Making a Plant-Based Future a Reality

The global plant-based food sector seems to be booming – thanks to increasing awareness on climate change, animal rights, deforestation, environmental pollution, and health risks, among others. Alternative meat and dairy products are seeing new products being launched all the time, with Beyond Meat, Dao Foods, Lever Foods, and several other food and agri-tech companies and investors entering China.

Even corporations that focused on conventional meat & dairy products are joining the space – from Nestle and Cargill to KFC and Burger King!

The Good News

Consumer awareness and demand for plant-based products continues to grow. And there is a growing number of products that are affordable, delicious to eat, and readily accessible to more consumers – thus making it easier to transition to plant-based alternatives.

The Not-So-Good-News

With increasing options comes more confusion. Mass adoption is still some distance away due to low awareness, limited production capacity, and price-point. Not to mention, there is still a great number of skeptics doubting the reality and authenticity of plant-based alternatives.

So how does this apply to China?

Although China’s meat consumption has been rising steadily since 1961, an increasing interest in vegan & vegetarian diets, coupled with the Chinese Government’s 2016 plan to cut meat consumption by 50% provides a lot of opportunities to all players in this space. As major companies in the West have been on the forefront of innovation, local purveyors are not lagging far behind.

Join the first event of the ‘Own What You Eat’ (OWYE) series as we delve further into how can brands can appeal to China’s meat-loving masses. Some questions we are looking to answer at this session include:

• What has caused such a sudden interest and shift into the plant-based space?
• What are the business opportunities in the plant-based sector?
• What are the key challenges from consumer acceptance point-of-view that businesses need to face and solve?
• Can plant-based brands fit into a traditional Chinese diet?
• What are the most promising global and local companies in this space?

Event Itinerary

18:00-19:00 Registrations & networking; light snacks and drinks may be served
19:00-19:15 Event introduction by GI & David Laris
19:15-19:45 Speaker presentations (6-min each)
19:45-20:15 Moderated panel discussion
20:15-20:45 Open Q&A session with the audience
20:45-21:30 Event ends / food, drinks & networking

Speakers & Panelists

Franklin Yao, CEO, Yuokuai Foods

Subject: What it takes to run a plant-based meat company in China, the challenges and opportunities, including cultural issues, market acceptance and dietary concerns.

Background: Franklin Yao is Founder and CEO of YouKuai Group International, whose premium plant-based meat brand Z-Rou offers sustainable meat alternatives focused on taste, nutrition and sustainability.

Vivian Chang, Founder, Chef & Owner, MissGreen & The Green Room

Subject: How the success of plant-based food relies on lifestyle restaurants, tasty products and KOL power.

Background: Vivian Chang is a vegan restaurant owner and chef. She runs two extremely successful vegan restaurants in Taipei, MissGreen and The Green Room.

Scott Douglas Williams, General Manager at Tojoy Capital Holdings

Subject: How to recognize the potential in plant-based “proven ants” and turn them into “enterprise elephants”

Background: General Manager of Project Development & Investment at Tojoy Capital Holdings, a global holding company based in Beijing with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, New York, Paris, Vienna and other global locations.

Shiyin Wang, Founder of Kaixin Cooking

Subject: Using Chinese cuisine to redefine our conception on healthy food, and how to encourage the younger generation to eat healthier and more plant based.

Background: Shiyin Wang is the founder of Kaixin Cooking – a food education community focused on healthy Chinese food. His hands-on cooking classes teaches people the concepts and practices of healthy eating, so that they can live a healthier lifestyle.