Participated · Seed · Feb 2024

Prefer, founded in 2022, uses a proprietary fermentation and roasting process to transform upcycled food-manufacturing byproducts (rice and soy) into flavours and ingredients. The company has commercialised soluble coffee and cocoa powders and supplies FMCG brands, food manufacturers, private-label retailers, and flavour houses. According to its life-cycle analysis, Prefer’s coffee can have up to 85% lower emissions and is 50% more affordable than traditional Arabica. Prefer announced commercial partnerships with Ajinomoto Co., (Thailand) Ltd and The Coffee Ferm (Australia/New Zealand) and has commercial foodservice activity with Melvados in Singapore. The startup plans to scale its pilot production through toll manufacturers in key markets, deepen R&D on cocoa flavour development, and expand global partnerships with a continued focus in Asia. Financially, Prefer completed an oversubscribed US$4.2M pre-A round, bringing total equity raised to US$6.2M. Prefer is a Singapore-based startup that makes bean-free coffee alternatives using a fermentation technology that repurposes leftover bread, soy pulp, and spent grain to recreate coffee flavor, aroma and the brewing experience. The company supplies ground coffee compatible with standard espresso machines to B2B customers — cafes, coffee chains, distributors, and flavor houses — and also offers ready-to-drink bottled beverages for events, retail and quick-service restaurants. Prefer says its product generates an estimated 10 times less CO2 than conventional coffee beans and offers highly adjustable caffeine levels, from decaffeinated to twice the caffeine of regular coffee. Twelve locations in Singapore currently carry Prefer, including Dough, Foreword Coffee Roasters, and several SaladStop! outlets. The company plans to expand ground coffee and ready-to-drink distribution across Asia-Pacific, beginning with Singapore and the Philippines, and to invest in growing its production capacity.