Food & Beverage Trailblazers

FoodNavigator-Asia Food & Beverage Trailblazers: In conversation with APAC's ground-breaking food and beverage start-ups

Episodes

RTC pastes: Culture and convenience combo crucial to entice young Asian consumers

May 21, 2025 • 16 mins

Ready-to-cook (RTC) pastes can tap the rising at-home cooking boom in Asia by including a combo of heritage and convenience in their innovations.

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Bespoke blooms: Petale Tea on finding a niche in Singapore’s crowded hot beverage category

March 12, 2025 • 13 mins

Singapore’s Petale Tea believes it has found a unique niche in the market for premium, personalised consumption in the shape of blooming tea balls.

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Kava drinks set to shake up NOLO market as next-gen alcohol alternative - The Calmer Co

January 15, 2025 • 15 mins

Australia-based The Calmer Co believes that kava-based drinks are well-positioned as part of the second generation of low-to-no alcohol (NOLO) beverages, providing relaxation functional benefits in addition to being an alternative to booze.

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HaruPlate to tap gaming and cultural triggers to get young children eating healthy

December 10, 2024 • 23 mins

Singapore-based children’s food firm HaruPlate is looking to tap on mediums of gameplaying as well as cultural influences to get kids in the APAC region to first eat at all, then eat healthier.

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Drink your biotics: Bright colours and visual appeal crucial to deliver healthier beverages to children – Tummy Buddies

October 16, 2024 • 21 mins

Australia’s Tummy Buddies believes that healthier product innovation for children needs to focus on bright colours and visual appeal in order to secure that crucial first purchase.

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In focus: Can Asia’s AI-powered productivity drink find a niche in the market?

August 14, 2024 • 22 mins

Singapore-based Flojo believes that it has found a sweet spot in Asia's beverage market with an AI-powered ‘productivity drink’ targeting consumers who regularly use a lot of brain power.

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‘Not all protein is made the same’: Mamame touts nutritional benefits of black-eyed beans to boost healthy snacking

July 24, 2024 • 22 mins

Tempeh chips brand Mamame has highlighted the multiple nutritional benefits of black-eyed beans as a key factor behind its success in the APAC healthy snacking sector, fuelling its upcoming growth into the UK and US markets as well.

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Fat for fitness: Smaller packs and keto options driving nut butter popularity in Asia

June 18, 2024 • 24 mins

New Zealand nut butter specialist Forty Thieves believes that its flexibility in providing smaller packaging options as well as a dedicated keto range is driving growth across the region.

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‘Plugging the gaps’: Market consolidation in cultivated protein sector vital to overcome ‘disillusionment’

April 16, 2024 • 25 mins

Singapore cultivated seafood firm Umami Bioworks believes that strategic mergers are crucial to overcome doubts about the sector and achieve buy-in from major brands which can help the category scale-up.

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Flexitarian fix: Why focusing on vegan’s won’t drive APAC’s plan-based growth

March 12, 2024 • 17 mins

Focusing on flexitarians and doubling down on the perceived health benefits of consuming less meat and dairy is the best way for APAC’s sluggish plant-based sector to secure significant growth.

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Quality over quantity: Why APAC tea sector needs to focus on functional innovation to drive growth

February 20, 2024 • 22 mins

The APAC tea sector need to focus on functionality and format innovation and not just increasing blend varieties if it is to enjoy sustained growth, according to Sri Lanka and Europe-based tea specialist English Tea Shop.

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Dry and high: Ambient plant-based innovation the way to go for clean label products to become more mainstream

February 19, 2024 • 42 secs

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Dry and high: Ambient plant-based innovation the way to go for clean label products to become more mainstream

December 5, 2023 • 20 mins

Singapore-based plant-based products firm Thoughtful Food believes that the sector needs to look more closely at dry and ambient innovation as a key driver, particularly for brands seeking to solve ultra-processing challenges or go more clean label.

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‘Super cheap’: Affordability trumps protein and sustainability as main driving factor for insect-based foods in APAC

October 17, 2023 • 19 mins

Affordability is emerging as the main driving factor for insect-based foods in the APAC region, possibly even more significant than its often-lauded protein or sustainability factors.

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Lessons learned: How can APAC cultivated meat sector avoid past alt protein ‘pitfalls’?

September 12, 2023 • 20 mins

The cultivated meat industry in APAC needs to focus on localisation and realistic pricing strategies to avoid repeating past alternative protein ‘pitfalls’, says pioneer Aleph Farms.

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Tea with a twist: Curated Culture eyes APAC ‘sports and wellness’ space with probiotic tea products

August 15, 2023 • 18 mins

Singapore-based Curated Culture has big plans to enter the ‘sports and wellness’ space in the APAC region with its probiotic tea products, which the firm has stressed is ‘not kombucha’.

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Euphoric functionality: How better-for-you beverage trends are starting to converge across APAC and US markets

June 21, 2023 • 18 mins

Better-for-you beverage trends and ingredients are starting to see a convergence between markets in the Asia Pacific and United States as comsumer awareness grows, according to energy tea brand YATE.

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Overcoming kids' veggie aversion: Taste and health the key combo to drive uptake of healthy snacks and improve diets

May 16, 2023 • 17 mins

Children are the ‘toughest food critics’ meaning that healthy snack firms have to pay equal attention to taste and nutrition if they are going to attract mass appeal and help improve the diets of young people.

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Vitality for the elderly: How plant-based and natural can clean-up in the burgeoning active ageing space

March 22, 2023 • 19 mins

Singaporean plant-based firm Vitality Foods is targeting the still-active seniors demographic in APAC with its all-natural, clean label products, believing it has found a gap in the industry that is as-yet underserved and full of unmet needs.

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Tradition with a twist: How Philippines’ plant-based pioneers are infusing health and localisation to stand out

February 22, 2023 • 18 mins

Plant-based brands in South East Asia need to step up their game by integrating unique health and localisation features to stand out in the increasingly crowded market, according to a Philippines brand blazing a trail in the sector.

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Food & Beverage Trailblazers

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}RTC pastes: Culture and convenience combo crucial to entice young Asian consumers

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Bespoke blooms: Petale Tea on finding a niche in Singapore’s crowded hot beverage category

Kava drinks set to shake up NOLO market as next-gen alcohol alternative - The Calmer Co

HaruPlate to tap gaming and cultural triggers to get young children eating healthy

Drink your biotics: Bright colours and visual appeal crucial to deliver healthier beverages to children – Tummy Buddies

In focus: Can Asia’s AI-powered productivity drink find a niche in the market?

‘Not all protein is made the same’: Mamame touts nutritional benefits of black-eyed beans to boost healthy snacking

Fat for fitness: Smaller packs and keto options driving nut butter popularity in Asia

‘Plugging the gaps’: Market consolidation in cultivated protein sector vital to overcome ‘disillusionment’

Flexitarian fix: Why focusing on vegan’s won’t drive APAC’s plan-based growth

Quality over quantity: Why APAC tea sector needs to focus on functional innovation to drive growth

Dry and high: Ambient plant-based innovation the way to go for clean label products to become more mainstream

Dry and high: Ambient plant-based innovation the way to go for clean label products to become more mainstream

‘Super cheap’: Affordability trumps protein and sustainability as main driving factor for insect-based foods in APAC

Lessons learned: How can APAC cultivated meat sector avoid past alt protein ‘pitfalls’?

Tea with a twist: Curated Culture eyes APAC ‘sports and wellness’ space with probiotic tea products

Euphoric functionality: How better-for-you beverage trends are starting to converge across APAC and US markets

Overcoming kids' veggie aversion: Taste and health the key combo to drive uptake of healthy snacks and improve diets

Vitality for the elderly: How plant-based and natural can clean-up in the burgeoning active ageing space

Tradition with a twist: How Philippines’ plant-based pioneers are infusing health and localisation to stand out

Popular Podcasts

RTC pastes: Culture and convenience combo crucial to entice young Asian consumers

Bespoke blooms: Petale Tea on finding a niche in Singapore’s crowded hot beverage category