Singapore-based Sophie’s Bionutrients, a sustainable urban food production technology company, has been recognized for its advancements in sustainable proteins from microalgae.

The company has entered the global 2020 FoodTech 500 rankings, listing top agri-foodtech start-ups and scale-ups that “act as a force of good for creating a brighter future of food.” 

“We believe microalgae – the mother of all food and plant life – is key to unleashing the unlimited possibilities of nature and food, restoring our planet from the ravages of the meat production industrial complex,” says Eugene Wang, co-founder and CEO at Sophie’s Bionutrients.

Sophie’s Bionutrients also addresses food allergies and sensitivities by providing plant-based alternatives to meat and seafood using microalgae.

The company, now in its second year of operations, was initially inspired by Wang’s daughter, Sophie, who suffered an allergic reaction to seafood. 

The power of microalgae
The food tech company uses microalgae and patent-pending technologies to develop 100 percent plant-based and sustainable alternative protein.  

The alternative protein category is one of the fastest-growing, and microalgae is a viable contender for helping the world meet its future protein needs. 

Microalgae has been recently in the spotlight as multinationals and start-ups alike invest in the promising ingredient. 

Israeli start-up Yemoja observed last June that "the awareness for the potential microalgae-based ingredients is increasing sharply," as the company announced a scaling up of its microalgae production capacity. 

Last July, Unilever partnered with biotech start-up Algenuity to “innovate future foods” for Unilever’s plant-based portfolio.

Netherlands-based Duplaco also recently made significant investments in microalgae, increasing its microalgae production by 20 times. 
One of the key benefits of microalgae is its fast turnaround. Nurtured in a controlled and protected environment, plant-based protein from microalgae can be produced in just three days.  

This enables producers to rapidly scale plant-based offerings while using food derived from nature to restore the planet and eliminate food-based illnesses.

“2020 saw a new wave of consumer concerns about food origination, production processes, health and safety, leading to increased interest in alternative proteins,” says Wang.

“We are building on this interest to craft healthy and tasty sustainable food solutions, in line with our mission to increase sustainable protein production.” 

The definitive list 
Inspired by the Fortune 500 list, the FoodTech 500 highlights global entrepreneurial talent at the intersection between food, technology and environmental sustainability.  

The rankings were created by Forward Fooding, a food tech data, consulting and start-up network. 

Sophie’s Bionutrients was announced as a finalist last December from a pool of 2,000 applicants from over 60 countries.

“With this recognition in hand, we are emboldened to improve on our products with more microalgae innovations in the coming year,” Wang concludes.  

Small spaces prevail
Preparing for the future also means using less space. That was noticed in the 2020 FooodTech 500’s first and second place winners.  

First place went to Plenty, a scalable vertical farm that can grow multiple crops on one platform. This company recently rebranded with a new packaging design. 

Second place went to AeroFarms, an aeroponic technology for indoor vertical farming.