A meat alternative for Asia Karana is the Singapore food start-up positioning itself as Asia's first whole-plant-based meat brand. Its flagship product — a pulled pork substitute — is made entirely from jackfruit, oil and salt, without processed ingredients or preservatives. Started in 2018 as demand for meat alternatives was growing, Riegler said he saw a gap in the market for meat substitutes designed specifically for Asian cuisines. "We saw a huge need to identify products that had more local applications for APAC," said Riegler, now 35, who built a career working in agricultural supply chains across Southeast Asia. "Pork is the number one meat that's consumed in this region and that's where we didn't see a lot of products really addressing a need."