MEATLESS KINGDOM WINS ASIA-PACIFIC SCALE IT UP

Start-up company Meatless Kingdom has been chosen as the winner of Asia-Pacific Scale It Up! Innovation Challenge, an innovation challenge with the goal of helping plantbased protein start-ups in Asia accelerate bringing their products to market. The challenge included 30 companies, competing in a sixmonth long contest, of which Meatless Kingdom emerged as the winner.

To truly become a solution for the growing population and complement conventional proteins, meat and seafood alternatives need to be viable options that are able to meet consumer demand for taste,

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texture, nutrition and food transparency. The competition focused on attaining scalability, fostering innovation, and bringing unique value propositions for consumers through authentic tastes and textures. It facilitated the exchange of innovative ideas, in-depth technical expertise, and commercial knowledge, to overcome the challenges that start-ups typically experience in the journey of developing market-ready solutions.

The teams and sponsors worked in tandem over six months to drive and bolster growth in the alternative proteins space. Together, they explored the use of innovative ingredients from micro algae to lupine, in addition to essential building blocks such as pea protein and specialty starches, to create alternative protein products like plant-based tuna alternatives. Throughout, the goal was to improve the overall eating experience and optimize the manufacturing process to scale production. Meatless Kingdom was selected as the winner with their plant-based bak kwa (barbecued meat), an Asian inspired plant-based protein that offers an affordable and attractive sensorial experience, while Eighth Day Foods was selected as the first runner up for their innovative product, a plant protein derived from lupine that offers a clean taste profile.