Indonesian foodtech startup Green Rebel further strengthens its expansion plan in Southeast Asia (SEA) this year with a partnership with Starbucks Malaysia and Nando’s Singapore–which the company announced in June.

Since launching in Singapore in March last year, which marked its debut outside of Indonesia, the company has introduced its products in Malaysia and South Korea. After this, Green Rebel is getting ready to enter the Philippines and Vietnam in August, with other markets in the pipeline.

According to CEO and co-founder Helga Angelina Tjahjadi, ever since its beginning in 2020, the co-founders–Tjahjadi and her husband, CIO Max Mandias–have envisioned Green Rebel to be a global company.

“We believe in taking a strategic yet personal approach to our expansion plan, and choose to work with B2B and B2C partners whose vision and business approach are in alignment with ours,” she said.

Green Rebel’s bestselling products include Beefless Rendang, Beefless Satay, Chick’n Karaage, and Beefless Steak which the company said is Asia’s first whole-cut meatless steak, launched in 2021.

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In an email interview with e27, we asked Tjahjadi about the advantages that Green Rebel has as a foodtech startup that was born and bred in SEA that allow them to accelerate their expansion in the region.

According to her, there are four ways Green Rebel products stand out:

1. Deliciously authentic Asian flavours
2. Whole-cut, plant-based beef, chicken and dairy-free cheese
3. Heat-stable products suited for high-moisture and high-heat Asian as well as Western cooking methods
4. Strong nutrition profile and clean label

All the products are made from 100 per cent locally sourced, natural plant-based ingredients and free of added MSG, preservatives and refined sugar.

“Our proprietary food tech is crucial to creating a plant-based protein that is stress-tested for the high-moisture cooking typical of SEA and Asian cuisine. Our Rebel Texturization technology enables us to create a whole-cut ‘meat’ with a fibrous texture like the real thing in our Beefless, Chick’n, and Vish products, while our Rebel Emulsion — a proprietary formulation of coconut oil, water and natural vegan seasoning — acts as an animal fat replacement to achieve the distinctive taste, aroma and juiciness one associate with animal protein,” Tjahjadi explains.

“Green Rebel’s ‘meats’ are able to absorb deep flavours and marination, and are also heat stable—making them perfect for Asian culinary methods like braising, steaming, stewing, hotpot, skewers for grilling, even deep frying.”

In addition to its nutrition profile and clean labelling, Green Rebel has also tested the environmental impact of its products.

“We have also done independent LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) testing on our products and discovered that our meatless beef has 91 per cent less global warming potential than local beef, and similarly our meatless chicken has 84 per cent less global warming potential than local chicken,” Tjahjadi says.

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Introducing meatless meat

The journey of Green Rebel began in 2013 when the co-founders–who were both practising vegans–returned from their studies in the Netherlands and learned that there was a gap in the Indonesian and SEA market for vegan food.

“That same year, we launched Burgreens — which has now grown to be the largest vegan restaurant chain in Indonesia — using Max’s plant-based recipes,” Tjahjadi says.

“To be honest, we were a little ahead of the plant-based trend, and we put in a lot of effort in market education and were starting to see some traction as plant-based alt proteins became more popular in Indonesia.”

The co-founders noted how the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a heightened consciousness of health and wellness amongst its consumers. This eventually led to the company pivoting its bestsellers at Burgreens into frozen food items under the Green Rebel brand.

This does not mean that its expansion journey is not without challenges. The first challenge is related to market education.

“Our marketing efforts are not only about promoting Green Rebel products and their unique selling points. We also focus on educating consumers about the health and environmental benefits of plant-based diets, plant-based meat, and dairy alternatives,” Tjahjadi explains.

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“As one of the pioneers in the plant-based space in the region, our journey requires a lot of effort. Our approach is to collaborate with like-minded investors, F&B players, other plant-based F&B manufacturers, and communities who are bullish about revolutionising the food industry to be healthier, more sustainable, and more compassionate.”

Another challenge is related to the diversity of Asian cuisines and cultures, which the company sees as an exciting challenge.

“We need to localise some products in some markets, which is challenging from a manufacturing point of view, as well as our approach in working with distributors and partners in each country. As we roll out into new markets, we ensure we have strategic B2B and B2C partnerships specific to each market, backed by on-ground market research that delves in-depth into local tastes and preferences. We do this by working with restaurant partners, retailers and distributors that understand Green Rebel’s USPs,” Tjahjadi elaborates.

What is on the menu

Throughout 2022-2023, Green Rebel is focusing on its SEA expansion.

“There is a growing number of flexitarians in Southeast Asia with over 20 per cent of urban consumers identifying themselves as flexitarians, notably in Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore. This is due to the growing awareness of the health and environmental benefits of plant-based protein, coupled with exciting options that are popping up in the market,” Tjahjadi says.

Localising products will be part of their strategy while being mindful of popular Indonesian flavours such as rendang or satay.

“On the product innovation front, we are about to launch two new regional flavours in the second half of this year — Chinese and Filipino.”

Earlier this year, Green Rebel launched dairy alternatives in the form of plant-based cheddar and mozzarella in
Indonesia, and will roll out this category into Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines in the near future.

“Most Southeast Asians are lactose intolerant, and dairy isn’t part of our traditional diet. In fact, nine out of 10 Indonesians are lactose intolerant, so we created products that are accessible for this consumer sector. Our dairy alternatives contain up to 50 per cent less fat and calories than their regular versions,” the CEO closes.

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Image Credit: Green Rebel

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