Agritech and food tech startups have been increasingly receiving recognition. Just recently, in 2019, a pan-Asian-Pacific competition called Future Food Asia was awarding one finalist out of the 10 with a $US100,000 grand prize as they present a wide range of technologies to address some of the most critical challenges of the food supply chain.
With food tech companies continually innovating, there’s been plenty of new technologies and developments in the market from food techniques in distribution and automation to creating new superfoods that are not only tasty but can also be part of a healthy diet.
Who are some of the food tech startups leading the way? Below is a curated list of a few incredible startups making their mark in the foodtech world.
Grain – Singapore
With plenty of delivery food services such as Deliveroo, Grabfood, and Foodpanda in Singapore, how has Grain managed to differentiate itself from the competition? Instead of partnering with restaurants, Grain has adopted a different approach and prepares its own dishes instead.
Grain focuses on providing a unique range of menu items to its customers from local favourites with a unique twist to truffle pasta and more. Since Grain rotates its menus weekly, customers won’t get bored of the choices, and it’s decently priced with meals usually priced between SG$10.95 to SG$19.95 with a varying delivery cost.
Also Read: Bringing innovation to the table: Why foodtech is the next frontier in Southeast Asia
Currently, the company is also trialing menu plans and is offering it to a small group of customers.
Dahmakan – Malaysia and Bangkok
Another great on-demand food delivery service is Dahmakan in Malaysia and Bangkok. The company provides healthy, fresh meals to customers that are cooked by a friendly chef with fast delivery.
The process is simple: the company sources fresh local ingredients from their suppliers, then you can order your preferred dish from the website or app, a chef will help cook the meal for you, and it’ll be delivered right to your doorstep.
Some items that Dahmakan has on their menu include a minced pork bowl, chicken rice, and spicy chicken quesadilla. They’ve even got dessert from passion fruit cheesecake to an apple crumble yoghurt, and you can choose to have the items delivered the day of, or sometime during the week.
Gathar – Australia
Do you love entertaining but find it a chore to set up and cook for a large group of people? If so, Gathar would be right up your alley. The company takes the stress out of entertaining by connecting individuals with chefs that’ll come by and do all the work. Since its launch, the company has achieved plenty of success and has expanded into 10 locations in Australia.
Also Read: Setting new rules for the food delivery industry in a post-pandemic world
While the recent pandemic may have caused many companies’ demise, Gathar has managed to shift gears and innovate. During this period, they’ve catered to parties of two that may be celebrating their anniversary or small weddings and even hosted a virtual dinner party with chefs cooking the same four-course meal in various locations before delivering it to the guest’s home.
Phyto – South Korea
Finally, you’ve got innovative food tech startup Phyto that has created a plant-based salt that can reduce sodium intake by 20 per cent. By using and extracting salt from an aquatic plant that’s also known as Salicornia, the company has managed to produce a naturally low in sodium salt that’s great for those with high blood pressure, and reducing body fat.
The company has recently launched in Korea but is also planning to launch in other markets such as Japan, China, Europe, and the United States. Recently, the company has also developed PhytoMeal – a new superfood ingredient that is also made of Salicornia.
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