Get your caffeine fix with Prefer. This Singapore-based foodtech startup just raised a $2M seed to bring their bean-free coffee product across the Asia-Pacific!

• What’s in their coffee? They use their proprietary fermenting technology to upcycle surplus bread, soy pulp, and spent grain. 
• The end result? A coffee substitute that smells, tastes, and brews like the real thing. 

Investor check. Forge Ventures led the round, while 500 Global, A*ccelerate, Better Bite Ventures, Sopoong Ventures, SEEDS Capital, Entrepreneur First, and Philippines-based Pickup Coffee joined the round. 

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☕ To your Prefer(ence)

Prefer sells espresso-machine-compatible ground coffee to cafes, coffee chains, distributors, and flavor houses who are looking for a more affordable and sustainable coffee supply. 

• You can tweak the caffeine levels of Prefer’s coffee to fit customer needs. 
• Some cafes serve Prefer’s product as the default decaffeinated coffee option, while others offer it with the same caffeine content as a regular cup of coffee.

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🥤 Want to try it? 

Their bean-free coffee is available at 12 locations across Singapore, including Dough, Foreword Coffee Roasters, and select SaladStop! Outlets. 

• Oh, and they also offer ready-to-drink bottled coffee, which you can find in events, retail shelves, and quick-service food businesses. 

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🥳 What’s with the $$$?

The startup will grow the capacity of their production facility. 

• Oh, and they’ll also bring their ground coffee and ready-to-drink bottled beverages to the Philippines!

(Update) We added Forge Ventures as an investor.