Turning chickpeas and konjac into plant-based crab, fish sticks and popcorn chicken - built for Asian palates.
A family vegetarian shop, re-engineered as food tech. Justin and Colin Chou at the Senoko innovation centre, Singapore - where a 1989 recipe met high-moisture extrusion.
Growthwell Foods is a Singapore-based plant-based protein company that makes meat and seafood alternatives designed for Asian palates. Where many alternative-protein startups reskin a Western burger, Growthwell starts from the dinner tables of Southeast Asia - crab patties, fish sticks, popcorn chicken and squid, made from plants.
The company was re-founded in 2019 by brothers Justin and Colin Chou, who built on the traditional vegetarian food business their father, Chou Shih Hsin, opened in Singapore in 1989. That heritage is not a footnote. It gave Growthwell decades of know-how in mock-meat craft, which it has paired with modern food science - high-moisture extrusion, novel ingredients and automated manufacturing.
Its strategy is vertical: own the ingredient, own the recipe, own the line. In 2020 Growthwell took a majority stake in ChickP, an Israeli food-tech startup that produces a chickpea protein isolate above 90% purity - among the highest in the world - and folded that capability into its own products.
"Harnessing the latest research and deep tech to shape a more sustainable and nutritious food system for more consumers."
Growthwell targets younger, health-conscious consumers who want to cut meat without giving up crunch, flake or flavour. The pitch is taste-first, not sacrifice-first - the HAPPIEE! motto is "Eat Good, Feel Good."
Products sell through supermarkets such as FairPrice and Cold Storage and through restaurants - HAPPIEE! reached 21+ local eateries in Singapore. Distribution began in Singapore and Malaysia.
Singapore imports more than 90% of its food. Locally made, scalable plant protein is one answer - aligning Growthwell's product with a national conversation about resilient supply.
Through ChickP, Growthwell also supplies chickpea protein isolate to other manufacturers - a second, upstream business alongside its consumer brands.
The homegrown consumer brand: Chickiee Nuggets and Chickiee Popcorn (soy-based chicken) plus Fishiee Sticks and Fishiee Patties (konjac-based seafood). Free from trans fats.
A chickpea protein isolate above 90% purity, made by Growthwell's Israeli subsidiary and used across seafood, dairy and egg alternatives.
Crab patties, shrimp, squid, salmon flakes and fish sticks - seafood analogues engineered for Asian cuisine rather than adapted from Western products.
Su Xian Zi (mushroom-based meat), Gomama (plant-based ready meals) and OKK (egg-free cooking ingredients) round out the group's range.
Growthwell has raised roughly $30M across two rounds. Its 2021 Series A was one of Southeast Asia's largest in alternative protein.
Investors: Creadev (lead), GGV Capital, Iris Fund, Temasek, DSG Consumer Partners
"Growthwell commands whole value chain competence, from ingredients to product - with differentiation in plant-based seafood focused on Asian cuisine."
The alternative-protein aisle is crowded with global names - Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, OmniFoods, Next Gen Foods - most of them optimised for Western burgers and mince. Growthwell competes by owning ground those players largely skip.
Seafood, not just beef. Plant-based seafood is technically harder and far less crowded. Growthwell leans into it with crab, fish and squid built from konjac and chickpea.
Asian-first R&D. Products are designed for local dinner tables, not reskinned from Western SKUs - a fit that a global entrant cannot easily replicate at home.
Vertical integration. By owning ChickP and its own automated Senoko line, Growthwell controls quality and cost from isolate to finished stick.
Chou Shih Hsin founds a traditional vegetarian food business in Singapore.
Brothers Justin and Colin Chou relaunch it as a modern plant-based protein company.
Raises an $8M seed and acquires a majority stake in Israeli ingredient startup ChickP.
Closes a Series A led by Creadev and launches its homegrown HAPPIEE! brand.
HAPPIEE! reaches FairPrice, Cold Storage and 21+ Singapore restaurants.
Plant-based meat and seafood alternatives - nuggets, popcorn chicken, fish sticks and crab patties - designed for Asian palates, under brands like HAPPIEE!
Brothers Justin and Colin Chou re-founded the company in 2019, building on their father's vegetarian food business started in 1989.
ChickP is an Israeli food-tech startup Growthwell holds a majority stake in; it makes the world's first chickpea protein isolate above 90% purity.
About $30M total, including a $22M Series A in 2021 led by Creadev with Temasek, GGV Capital, Iris Fund and DSG Consumer Partners.
HAPPIEE! products are available at select FairPrice and Cold Storage outlets in Singapore and at partner restaurants, with expansion planned across Southeast Asia.