Alternative ‘Pork from Jackfruit’ meat startup raise US$1.7 million in seed funding

Singapore-based Karana, which is all set to launch pork made from organic jackfruit this year, has closed its seed funding round with US$1.7 million.
Among its investors include CEO of Monde Nissin Corp, Henry Soesanto, who acquired Quorn Foods for US$831 million in 2015; Big Idea Ventures, a Temasek and Tyson Foods-backed fund dedicated to plant-based foods; and Germi8, a venture capital firm which invests in agri-food startups.
Karana will use the funds to launch its first range of plant-based meats and dim sum products in Singapore, as well as to accelerate its R&D capabilities. The funds will also be used to build a regional food-tech team.
For its first ingredient, Karana has used proprietary techniques to transform sustainably-sourced organic jackfruit into ‘pork’ that comes in shredded or minced form.
Dan Riegler, Karana’s co-founder said, “Sustainability has never been more important, especially when it comes to food, and our first base ingredient was carefully chosen with this in mind. Jackfruit is an extremely efficient crop with high yields and low water usage making it friendly to smallholder farmers.
About 60% of jackfruit is currently being wasted, a contributor to global warming, so at Karana we will reduce that wastage, while working with farmers to support the local economy.”
Karana is set to launch its ‘pork version made from jackfruit’ in Singapore this year in collaboration with some restaurants, while its products will be available through retail stores in early 2021.
Karana will use Singapore as its headquarters and location to launch its brand with the future goal to expand into Asia.