First, there was meatless meat, then seafood-free seafood. Now there’s bean-less coffee from Prefer, a local bio-flavours start-up.
The founders of Prefer – Singaporean food scientist and chief technology officer Tan Ding Jie, and former neuroscientist and chief executive officer Jake Berber – have developed a sustainable alternative to coffee, which is both threatened by and contributing to climate change.
Prefer’s offerings have been available in selected cafes since December last year.
“Our mission is to create coffee variants that are delicious, affordable, and sustainable in the long run. Today, we start as a climate-friendly option on the menu. But as coffee farmlands diminish and prices continue to rise while our production remains scalable to meet demand, we believe Prefer will be the next generation of the commodity we know as coffee”, says Berber.
The process
Day-old Gardenia bread, soya bean pulp from Mr Bean, and spent barley grains from breweries such as 1925 Brewing Co and Brewerkz are used to make the “coffee”. To enhance the aromas and flavours, these are blended, fermented with food-grade microbes, and then roasted. Lastly, the mixture is grounded.
Unlike waiting three to four years for newly planted coffee trees to bear fruit and for annual coffee bean harvests, this process takes less than 48 hours.
Fermentation enables Prefer to potentially create flavours that can replicate coffee profiles sourced from faraway lands such as Ethiopia and Colombia. This eliminates import mark-ups, enabling Prefer to also keep costs low for businesses.
The taste test
How does it really taste? Well, it’s certainly not kopi gao (strong coffee), although it makes a great caffeine-free beverage. If your go-to is a light roast, Arabica brew, you might like this as it has a distinct nutty flavour with an earthy bitterness and mellowed acidity. It is recommended to be served in a cappuccino or latte with a dairy or plant-based milk.
Designed to replicate coffee’s finer details, the extraction process doesn’t require extra steps and takes the same time as a coffee machine. It can also be incorporated into drinks with coffee flavours such as the classic Espresso Martini.
Prefer’s grounds are caffeine-free, but it is possible to add caffeine derived from tea and adjust the level desired. While it’s not yet on sale in stores, coffee lovers can try it at 14 F&B outlets, including SaladStop, Foreword Coffee Roasters, Coexist Coffee, Dough, Brash Boys, First Story Cafe, Foreword Coffee Roasters, and Parched by Parchmen.
The future of coffee
The prices are comparable to that of other coffee beans, a point that Berber is keen to emphasise. He highlights three key reasons for people to switch to bean-free coffee: affordability, sustainability and accessibility. With climate change which threatens the world’s coffee supply and making it more expensive, Prefer’s bean-free brews allows coffee lovers to enjoy their favourite beverage without guilt and at an affordable price point.
Last month, the company made its official debut and announced that it had raised US$2 million (S$2.68 million) to scale up production and grow its team. Plans are underway to expand across Southeast Asia.
For more on Prefer bean-free coffee and where you can try it, visit www.prefer.coffee.
