Prefer’s Fermentation-Driven Future: Rethinking Coffee and Cocoa for a Climate-Constrained World

SINGAPORE, October 9, 2025 – In 2022, Singapore-based start-up Prefer set out with a bold mission: to reinvent the flavours we love — coffee, cocoa, and beyond — without the heavy climate toll of traditional agriculture. At the heart of the company’s approach lies a fermentation platform that transforms underutilised food industry byproducts into sustainable alternatives, promising to reshape global food supply chains in the face of climate stress.

A Climate-Driven Aha Moment

In an exclusive conversation with CarbonWire, co-founder and CEO Jake Berber, shares that the inspiration came from a stark realisation about the fragility of global food systems. “It all started when I learned about the climate impact of crops like coffee and cocoa, and how climate change is causing supply chain issues while demand is on the rise,” he explained. “There seemed to be food technologies out there that could allow us to recreate these crops, but just in an alternative way. In our case, using fermentation technology to recreate their flavours.”

Coffee in particular faces mounting threats. With warming temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns reducing arable land, forecasts suggest that half of the world’s coffee-growing areas could become unsuitable by 2050. Prices have already surged in recent years—a trend that Prefer aims to counter with its “coffee extender.”

Taste, Price, and Scale

One of the key hurdles in food alternatives has been consumer perception: can a substitute really match the original? Berber is unequivocal: “The most important aspect of the solution is that it must taste the same, cost less, and be more sustainable. We’ve been able to achieve that by blending Prefer with traditional coffee. At up to 40% inclusion, there’s no flavour change — or in some cases, even flavour enhancement.”

Prefer’s value proposition is straightforward: help coffee lovers enjoy the same—or better — experience at a lower cost, while easing pressure on a strained agricultural system. Built from day one with scalability in mind, the company uses equipment already deployed by some of the world’s largest ingredient and flavour manufacturers. “In theory, the technology that we have created at pilot scale can scale into commercially viable levels that would be of interest to the biggest food and beverage companies in the world,” Berber said.

Beyond economics, Prefer’s sustainability case is compelling. The company’s alternative coffee has a carbon footprint eight times smaller than conventional beans, requiring 95% less land and water. “Traditional coffee beans require eight times more carbon dioxide than our coffee does,” Berber noted, emphasising that land, water, and energy efficiencies are all factored into that figure.

This efficiency could be pivotal for industries grappling with carbon reduction targets. While Berber acknowledged the possibility of monetising their sustainability credentials through carbon credits, for now, the company remains focused on solving real market problems rather than creating “extra revenue streams.”

From Coffee to Cocoa and Beyond

While coffee is Prefer’s flagship product, the company recently launched a cocoa powder extender, applying the same fermentation principles to another climate-stressed commodity. Chocolate, like coffee, faces supply disruptions as rising temperatures and pests threaten production in West Africa and Latin America.

Looking ahead, the roadmap includes flavour bases for vanilla, hazelnut, and citrus—crops also vulnerable to climate change. “We’re working towards having a portfolio of flavours and ingredients that we’re able to create in a more affordable and more sustainable way than what can be done using traditional agriculture,” Berber said. “That’s how we plan to scale up and become that billion-dollar business over the next five to seven years.”

Building From Singapore, For the World

Prefer’s journey began with support from Entrepreneur First, which invested a US$100,000 pre-seed cheque in 2022. Last year, the company closed a US$4.2 million oversubscribed pre-A round, giving it runway to accelerate growth. Its demo production line operates in Singapore, with a pilot facility slated to open elsewhere in Southeast Asia next year.

The company currently employs 16 people in Singapore, but its ambitions are global. Coffee and chocolate are mass-market products, Berber stresses, and Prefer is positioning itself squarely to serve those markets. “It’s really all about taste and price, which are the mass market’s two most important desires,” he said. Specialty coffee drinkers, who prioritise origin stories and premium beans, are not the company’s target audience.

Despite its transformative potential, Prefer does not frame itself as an industry disruptor. “We’re not looking to disrupt the food and beverage industry,” Berber said. “We’re really looking to support the industry with more affordable and sustainable flavours and ingredients that the market would not have access to if we did not exist.”

That vision also extends to farming communities. With climate change already eroding livelihoods in coffee- and cocoa-growing regions, Prefer sees its role as complementary. “What we hope we can do is allow farmers to switch to more climate-resilient crops that we can use in our products, so they can continue their farming livelihood,” Berber said.

A Fermented Future

Prefer is part of a growing wave of start-ups rethinking food production in the Anthropocene. By transforming waste streams into flavour-rich, sustainable alternatives, the company exemplifies how biotechnology can both decarbonise and democratise global food systems.

The challenge now lies in scaling to industrial levels without compromising taste or affordability. If successful, Prefer may not only secure a future for coffee and cocoa lovers worldwide, but also provide a template for a more resilient food system in an era of climate uncertainty.