At My PlantCo, we are often described as the Australian food innovator bold enough to disrupt the global food future. But disruption isn’t just about high-tech laboratories; it’s about Clarity, Care, and Courage. Recently, our leadership team sat down with Dr. Chris Downs and the team from Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) for an “In Conversation” that explored the human heart behind industrial innovation.
The Human Truth of Food
For our CEO, Mei Yong, the journey from working in remote Western Australia to leading a food revolution was guided by a simple, grounding truth: “Food was my family’s love language.” My PlantCo was born from this real family food culture. It gives us an authenticity that faceless start-ups can’t replicate. We aren’t just selling products; we are building a world where real, sustainable nutrition connects cultures and communities everywhere.
In Australia, we sit on clean land and produce world-class crops, but we often undervalue ourselves. As our CMO, Mido Chishty—whose experience spans global giants like Unilever and Nestlé—noted: “Australia doesn’t realize how good it is. The nation has an incredible reputation internationally.” At My PlantCo, we use that Australian integrity as a signal of quality and trust to lead a food revolution.
The Acceleration Mindset
To “do food differently” requires re-engineering how food is created and shared. This is where bold partnerships come in. Our CFO, Harman Pabla, highlighted the massive opportunity for university researchers to help start-ups grow their technical capabilities while they scale.
By partnering with FaBA, we didn’t just add a logo to our website—we doubled our technical staff.
“FaBA is called an acceleration program for a reason,” says Mei. “We’re going faster than we could without that help.” This agile, iteration-based mindset is a departure from the asset-heavy businesses of the past. It’s a shift toward tech-driven development that allows us to stay curious, responsive, and innovative.
Market-Driven, Purpose-Led
Innovation at My PlantCo is fueled by a market-driven mindset. Mei spoke candidly about spending hours in supermarkets and food courts, observing what people truly want. This curiosity ensures our innovations start with a real human need: quality nutrition that is convenient, trusted, and accessible.
For My PlantCo, partnerships are not just about research; they are about co-creation. We are designing systems that scale and partnerships that last. We believe that by leaning into collaboration, we can move from being a category player to a system-level leader with global relevance.
Our Promise to the Future
We are acting with care to build a better future for all. Whether it’s the migrant farming families of our “Root System” or the world-class researchers at FaBA, every choice we make has to serve both people and the planet.
