Mottainai Food Tech

What Mottainai Food Tech does

Mottainai Food Tech Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore-based food technology company that operates a solid-state fermentation (SSF) platform to convert food manufacturing by-products — primarily okara (soybean pulp), alongside cocoa shells, soy pulp, and molasses — into functional food ingredients. Its flagship product, Jiro Meat, is a plant-based minced ingredient made from upcycled okara via SSF, marketed to food manufacturers and food service operators for use in hybrid or blended meat dishes; it offers a 9% cooking yield increase, 18% cost reduction versus conventional meat at 50% replacement, and a 66% lower carbon footprint relative to chicken production. The company operates exclusively B2B under a Singapore Food Agency licence, selling Jiro Meat in 1 kg and 2 kg frozen packs on a made-to-order basis and supplementing product revenue with co-development R&D projects, side-stream upcycling solutions, and fermentation consulting services.

The business is anchored by a pilot-scale manufacturing facility and R&D lab in Jurong, Singapore — one of the first SSF pilot plants in Southeast Asia dedicated to upcycled plant-based proteins — which officially opened in July 2024 with a design capacity to upcycle approximately 100 tonnes of food manufacturing by-products annually. Production currently runs at 200 kg of Jiro Meat every two days, with a target to double to 400 kg every two days. A zero-cost okara supply partnership with a local Singapore company underpins the unit economics, and the company is HACCP-certified, HALAL-certified (MUIS), and holds the Singapore Healthier Choice Symbol. Target customer segments include food manufacturers producing dim sum and processed foods, food service operators (restaurants, hotels, temple event caterers), healthcare players seeking functional nutrition ingredients, and B2B R&D partners for custom fermentation-based ingredient co-development.

Mottainai has accumulated a seven-figure SGD funding envelope comprising a S$25,000 DBS Foundation X NEA Hungry for Change Challenge prize (2022), an Enterprise Singapore grant, and an investment from Tai Hua Food Industries — the family business of co-founder Daryl Pek. The company is privately held with 1-10 employees, led by four co-founders (Dr Chua Jian Yong, Daryl Pek, Carol Zheng, and Heng Chin Wee), and has stated plans to expand internationally by supplying Jiro Meat to food product exporters once larger local buyers are secured.

Name

Mottainai Food Tech

Legal name

Mottainai Food Tech Pte. Ltd.

Website

https://mtnfoodtech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mottainai Food Tech is a Singapore-based B2B food technology company that uses solid-state fermentation to upcycle food manufacturing by-products (primarily okara) into plant-based ingredients, selling its flagship Jiro Meat product to food manufacturers, food service operators, and healthcare buyers in Singapore.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Upcycled Food Ingredients

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Chilled/Refrigerated Prepared Meat & Seafood Meals (AFANAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals) (CRAHAKAC), Prepared Meat & Seafood Entrées with Sides (Complete Meals) (AFANAFAI)

Keywords

• Solid-state fermentation
• Upcycled food ingredients
• Plant-based protein
• Food waste upcycling
• Fermentation consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Jiro Meat Product Sales: Sale of Jiro Meat (upcycled okara-based plant protein ingredient) to food manufacturers, food service providers, and restaurants/hotels. Sold as an ingredient in 1kg or 2kg frozen packs on a made-to-order basis under a Singapore Food Agency licence. The company does not sell direct-to-consumer.
2. Fermentation Consulting Services: Income generated from consulting services in fermentation technology, helping other companies develop food products, and providing fermentation process design, optimisation, and scale-up expertise to support production goals.
3. Co-development Projects: Collaborative R&D partnerships with food companies to develop custom fermentation-based ingredients tailored to specific product and performance requirements, from early-stage ideation to iterative prototyping through to market-ready ingredients.
4. Fermentation Consulting: Leveraging in-house expertise in fermentation process design, optimisation, and scale-up to support partners' production goals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mottainai Food Tech operates a solid-state fermentation (SSF) platform that converts food manufacturing side-streams (okara, soy pulp, cocoa shells, molasses) into functional food ingredients. Its flagship commercial product is Jiro Meat, a plant-based minced ingredient made from upcycled okara, sold B2B to food manufacturers, food service operators, and healthcare-sector players under a Singapore Food Agency licence on a made-to-order basis. Beyond the ingredient, the company offers co-development projects, side-stream solutions, and fermentation consulting as professional services built on the same SSF platform.

Product overview

Mottainai Food Tech operates as an integrated solid-state fermentation (SSF) platform for the next generation of sustainable food ingredients. The core offering is Jiro Meat, a plant-based minced ingredient made from upcycled okara (soybean pulp) via solid-state fermentation, available in Classic Mince and Diced formats. Surrounding the flagship product, the company offers a portfolio of services including ready-to-use ingredients, custom co-development projects, side-stream solutions, and fermentation consulting — all enabled by the same integrated SSF platform that spans substrate optimisation, fermentation engineering, and food application development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jiro Meat: A naturally low-sodium and low saturated fat, naturally high fiber plant-based minced ingredient made from upcycled okara (soybean pulp). The company's flagship product created through solid-state fermentation, offering 9% yield increase and 18% cost reduction when blended with meat.

Products and services

• Jiro Meat A plant-based minced ingredient made from upcycled okara (soybean pulp) via solid-state fermentation, available in Classic Mince and Diced formats as frozen 1kg or 2kg packs. Naturally high in fibre and protein, low in sodium and saturated fat, sold B2B for hybrid or blended meat dishes to food manufacturers, food service operators, and healthcare-sector players. Carries HACCP, HALAL, and Healthier Choice Symbol certifications.
• Co-Development Projects Bespoke fermentation-based ingredient development engagements in which Mottainai works with food company clients to tailor fermentation solutions to specific product and performance requirements, from early-stage ideation through iterative prototyping to market-ready ingredient validation, using the company's SSF platform.
• Side-Stream Solutions Consulting and development services that help food companies assess their by-products and apply solid-state fermentation to enhance nutritional, functional, or sensory properties, creating new value streams from existing waste materials for partners seeking to upcycle their own food manufacturing side-streams.
• Fermentation Consulting Standalone advisory services in fermentation process design, optimisation, and scale-up — covering strain and substrate selection, process troubleshooting, and scalable fermentation outcomes — delivered to food companies seeking expert support for their production goals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9% yield increase when 50% replacement of chicken/pork with JiroMeat (cooking loss <5%)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Local Okara Supplier (Singapore)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMottainai receives okara (soybean pulp, a free by-product from tofu and soymilk production) at no cost from a local Singapore company. This partnership ensures a steady supply of feedstock for the next few years, which is more than enough to support full-scale production in the pilot facility and allows for further output increases. This is critical to the company's zero-cost input economics.
• The Plattering CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAt the pilot facility opening event, culinary partner The Plattering Co curated a menu featuring dishes made with Jiro Meat, demonstrating the product's versatility in food applications.
• Stanford University / Vayu Hill-Maini's LabminorOthersMottainai is listed alongside Stanford University researchers and other biotech companies (Fermtech, MOA Foodtech, MicroHarvest) as companies converting food industry waste into valuable food products. Not a formal partnership but a peer group context where Mottainai is recognised in the same category.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Meati Foods: US plant-based 'whole-cut' protein producer using a mushroom-root fermentation process. Comparable as an alt-protein company leveraging fermentation biology, though focused on consumer whole cuts rather than B2B ingredient mince.

Direct peers

• Nature's Fynd: US food-tech producing fermented protein ingredients (Fy) using a microbial fermentation platform for food applications — directly comparable to Mottainai's fermentation-based functional protein ingredient approach, though at a much larger commercial scale.
• MicroHarvest: Germany/Singapore-adjacent fermentation company converting biomass into protein ingredients at speed using microbial fermentation. Comparable as a fermentation-platform B2B ingredient supplier explicitly cited alongside Mottainai in industry coverage.
• MOA Foodtech: Spain-based food-tech that uses fermentation/bioconversion to upcycled plant biomass into alternative protein ingredients. Closely comparable to Mottainai on technology (fermentation platform) and offering (B2B protein ingredient from food side-streams).
• Fermtech: Finland-based fermentation company that upcycles grain side-streams into protein ingredients. Directly comparable on technology (fermentation-driven side-stream upcycling) and target customer (B2B food manufacturers).

Regional players

• Shiok Meats: Singapore-based cultivated protein company. A regional Southeast Asian alt-protein peer operating from the same ecosystem, sharing policy and government attention, though focused on cultivated seafood rather than fermentation-derived ingredients.
• The Plant Base: South Korea-based plant-based meat company producing ingredient-grade and retail plant-based protein products for Asian markets. Comparable as an Asian-region plant-based ingredient supplier targeting similar B2B and foodservice customers.
• TurtleTree Labs: Singapore-based alt-dairy company leveraging cell technology. Comparable as a Singapore-headquartered alt-protein startup sharing the same government support and investor ecosystem, though focused on dairy rather than fermentation-based savoury ingredients.

Broad incumbents

• Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness and food ingredient giant with a growing alt-protein and fermentation ingredient portfolio. Comparable as a large incumbent ingredient supplier whose R&D and go-to-market scale could outpace Mottainai.
• Cargill (alt-protein portfolio): Global food and ingredient conglomerate with an active alt-protein and fermentation investment programme. Relevant as a broad incumbent that may partner with or compete against Mottainai in B2B protein ingredient supply.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mottainai-sg

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mottainai Food Tech