Scaling Microalgae, Alt-Cocoa & Regen Ag

What APAC Food & Ag operators, investors, and buyers should track this week

July 23, 2025

This week's must-read news for Food & Ag leaders in Asia-Pacific highlights two strong signals we’ve been tracking:

  1. Continued momentum in Cell Culture, gaining traction beyond alternative proteins, into cocoa and other plants

  2. Growing traction for Regenerative Agriculture, with new data showing price parity is possible, and Big Ag accelerating pilot programs globally

What’s inside this week:

🌿 Microalgae-based super protein at hyper scale
🍔 Strategy shift paying off in plant-based meats
🧪 Lab-grown cocoa entering the mainstream
🍼 Human breast milk protein via precision fermentation
🌱 Why Regen Ag doesn’t need a premium
🧬 Climate-smart crops can now be developed much faster

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Grab yours and join us this November at the Further Food & Ag Investment Summit, during the Singapore International Agri-Food Week.

The summit is built for pre-arranged 1-to-1 meetings between capital-seeking companies and active investors, lenders, and buyers, designed to accelerate deals in Food & Ag.

Have a great read and hope to see you in Singapore.

Arborea is creating a solar‑powered blueprint for low-carbon super protein

Startup growing protein from CO₂ + sunlight + microalgae, 150x soy yield, no land, water, or biodiversity loss

Vegconomist | Arborea | Microalgae | Protein

TiNDLE goes from record Series A hype to fundamentals in plant-based meat evolution

Singapore’s alt-protein scaleup shifts to unit economics, foodservice, and manufacturing scale for the US and EU

AgFunder | TiNDLE | Plant-based | Alt Protein

Climate Shocks Push World’s Largest Chocolate Supplier to Explore Cell-Based Cocoa

World's top chocolate maker teams with cellular cocoa startup to reduce emissions, resources, and land use

Green Queen | Barry Callebaut | Cocoa | Cell Ag

Eclipse raises $7M to brew breast milk protein, focusing on skincare first, then food

Lactoferrin, a prized bioactive from human milk, enters alt-protein via precision fermentation

Startup Daily | Eclipse | Precision Fermentation

What if regenerative agriculture doesn't need a premium price?

New study shows regen ag can compete on quality, volume, and price. Knowledge transfer unlocks scale

Grounded | Regen Ag | Education | Behavior

⏰ Other News

Apax’s Global Impact Fund backs Foods Connected supply chain management platform

Deal targets smarter supply chains and transparency in food sourcing and safety

FoodBev | Foods Connected | Fundraising | Supply Chain

PepsiCo and Cargill double down on Regen Ag pilot in the US, Asia-Pacific to watch

Big Food & Ag are increasingly testing ways to boost profits through sustainable experiments

AgroSpectrum Asia | Regen Ag | PepsiCo | Cargill

Forestwise gains traction with EUDR-compliant wild harvest

As EUDR nears enforcement, global buyers are eyeing deforestation-free ingredients like Forestwise’s illipe nut

GreyB | Forestwise | EUDR | Wild Harvesting

IRRI’s new platform slashes time to develop climate-smart rice and crops

Controlled environments and data to fast-track resilient crop varieties

IRRI | Rice | R&D | Climate Resilience | Crop Breeding

China accelerates rice farming automation, yielding above average

AI-powered drones and machines now prep fields, plant seedlings, and harvest rice in pilot zones

Pearl | Rice | Automation | Farm Tech | China

Hold up, humans. Ants figured out medicine, farming, and engineering long before we did

Their evolution offers insights into decentralized, efficient systems for food and health

The Conversation | Ants | Biomimicry | Nature-based solutions | Evolution | Food systems

Malaysia scrambles to defend palm oil exports under EU deforestation rules

New task force aims to align data and narrative as Europe cracks down on unsustainable imports

Reuters | Palm Oil | Deforestation | EU | Regulation

Climate adaptation won’t fully protect staple crop yields, study finds

Climate adaptation won’t fully protect staple crop yields, study finds

Eco-Business | Adaptation | Staple Crops | Food Security

New financing models help smallholders access credit through value chain partnerships

Lenders are de-risking loans by bundling them with buyers, input suppliers, and digital tools

IFPRI | Smallholders | Financing

Why affordable health is the ‘sweet spot’ for APAC food and nutrition growth

Mass-market brands lead with cost-accessible formats, localised nutrition, and new product development

Food Navigator Asia | Consumer Trends | Nutrition

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