The Future is Salad: food-tech company shakes up wellness drink industry

Food-tech company Future Salad is a Hong Kong startup backed by over 10,000 influencers and celebrities. The two-year-old company has seen a turnover of US$5.2 million in the past year. Co-founder Angus Au tells #legend why this salad health drink is the next big wellness trend to hit APAC and beyond

Hong Kong-based Future Salad is a company that turns an edible salad into a drinkable one. There is much hype around the delicious, safe, and affordable alternative to traditional salads.

Having won a Hong Kong Trade and Development Council (HKTDC) start-up competition, Future Salad has already expanded into Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, China and Korea, says Angus Au, co-founder and chief marketing officer at Future Salad. A soft launch in the UK was scheduled in July, with further plans to launch in the US and Canada in the near future.

The approach to these different markets requires a deep understanding of the varying demographics. “In the western market, they are more focused on ESG (environmental, social, and governance) concepts; but in Asia, they will focus on results,” Au says. “So the marketing end goal is a little bit different.”

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Hong Kong influencers who joined this wellness bandwagon include Lisa-Marie Tse, Alex Fong, Real Ting, Mayao Ma, Alfred Hui, Kay Tse and even TVB geomancer Master Seven, among many others.

So what are the products? Sachets of salad drink mixes are made available to perform several functions in different flavours. These include the Anti-aging Salad Drink Mix, Boost-up Salad Drink Mix, as well as Future Salad Cookie, Future Salad Gummies, and Future Salad Chocolate to meet the different needs of the market.

Future Salad’s flagship product, Detox Salad Drink Mix #Allklear, has gained massive support since its launch. It provides daily nutrition and fibre needs while being more convenient, safe, and hygienic, the company says.

“People are paying more attention to healthy diets, but there has always been a lack of healthy, effective and delicious food on the market,” Au shares.

To do so, the company employed the Krystallos Sublimation Drying technology. This tech brings multiple advantages, Au says. It keeps the ingredient fresh at ultra-low temperature (around -40°C), which is then placed under a vacuum to dehydrate.

The process is three-fold in essence:

Firstly, using the Krystallos technology, different ingredients undergo quick freeze according to the ingredient’s best processing temperature, ranging between -36°C and -41°C. Free water then transforms into ice crystals.

What follows is the vacuum sublimation in which ice crystals are turned into a gaseous state by entering the 20pa vacuum cabin. More than 98 per cent of the water will be extracted from the ingredients– nutrients are wholly retained during this process. Lastly, ingredient mouldings are blown into a smooth powder with a spray gun.

And lastly, nutrients are completely preserved because the ingredients do not undergo thermal treatment. Simply add water to the salad mixes, and you’ll be provided with your daily intake of nutrients.

The current Future Salad product line consists of four different drink mixes such as Anti-ageing, Boost Up, Collagen and Detox. The Detox Salad Drink Mix #Allklear is its flagship product that delivers daily nutrition and fibre.

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