CRF held its first business networking and panel session focusing on Plant-Based Diet: Fitness and Nutrition (CRF Talks), connecting our members and the public with experts sharing plant-based diet nutrition and optimising diet plans.

Targeted at the business audiences, featuring Luke Tan, Desmond Koh, and CRF members who provided plant-based samples to the audience.

CRF conducted monthly ARF sessions at WeWork to provide investment opportunities on Plant-Based/alternative protein in APAC. These were some of the topics presented: What do investors look for when making that leap? How do corporations decide when to add a start-up to their business? What is the market appetite for investment right now in the alternative space? An insight into the investment ecosystem in Singapore and who and what is driving this.

Panelists include Julien Condamines, Chief Business office Startup-O, Christian Cadeo, Managing Partner - Singapore Big Idea Ventures, Sandhya Sriram, Co-Founder and CEO Shiok MeatsAndy Kusumo, Director of Science and Technology Monde NissinTom Berry, COO & Co-Founder Nutrition Technologies.

Food was kindly sponsored and provided by Quorn.

Back in 2019, CRF organized fun and informal evening of networking with delicious plant-based food and inspiring conversations. The attendees who participated were working in the corporate space and were interested in alternative proteins, green proteins, plant-based, and sustainable diets. The networking event was supported by Sodexo Singapore.

CRF and EarthFest organized a “take over” event at WeWork in 2019. Nuzest came as a sponsor to provide delicious plant-based smoothies. Nutrition coach and yoga instructor Patricea Chow was the speaker who conducted talks about plant-based living.

Some of the topics that were discussed were:

- Understanding the difference between plant-based and vegan, and what those terms mean

- How to incorporate plant-based into your lifestyle and diet

- Where to buy plant-based products and meals

As part of ARF’s monthly session, a session was focused on 'Vegan Beauty & Fashion - A sustainable and ethical overview'. Experts shared their outlooks and views on sustainability and ethics in beauty and fashion. Attendees could also sample some scrumptious plant-based food and network with industry peers.

Moderator:

Nadia Rahmat, Model + budding Eco-Warrior

Panelists:

Rae Indah - Purnama, Founder Purnama Outreach, Devonne Niam, E-Commerce Manager Matter, Nicole Tee, Senior Consumer Advisor, Openspace Ventures, Nupur Khemka, Owner, MIRA

Topics included:

Sustainable & Ethical Ingredients, labels and business practices -The MIRA Journey

From Production to Market - fostering sustainability across the fashion value chain

Fashion for compassion - generating change through the customer

Doing Well While Doing Good - matching investment to your values

Food kindly supplied by Quorn Singapore and their partners The Rebel Gurl

This session focused on the Plant-Based and Sustainability: 2019 Recap - What is driving growth and laying the groundwork for future innovation.

Moderator:

Jovan Tan, Co-Founder, REAL IMPACT

Panelists include:

Vikas Garg, Founder and CEO, abillonveg

Yuan Oeij, Chairman, The Prive Group

Katherine Desbaillets Braha, Owner, SaladStop!

Blair Crichton, Co-Founder, Karana

Claudia Cani, Founder, Kroodi

Andrew Ive, Founder & Managing General Partner, Big Idea Ventures

Sponsors include: Karana, nomVnom, #zenkosuperfoods, and Smoocht x Bold for providing plant-based goodies and to Shinpuru Solutions Pte Ltd as our crockery sponsor

Our Executive Directors, Kimberly and Catherine, traveled to Germany in August 2019 to attend the ProVeg Leadership Summit and pre Summit CEVA workshop. Both Executive Directors were invited to present at the Summit providing an overview of the plant-based scene in Singapore and an update on CRF. With 27 global vegan groups attending, lots of friendships and new partnerships were formed. As a result of attending, CRF was given a further grant by ProVeg. CRF was put forward by ProVeg to receive additional financial support from The Greenbaum Foundation. CRF was one of only two organizations to receive this financial support from an initial pool of 30 global vegan groups put forward as potential grantees. This was in recognition of the great work CRF has done to raise the profile of the plant-based and alternative protein business community in Singapore and to provide further support for future growth.

VSS hosted a talk by Dr Vilma D’Rozario, cofounder of environmental education group Cicada Tree Eco-Place, on the plight of the critically endangered Malayan Tiger and how we can make a difference for these tigers by going on a CAT (Citizen Action for Tigers) Walk and helping with reforestation efforts. VSS members were among the participants in the Taman Negara CAT walks.