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§ Private Profile · Manila, Philippines
WTH Foods is a technology company.
WTH Foods is a Philippine food innovation company, developing plant-based alternatives to traditional meat products. Its Umani brand offers sustainable, nutritious substitutes for processed meats, including local staples like sisig and corned beef. The company leverages soy, wheat, and microalgae to deliver familiar Southeast Asian flavors in healthier, plant-based formats.
Stephen Michael Co co-founded WTH Foods in 2019. The company originated from the insight that a growing global population needs sustainable, secure food sources. Co and his team recognized the market need for accessible plant-based options, addressing food security and environmental concerns while preserving local culinary traditions.
WTH Foods serves consumers seeking healthier diets and reduced environmental impact, providing plant-based versions of popular meat dishes. Its long-term vision targets international market expansion, with exports across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. The company aims to innovate plant-based food experiences benefiting consumers, farmers, and the planet.
WTH Foods has raised $2.2M across 2 funding rounds.
WTH Foods has raised $2.2M in total across 2 funding rounds.
WTH Foods has raised $2.2M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $1.2M Seed in October 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 27, 2021 | $1.2M Seed | — | Henry Soesanto, BIG Idea Ventures | Announced |
| Jun 1, 2021 | $1M Seed | — | Babel Ventures, BIG Idea Ventures, Capital V, SOSV | Announced |
# WTH Foods: A Food Tech Pioneer in Plant-Based Innovation
WTH Foods (Worth The Health) is a food technology startup based in the Philippines that develops plant-based meat and seafood alternatives tailored to Southeast Asian tastes and global markets.[1] The company creates frozen product lines under its UMANI brand, including plant-based sausages, burgers, meatballs, ground meat, and traditional Filipino dishes like sisig and tapa, alongside emerging microalgae-based seafood products.[1] WTH Foods addresses the intersection of three critical challenges: food security in the Philippines, sustainable protein production, and consumer demand for healthier alternatives to processed meat. The company serves both regional Asian consumers seeking familiar flavors and European markets prioritizing clean-label, nutritionally superior products.
The startup operates with a mission to "innovate food experiences and transform the way the world eats one plate at a time," leveraging the Philippines' agricultural biodiversity and indigenous plant ingredients as a competitive advantage.[1] Since launching in 2019, WTH Foods has expanded from the Philippines to Singapore and is positioning itself for broader Southeast Asian and international growth.[1]
WTH Foods was founded by Stephen Michael Co (CEO and Co-founder) and Carlo Ng (Co-founder and Chief Science Officer), alongside a third business partner.[1] Co holds a Master's degree in Bioscience Enterprise and was motivated by food innovation's relevance to his home country.[7] Before WTH Foods, Co and co-founder Carissa (likely referring to another partner) collaborated on a craft beer project called Nipa Brew starting in 2015, which they continue to operate.[7] The team recognized an opportunity to create greater impact on local farmers and produce, leading to WTH Foods' launch in 2019.[7]
The company's early years were marked by rapid product development and regional expansion. By 2020, WTH Foods had launched five products, with its plant-based ground meat (Ginilling) and corned beef emerging as best-sellers in the Philippines.[3] The team leveraged innovative ingredient sourcing—using unripe jackfruit for pulled meat texture and mung bean flour for essential amino acids—to achieve nutritional and textural parity with animal-based products.[3] Despite pandemic-related disruptions (the company's Botany pilot kitchen lost 70% of its business overnight), the R&D team used the downtime to formulate new products.[1] By January 2026, WTH Foods had launched UMANI, a comprehensive frozen product line, and was actively developing microalgae-based seafood alternatives.
WTH Foods operates at the intersection of three significant global trends: the plant-based protein boom, the clean-label movement, and food security innovation. The company exemplifies how emerging markets can become innovation hubs rather than mere consumers of Western food tech solutions. By anchoring its products in regional cuisines and local ingredients, WTH Foods challenges the homogenized approach of global plant-based brands and demonstrates that sustainability and cultural relevance can coexist.
The startup's microalgae strategy positions it ahead of industry trends toward ocean-friendly, nutrient-dense alternatives to both conventional seafood and traditional plant-based proteins. As regulatory scrutiny around microplastics and heavy metals in seafood intensifies, WTH Foods' clean, traceable supply chain offers a compelling value proposition. The company's expansion into Europe and Southeast Asia simultaneously—with differentiated product strategies for each region—reflects a sophisticated understanding of market segmentation that many food tech startups overlook.
Additionally, WTH Foods demonstrates that science-driven entrepreneurship can address local food security while building globally competitive products, potentially inspiring similar ventures across the Global South.
WTH Foods is positioned for significant growth as it executes its international expansion strategy. The company plans to export to Southeast Asian countries, the Middle East, Europe, and North America within the next few years.[1] Its seafood line—particularly plant-based tuna and crab cakes—represents a differentiated entry point into the European market, where clean-label and nutritional superiority command premium positioning.
Key inflection points to watch include successful market penetration in Europe (where the company is targeting the frozen, convenient food segment), scaling of microalgae production to support biomass supply and ingredient extraction, and potential partnerships or funding to accelerate regional distribution. The company's collaboration with universities, R&D institutions, and government agencies suggests a pathway toward deeper innovation and market validation.
The broader question for WTH Foods is whether regional flavor adaptation and microalgae differentiation can sustain competitive advantage as larger food corporations enter the plant-based seafood space. However, the company's early-mover advantage in microalgae technology, combined with its deep understanding of Asian consumer preferences, positions it as a potential acquisition target or strategic partner for global food companies seeking authentic regional innovation.
WTH Foods has raised $2.2M in total across 2 funding rounds.
WTH Foods's investors include Henry Soesanto, Big Idea Ventures, Babel Ventures, Capital V, SOSV.