At the recent Malaysian International Food & Beverage Trade Fair (MIFB) 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Mini Me Insights had the chance to chat with Lena Tan, head of marketing & business development for the Singaporean plant-based brand HerbYvore. Lena offered insights into HerbYvore’s journey and shared their vision for the future of the brand.
Mini Me Insights: Tell us about HerbYvore. What’s the company’s mission, and what types of plant-based products do you currently offer?
HerbYvore is a Singapore plant-based brand and a downstream brand of an agricultural commodity company that is also one of the world’s leading movers of pulses. The brand’s promise is to offer sustainably nutritious plant-based food products that are:
- dairy-free
- vegan-friendly
- soy-free (all our products contain protein from pulses like peas and faba beans)
- nut-free
- GMO-free
We have recently launched HerbYvore Just Like Cheese, a plant-based cheese range comprising:
- Just Like Cheddar
- Just Like Mozzarella, and
- Just Like Parme
Many consumers are curious about plant-based alternatives. Can you explain the benefits of choosing plant-based cheese compared to traditional dairy cheese?
There are certainly benefits to considering more plant-based options, given that plant-based options are associated with significantly lower water and carbon footprints. (Cheese is number 1 in water footprint and number 3 in carbon footprint according to: https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food)
Plant-based options can also be healthier, for example, in our case of plant-based cheeses, compared to dairy cheeses that contain hormones and anti-biotics from cow’s milk, coupled with high saturated fat from animal sources, HerbYvore Just Like Cheese presents itself as a sustainably nutritious alternative.
Also, compared to most vegan cheese brands out there that contain little or no protein (and plant-based milks typically contain 1 – 4% protein), HerbYvore Just Like Cheese range contains >8% soy-free protein extracted from climate-friendly and nutritious pulses like faba beans and peas.
Can you tell us about the industries you currently serve with your plant-based cheese solutions?
HerbYvore is a Singapore brand, and we have had more traction there since it was launched earlier in Singapore. The R&D and pilot production for the cheeses were conducted in Singapore, and from there, we worked to scale with an OEM collaboration in Johor Bahru. In Malaysia, we have only just introduced the brand and are selling via a specialty retailer and e-grocer, i.e., Vegan District. We are now seeking a distributor partner to help us service retailers, foodservice and institutional establishments in Malaysia.
Do you have plans to introduce your plant-based cheese products directly to everyday consumers?
Our plant-based cheese range is already available via Malaysia-based vegan specialty retailer, Vegan District. For larger retail chain stores, we will need to work with an appointed distributor.
What is your opinion on the future prospects of plant-based cheese in the Southeast Asian region? Are there any specific trends or challenges you see in this market?
Given that many consumers are motivated by health reasons when choosing plant-based options, there seem to be plant-based products on the market that may not offer health benefits. For example, vegan cheeses that contain little or no protein. Taste, health, and affordability will always be important factors for success in this space, and the challenge for us is to keep working on reducing the costs of production over time and improving taste and texture profile (as a continuous improvement and part of our R&D process).
Dairy-free cheeses that are nut-free, like HerbYvore Just Like Cheese, can grate and melt like dairy cheeses. However, during melting, some differences in “how to” need to be noted for optimal taste and texture since over-melting will cause the coconut oil within the cheeses to separate, leading to a less ideal taste/texture. Hence, sharing the how-to is an important part of the selling process.
We are also noticing an increasing demand for dairy-free options, even among meat-eaters, with increasing awareness of the downside of dairy products on health. However, significant education in this space is still needed to grow the category.
Can you share some insights into the future plans for the HerbYvore brand? Are they any exciting new products or developments on the horizon?
We are working on a plant-based liquid egg containing protein from pulses, with protein content equivalent to an egg per serving. There are also plans for a plant-based cream cheese.
Consumers living in Malaysia can find HerbYvore’s products on Vegan District.my. For those in Singapore, HerbYvore’s plant-based cheese is available at Fairprice Finest and Redmart.
