.
At that time, Tan was already well-known in local innovation circles as “the Prince of Fermentation”, who had launched Starter Culture to develop fermentation-based products for restaurants and bars like Labyrinth and Jigger & Pony. Berber and Tan would go on to start Prefer in November 2022.
Prefer produces fresh coffee grounds and bottled cold brew coffee in decaf or caffeinated (using tea-derived caffeine) versions by upcycling old Gardenia bread, soybean pulp from Mr Bean, and spent barley grains from local breweries such as The 1925 Brewing Co. and Brewerkz. The ingredients are blended and fermented before being roasted in an oven for aroma and flavour.
Tan explains: “We ferment these ingredients using food-grade, non-genetically modified microbes through a process similar to brewing beer or kombucha. We modified beer tanks and optimised them for our processes, which allows us to control the quality and safety of our products. We can potentially replicate a range of coffee profiles from Ethiopian to Colombian beans.”
More arabica than robusta in taste, the coffee has a distinct savoury edge that was pleasant in a fizzy drink like an espresso tonic served at Dough cafe but overpowered in an oat milk latte. The 48-hour manufacturing process is much shorter than the average of five years for coffee plants to bear fruit.
Currently, Prefer produces about 50kg a month of coffee in its laboratory at the Food Tech Innovation Centre at Biopolis, a biomedical research and development centre in Buona Vista.
Prefer, which rolled out its products in September 2023, secured US$2 million ($2.7 million) in seed funding in February, backed by investors such as Forge Ventures and Makati-based coffee chain Pickup Coffee. The founders are currently searching for a manufacturing facility to expand production capabilities and service customers throughout Southeast Asia, starting with Manila this year.
Eco-friendly coffee
According to Our World in Data, a research consultancy studying global food trends, the coffee crop has the sixth highest carbon footprint globally at 29kg of carbon dioxide emissions per kilogramme, trailing just behind beef, lamb, mutton, cheese, and chocolate production.
Berber adds: “Due to climate change, 50 per cent of the land where coffee is grown today will not be able to do so in the next couple of decades. At the same time, the demand for coffee is expected to rise by three times, particularly in countries such as China and India, where the younger generations see drinking coffee as being cool and hip.”
Operating on a B2B model, Prefer’s coffee is currently served in 14 outlets around Singapore, such as Saladstop, Dough, and Foreword Coffee Roasters. Berber says their unique selling proposition is being “a more affordable or similarly priced” supplier compared to other competitors and the product’s ease of use.
“We can match their current operation costs without making a loss because our technology is scalable with readily available ingredients and accessible equipment. It is also very easy for companies to try Prefer coffee because the grounds are compatible with existing coffee-making machines, and cafes don’t incur additional costs when they switch to our brand.”
Dough’s operations manager, Kenneth Zhang, agrees that Prefer’s sustainable slant and competitive pricing make the bean-free grounds attractive. The cafe started using Prefer coffee last December in drinks such as a hot macadamia oat latte and an iced espresso tonic for “a more balanced flavour”.
While it doesn’t taste precisely like coffee, the founders are not shying away from feedback. Tan says that Prefer is best enjoyed as a cappuccino, latte, or cocktail, adding that “improving the formula is an ongoing process, and we’re currently experimenting with different ingredients and microbes”.
While selling directly to consumers is not on the cards for now, Berber does not rule out the possibility in the future. The duo also wants to replicate the flavours of other crops threatened by climate change, such as cacao, vanilla, hazelnut, and citrus fruit. Berber says: “We want to recreate a portfolio of different foods that we love in a more sustainable and affordable manner.”
Good for the people, better for the planet
Other Singapore-based start-ups addressing the challenges of sustainable food production with technology:
TurtleTree
In February, the Singapore-headquartered sustainable nutrition company became the world’s first precision fermentation dairy company to obtain vegan certification for its animal-free lactoferrin LF+ from VeganAction, the most recognised vegan certification provider in the United States.
Lactoferrin is a highly desirable protein that contains immunity, iron regulation, and gut health benefits. TurtleTree plans to roll out five to six other animal-free milk proteins. In Singapore, it aims to get approval for its products from the Singapore Food Agency by the end of this year.
Vanessa Castagna, director of clinical and scientific affairs, says: “As the world’s population approaches 10 billion in 2050, meeting the nutritional needs of future generations becomes increasingly challenging if it is based solely on animal agriculture.
With precision fermentation, we’re making an abundant, sustainable,, and affordable supply of the most powerful functional milk proteins without the need for high-methane-emitting cows.”
Growthwell Foods
Homegrown Growthwell focuses on plant-based alternatives in the seafood and dairy markets using lesser-known ingredients such as konjac and chickpeas. Last year, it debuted the world’s first plant-based milk made exclusively with chickpeas, Epic’c, which has three flavours: Protein+, Oats Blend, and Barista Blend.
Growthwell also launched its Happiee! range of vegan frozen seafood, such as shrimp and squid rings, with British retailers Ocado and Tesco in the second half of 2023. It plans to expand to more partners in the UK and Germany in 2024.
