the moonbeam co.

the moonbeam co. upcycles brewers’ spent grains to make a protein and fibre-rich granola

We have a problem with spent grains, which are by-products of beer brewing. Annually, we produce more than 38 million tonnes of spent grains from our globally. The disposal of spent grains generates more than 18 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent to the atmosphere. Existing methods of processing food waste are polluting and efficient. Incineration and landfills generate lots of pollutants in the atmosphere. At the same time, other methods don't fully utilise the spent grains.

the moonbeam co solves this problem by connecting food waste with consumer demands and we are upcycling brewers’ spent grains to make a protein and fibre-rich granola.

Trends and data show that people not only want healthier snacks but also more sustainable ones, especially if it reduces food waste. According to “The Asia Food Challenge 2021: Understanding the New Asian Consumer”, a study by Temasek Holdings, the study found that there is a considerable shift in dietary preference across APAC with 79% surveyed being “concerned about the environmental impact” of their consumption and 87% surveyed “more likely to change their consumption behaviour to avoid food wastage.”

Our own survey also showed similar results with 37 of our respondents indicating that they too would pay for such products. 83.3% of respondents who have tried the moonbeam co’s granola rated it 5/5 with the remaining rating it 4/5.

Kong is a Pharmaceutical Scientist that is also no stranger to the media industry. He manages the customer-facing side of things and ensures they look great

Jia Wei is an engineer who has done product development and knows how to bring something from an idea to a full product. I also bake, so he is the best guy to make our food dreams a reality. 

Varden is the data scientist and he optimises our finances and operations. He is the one you go to analyse market trends to steer us in the right direction.

We are committed to solving sustainability-related issues and have been deeply involved and featured in various challenges and grassroots initiatives (such as Capitaland Green Market and BLK71 Ministry of Education Sharing). With this recognition, we aspire to be a leading voice of sustainability.

• Partnered with Nestlé, Brewerkz, iBrew and SunBird to upcycle their spent grains
• Partnered with Ridge View Residential College, Tembusu College and Audacity to conduct workshops on Sustainability
• Sold granola to Urban Origins, the National University of Singapore and Reactor School

We want to accelerate the adoption of BSGs in the food industry. We have created a granola brand to prove the value of direct substitution with moon grains and we built a community of moonwalkers who really love not only the granola but also the idea of using food waste streams. 

We want to expand the use of moon grains by working with partners to explore other applications of moon grains or substituting them directly into their existing products. We are certain we can activate the moonwalkers to support these new products as well.

Moving forward, we want to lower our processing costs by going overseas to Vietnam. After which we will tackle the distributors to supply our moon grains worldwide

We solve the problem of spent grains' poor texture using enzymes and other adjuncts to biotransform the spent grains into a more palatable form. 

Using our texture modification technology, the spent grains go from being fibrous and grassy to crispy and light “moon grains”. Moon grains is bakable too and can be used as an ingredient in other products.

We currently serve four businesses and 100+ consumers.

We intend to focus on serving businesses and aim to serve 40 businesses by next year.

• Production cost

• Client - 4
  • National University of Singapore
  • Urban Origins
  • Reactor School
  • CFG
• Impact Partner - 10
  • WWF
  • The Mills Fabrica
  • DBS
  • National University of Singapore
  • Eco-SIM
  • Tembusu College
  • Ridge View Residential College
  • Audacity
  • Youthopia
  • Community Centres