50 Next - Jonathan Ng - Tech Disruptors

Class of 2021

Jonathan Ng

Tech Disruptors

30 / Singapore

The upcycling evangelist distilling a new category for the drinks sector

Ever wondered what happens to the by-products of food production? Such curiosity led Jonathan Ng and his team to create Sachi, the first alcoholic beverage in the world made from soy whey, a by-product from the manufacture of tofu. The drink came about when scientist Chua Jian Yong patented a technique for the biotransformation of soy whey before teaming up with business brain Jonathan to co-found SinFooTech. The company processes by-products and turns them into innovative ingredients and products, promoting the concept of a resource-efficient circular economy within the food production industry.

While his scientist co-founder has since left the company, Singaporean business management graduate Jonathan is now working full-scale to launch Sachi, which tastes like Japanese sake, with a fruity undertone and lower alcohol content. He is also using his entrepreneurial nous to develop non-alcoholic and different-flavoured versions of Sachi, as well as other innovative foods made sustainably from by-products. With incredible potential for the future, SinFooTech and Jonathan’s work exemplify the impact that can come from combining food science with gastronomic creativity to add value to substances that would otherwise go to waste.

“We aspire to be a pioneer of sustainable food technologies and to promote sustainable food production through the use of food biotechnology.” – Jonathan Ng

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