One of the most vital macronutrients in the human diet, protein plays a major role in cell growth, development and repair, and can be derived from both animals and plants. Owing to various factors, such as climate change, protein deficiency in developing countries, growing consumer demand for healthier options, and many more, the demand for plant-based proteins is rising significantly faster compared to animal-based proteins.
The plant-based food market in the Southeast Asia region has been experiencing rapid growth over the years, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of >12 percent between 2023 and 2033. Keeping the current industry growth and opportunities in mind, many startups as well as known brands have ventured into the plant-based food industry globally. However, one firm that stands out from the rest in terms of innovation, technology, and high-quality products, is Relsus.
Founded in 2020, by a team of passionate professionals with a combined experience of over 120 years across various sectors, Relsus is a Singapore-based food tech startup with its farming, R&D, and manufacturing operations located in India. The word Relsus is an amalgamation of two words - Reliability and Sustainability, the core DNA of the firm. The flagship products offered by the firm include a range of high-quality plant-based proteins from various natural sources, such as Chickpea, Mung bean, Pea, and Rapeseed that exhibit neutral taste and aroma and can be used across various applications without any variations.
A Step towards Sustainability
Coming to sustainable practices, Relsus follows a three-step approach, which includes Seed Selection, Innovative Proprietary Technology, and energy consumption. The firm has partnered with one of the most prestigious agricultural universities in India, which enables it to use high-quality seeds best suitable according to the climatic conditions while ensuring transparency and traceability of raw materials throughout the production process.
To ensure product quality and authenticity, Relsus uses its own model farms for production, where it follows the best farming practices, including organic farming without any pesticides.
As part of the second step, Relsus has developed a proprietary technology that ensures zero usage of any harmful chemicals or solvents. Even the packaging materials used by the firm are both sustainable and biodegradable. Finally, the firm also focuses on energy consumption by avoiding high temperatures throughout the whole production which also helps preserve the protein quality in the products. Even the water used across the operations at the firm is recycled.
All the co-founders at Relsus have extensive prior experience in developing and producing highly regulated active pharmaceutical ingredients. Starting from raw material handling to finished product and packaging, the team ensures that high-quality standards and hygiene that are followed for food and ingredients production by both national and international authorities are well-maintained throughout the production process.
Using its proprietary technology, Relsus has been able to mitigate the three key industrial challenges - consistent high-quality production, scalability, & quality products at an affordable price range
Leveraging Technology for High-Quality Products
The backbone of the firm’s value proposition is its proprietary technology, which extracts the proteins through a soft process without disturbing the key nutritional benefits. According to Vineet Singhal, MD & CEO of Relsus, “Rather than using high temperature or chemicals, the proprietary technology developed by Relsus uses a soft process, something that is way ahead of the currently followed industry standards. The technology also has been able to provide solutions to the three key challenges faced by the industry – consistent high-quality production, scalability, and offering quality products at an affordable price range. The firm also ensures that its supply chains are transparent and well-controlled”.
Future Roadmap
Coming to the future roadmap, Relsus has already started its production in India and aims to leverage the available supply chain, raw materials, and local resources to consistently produce high-quality ingredients and become a global multinational company soon. The firm is also looking at, not just marketing its currently produced products, but also producing plant-based protein products based on the available raw materials in other key Southeast Asian countries by leveraging its proprietary technology.
Vineet Singhal, MD & CEO
Vineet Singhal is an accomplished professional and industry leader with around three decades of extensive experience in various global leadership roles, such as Strategy, Leadership, Driving Business, Finance, M&A, and so on, in various prestigious MNCs across the globe. He has led and transformed businesses with the size of up to $800 million and has overseen project implementation of up to $500 million. Currently, he is working as the MD & CEO of Singapore-based food tech startup Relsus.
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