SINGAPORE – The GrowHub Innovations Company (“The GrowHub”) Asia Pacific’s only one- stop farm-to-table solution and strategic export partner of premium agri-food products in Western Australia, has inked a significant service agreement with local government partner – Shire of Murray. This has enabled the co-appointment of Precinct General Manager, Dr Christopher Vas, as GrowHub’s Country Head for Australia.
Vas will be overseeing The GrowHub’s industry development strategies, research and development commercialisation opportunities, technology transfer initiatives and contributing to the growth of Growhub’s Southeast Asian agrifood tech footprint. With his past experiences across Asia Pacific, as Country Head, Vas will further accelerate the entry of Western Australian products into the Southeast Asian market, driving efficient solutions for quality agri-food products.
Vas has a strong international professional background spanning industry, government and academia in Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and India. His previous roles such as the Commissioner and Executive Director of the Second Murdoch Commission in Food Security, Trade and Partnerships and as lead Chief Investigator on Smart Urban Farm study across Australasia places him well to lead this dual role. Currently, he is also the Board Member at Future Food Network. He has been actively advancing brand development and market expansion plans in the region, pushing the landscape of innovation forward.
Lester Chan, CEO of The GrowHub, commented on the company’s recent appointment, “Chris’s past local institutional, F&B and agri-tech expertise will be instrumental in shaping The GrowHub’s direction in creating a wider range of environmental-friendly and sustainable Australian food source options in Southeast Asia. In a very short span of time, the company has scaled to cater to Southeast Asia’s growing demand for such products. We are excited to further deepen our partnership with Chris’ joining.”
“I am pleased that we have been able to find a close partner in The GrowHub that is committed to developing and advancing transparent digital trade and traceable food sourcing. I look forward to the opportunities this partnership will create for Western Australian producers to tap into Southeast Asian markets,” said Dr Chris Vas.
He added, “The GrowHub’s presence in the Precinct ecosystem is critical as it will complement the commercial research and product development activities paving the way for Western Australia to significantly boost its premium agrifood footprint across markets in Southeast Asian economies.”
Further, “The GrowHub’s innovation program will enable domestic agrifood tech businesses to scale across the various ASEAN nodes that will be established in the near future. Equally, this creates an opportunity for international businesses to leverage the Precinct as a vital landing pad into Australia”
Following the appointment of Chris, The Growhub plans to meet the ambitions of local producers seeking solutions to upgrade their process to meet export demand, and to improve access through technology for producers in Western Australia to the Southeast Asian market place.
As Asia’s consumers become more affluent, sophisticated and demanding, their individual choices will drive 55% of the US$4.4 trillion incremental food spend in the next decade, according to a report by Temasek and PwC. Healthier diets, fresh foods, safe and traceable sources, as well as sustainable consumption are mentioned among the key consumer trends.
The GrowHub holds exclusive agreements with premium producers in Western Australia to distribute their products in the South-east Asian market for more than 40 unique products in categories such as honey, oat milk, wine, beer, and barley. Additionally, The GrowHub is also producing its own brand name products for export to South-east Asia.
With offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Japan, and Vietnam, The GrowHub is enlarging its network into South-east Asia to meet the increasing demand for quality and sustainable sources of food. Additionally, The GrowHub manages the innovation centre in the Western Australian Food Innovation Precinct which serves as an accelerator platform for innovative start-up companies across Australia, Japan, and South-east Asia. Winning technologies are aimed to be developed at the innovation centre alongside top universities and research partners, whilst serving as a test bed with producers which would allow rapid scaling through securing feedback from end-consumers with the help of The GrowHub’s platform.
