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Prefer raises US$4.2M pre-Series A; inks deals with Ajinomoto and The Coffee Ferm to expand their flavors across Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand | Markup #1191

2025.08.13

500 Global Team

500 Global Team

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Photo credit: Prefer

Brewed for Success

  • 500-backed foodtech company Prefer, known for using fermentation to create affordable and sustainable flavors and ingredients, announced an oversubscribed US$4.2M Series A.
  • The team also revealed their first commercial partnerships for international expansion — Ajinomoto in Thailand will develop new, sustainable innovations for coffee, and The Coffee Ferm will license Prefer’s flavor IP to scale local manufacturing and distribution in Australia and New Zealand.
  • The company invites coffee and cocoa companies to connect and sample the ingredients via their website. Partners will benefit from working with a commercially proven ingredient that supports cost savings, supply chain resilience, and the planet.
  • Prefer plans to scale its pilot production facility in key markets, deepen R&D on cocoa flavor development, and explore partnerships globally, while continuing to focus on Asia.
  • “This funding supercharges our mission to prove that fermentation is the key to unlocking the immense biochemical potential hidden within our food system's byproducts, creating a truly sustainable and resilient way to produce the flavours we love,” shared Ding Jie Tan, Co-founder & CTO.
  • Read the full story here.
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