FHA Insider catches up with John Uys the General Manager of On The GREEN SIDE and we get his thoughts on the experience at FHA-Food & Beverage as well as his plans for taking on the Alternative Protein Industry!

How was the FHA-Food & Beverage tradeshow for you?

John: We achieved our objectives at the FHA-Food & Beverage event. The Alternative Protein Asia (APA) section drew a lot of attention, and it competed very well with other halls in terms of footfall. The length of the show (Days and hours) was also a perfect balance to get the right amount of people to the booth throughout the day. Not too many at once and not too little either.

What has been the biggest take away from the event?

John: Alternative Protein in Asia is probably a few years behind in terms of route to market development with countries in the West such as Germany, Netherlands, UK, USA, but the excitement and mindset that it is the future is definitely there.

Has there been new business made from the event? Are there ongoing partnership talks?

John: We have managed to secure sufficient contacts and information from various role-players in the industry as well as the region with whom we are busy having follow up talks and next steps to get our products into the region.

Image: Factory Packing

Image: Health bowls using On The GREEN SIDE plant-based chicken

What are some of the benefits does On The GREEN SIDE bring to the F&B industry through your products?

John: Not many alternative protein products can create the texture of conventional meat products while keeping your ingredient list short and natural. Other than that, our alternative chicken products are not crumbed which gives it more flexibility to cook from scratch in the kitchen and create countless of your favourite local meals where you will find it hard to tell the difference between the conventional option and the substitute product.

What is next for On The GREEN SIDE?

John: In the next 6 months we will be looking at selling our products into the region through the distributors/importers we have met and identified. In H2 of 2023 we hope to take the next step and engage with potential investors and JV partners to bring our factory blueprint and recipe over to countries in Asia to service the growing local demand in this category.

Are there any plans to join FHA-Food & Beverage in April 2023?

John: I don’t think we will miss another FHA-Food & Beverage event in the next few years!

          Image: Vida e caffe plant-based burrito

What can we look forward to for the brand in the near future?

John: With alternative protein products one always tries to improve. We are constantly doing R&D to give consumers a more meat-like experience and we will have more options in our portfolio available soon.