Prefer, a Singapore food tech startup, raised $4.2 million in an oversubscribed round as it launched new soluble coffee and cocoa powders. The company uses fermentation on food byproducts like rice and soy to create cost-effective, sustainable flavours for FMCG brands, manufacturers, and retailers, with its coffee offering up to 85% lower emissions and 50% lower costs than traditional Arabica.
Prefer’s first international commercial partnerships include Ajinomoto Co. (Thailand) Ltd and The Coffee Ferm in Australia and New Zealand. In these markets, Prefer is collaborating to develop sustainable coffee products and license its flavour IP. The funding lifts Prefer’s total equity raised to US$6.2 million, backed by At One Ventures, Chancery Hill Capital, and Forge Ventures.
The company is expanding production via toll manufacturers, advancing R&D in cocoa flavours, and focusing on global partnerships, particularly in Asia. Interested companies can connect and sample ingredients through Prefer’s website.
KEY QUOTES:
“With the support of our new partners, the quality of our new products, and the grit of this team, we’re in a unique position to ensure coffee and cocoa are accessible to the masses while respecting our planet.”
Jake Berber, Co-Founder & CEO
“We’re in the early stages of a food system transformation, one that decouples beloved consumer products from environmentally harmful supply chains.”
Helen Lin, Partner at At One Ventures and board member at Prefer
