K-Food Newsletter

RE:harvest, an Eco-Friendly Food Upcycling Company
Date
2023-07-03 15:25:51
Hit
817
Email
gnia@nicednb.com

RE:harvest Ltd. is an eco-friendly food upcycling company that creates new products from food byproducts that would otherwise be discarded or used as compost or feed. The company has introduced a variety of consumer-friendly, easy-to-use alternative food products, such as energy bars and granola, and has received positive consumer response for its products that not only help protect the environment, but also provide good taste and nutrition. 


RE:harvest incorporates semiconductor process technology in its production process, where the raw materials are pre-treated with ultraviolet and far-infrared light and the byproducts are sterilized with a special cleaning solution. The material is then dried under feedback control. After cleaning and drying, the raw materials are ground as finely as possible to remove foreign materials, and once the grinding is complete, the raw materials are divided into small portions. RE:harvest has filed four patents for this raw materialization process.

 

 

 

 

In the domestic food industry, nearly 70% of food ingredients are discarded after production. The food upcycling industry, which uses food waste or byproducts, protects the environment and reduces associated processing costs. It also saves food resources by using waste to produce new, healthy food. RE:harvest Ltd. is the first company in Korea to specialize in food upcycling. In February 2023, it was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and was the first company in Korea and Asia to be certified as a food upcycling company by the Upcycled Food Association (UFA). In June 2021, the company received the Thai Wah Award at Future Food Asia 2021. The company has raised KRW 8 billion in investment from STIC Ventures, BNK Ventures, CJ CheilJedang, and Hanwha Investment & Securities. 

 

 


The byproduct of barley left over from the pre-fermentation stage of beer is called brewer's spent grain. The malt left over from the production of beer and sikhye (sweet rice punch) is used to make ''RE:nergy flour'', an alternative raw material. It contains about 30% fewer calories than wheat flour, 2.4 times more protein and 20 times more fiber. For every kilogram of RE:nergy flour produced, 11 kilograms of carbon emissions are saved. It also saves 3.7 tons of water. The resulting flour is then used to make snacks and baked goods such as RE:nergy Bars, RE:nergy Granola and RE:nergy Shakes. The Korean beer company OB Beer alone produces about 60 tons of spent grain per year. This used to cost the company billions of won per year, including environmental costs, but the company has now significantly reduced these costs by upcycling byproducts. 

 

 

 

RE:harvest Ltd. is working with OB Beer in Korea, Hai Phong Beer Group in Vietnam and Bintang Beer in Indonesia to supply brewer's spent grain and develop eco-friendly foods. In cooperation with OB Beer, the company has launched RE:nergy Bars and RE:nergy Crackers. It also sources Sikhye spent grain from Seojung Cooking. The company has started to develop eco-friendly food products with RE:nergy flour in cooperation with Tour Les Jours (CJ Foodville), Mister Pizza, Bronx and The Bread Blue. It has launched Tour Les Jours Good Bread whole wheat bread, pizza dough with Bronx and a bakery in collaboration with The Bread Blue. The company plans to expand its products to include upcycling of various byproducts in addition to Sikhye spent grain and brewer's spent grain. The company is preparing to export to Indonesia, Vietnam, Canada and the United States. Export contracts to Southeast Asia and the United States are expected to be finalized by the end of this year.

 

 

'RE:harvest, an Eco-Friendly Food Upcycling Company' 저작물은 "공공누리 2유형 출처표시 + 상업적 이용금지" 조건에 따라 이용할 수 있습니다.