Growthwell

About Growthwell

The story of Growthwell Foods begins not in 2019, but in 1989, when Chou Shih Hsin started a family business in Malaysia to produce traditional Asian vegetarian products. Driven by a desire for a more sustainable food system, he was a pioneer in using ingredients like mushrooms and konjac to create plant-based alternatives. This foundation in traditional vegetarian cuisine set the stage for the company's next chapter. Decades later, his sons, Justin and Colin Chou, took the reins. In 2019, Justin Chou officially re-founded the company as Growthwell Foods, a modern food-tech startup with a new mission: to become Asia's leading plant nutrition company. They shifted the focus from traditional mock meats to developing novel plant-based seafood and chicken alternatives tailored for a new generation of health-conscious and flexitarian consumers across Asia. The pivotal moment for the new entity arrived in 2021. The company secured a major $22 million Series A funding round led by Creadev, with participation from notable investors like GGV Capital and existing backer Temasek. This capital infusion was earmarked to accelerate product development and expand its footprint across the region. The funding followed an earlier $8 million round in 2020 and a strategic investment into ChickP, an Israeli startup with technology for a 90% chickpea protein isolate, signaling Growthwell's commitment to deep tech and innovation.