As featured in Market Organics Winter Magazine 2023

WhatIF Foods is not your typical food company. It is a planet-based food company that goes beyond sustainability to create “A Better Better.” What does that mean? It means that WhatIF is committed to making food products that replenish hungry bodies, restore degraded lands, and reconnect with the farmers who grow their crops. They are driven by a philosophy of regeneration, not just preservation.

WhatIF started its journey as a food tech incubator trading under the name NamZ. Through Covid-19, the business pivoted into a retail brand and in April 2020, WhatIF launched in Singapore as a direct to the customer business. Since then, it has expanded into offline retail and extended its reach to Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Taiwan.

The founder of WhatIF is Christoph Langwallner, a food scientist from Austria who has more than 30 years of experience in the Agro-Food industry. Having worked in big food companies, Christoph was dismayed by what the highly efficient food industry was doing fo ours and our planet's health. He decided to question the status quo and launch WhatIF, one of the few food brands with regeneration at its core.

Quoting Christoph, “In the past, I was involved in making deep-fried products such as potato crisps, instant noodles, and other foods that essentially appeal to kids because they taste good. I'd come home after work and tell my kids not to eat the products that I was involved in creating. I thought to myself, there's got to be a better way of doing this. Why are we deep-frying instant noodles? How can we take deep-frying out of the process? Asking these questions early on was what got us going. We spent three quarters of a year coming together to identify food projects that had a supply chain issue, a sustainability issue, or unmet needs. Today, WhatIF enjoys the fruits of that labour by using our technology to bring products onto the market.

Essentially, we're motivated by looking at what doesn't work. The Agro-Food industry is very efficient but it's also very wasteful. It's not only wasting resources but also wasting opportunities. We want to create opportunities for farmers, for consumers, and for the planet.”

WhatIF are leading the way in regeneration, not just sustainability. They want their products to give back more than they take. Holding the viewpoint that sustainability is not enough, or fast enough Christoph and his team believe the world needs regeneration to heal. The star of everything they do is the Bambara Groundnut, fondly nicknamed the BAMnut. This legendary legume is at the core of all WhatIF products. Growing in dry and sandy soils in Africa, the BAMnut is drought-tolerant and nitrogen-fixing, which means it can improve soil fertility and sequester carbon, thus bringing infertile lands to health. It is also highly nutritious, containing high-quality protein, fibre, minerals and antioxidants. WhatIF believe their products beat all competitors in terms of nutrition and climate impact and the BAMnut is the reason for that. It is what makes WhatIF stand out in a crowd of similarity.

WhatIF uses its patented air-frying technology to turn the BAMnut into delicious and vibrant instant noodles that have 17g of protein per bowl {more than two large eggs) and three times more dietary fibre than regular noodles. The noodles come in four flavours: BAMnut (with Sweet Hot Seasoning), Charcoal (with ‘Shroom Pepper Seasoning), Pumpkin (with Cheeky Curry Seasoning), and Moringa (with Sesame Garlic Seasoning). With nothing artificial in them, they are delicious and satisfying.

WhatIF also makes plant-based milks from the BAMnut that are creamy, airy and versatile. Packed with protein, fibre and nutrients like iron and vitamins the milks come in three variants: Everyday (for drinking or cooking), Barista (for frothing or baking) and Airy (for a lighter and lower calorie option). The milks are dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.

WhatIF is continually looking to improve its products and processes with the mantra of why settle for good when you can always aim for a Better Better. The brand is also actively supporting smallholder farmers who grow the BAMnut and other crops by providing them with training, seeds and market access.

WhatIF wants to make its products accessible and appealing to everyone, which is why it has started with everyday staples such as milk and noodles. They have many exciting products in the works, such as different types of noodles and more amazing flavours. They will also be growing their alternative dairy range beyond milks. Stay tuned for some plant-based yumminess coming your way! Try WhatIF next time you're shopping and join their mission of creating "A Better Better".