TRENOS.ai

Japan's decision to give Japanese Tea GI protection at almost the same moment India commercialises Matcha assamica points towards a significant transition. Matcha is moving from a Japanese speciality into a global ingredient platform. Japan's opportunity is increasingly provenance, heritage, terroir and premiumisation. Other producers can compete on accessibility, flavour profile, functionality, price and industrial supply.

Seaweed chips, lentil crackers, chickpea protein bites, millet-based snack bars, and adaptogen-fortified munchables are becoming the new defaults, driven by busy urban consumers seeking quick nutrition without compromising flavour. With 2025 purchasing data showing India's plant-based snack boom surges in plant-based, fortified, and “mini-meal” snacks, India effectively becomes the world’s largest behavioural sandbox for plant-forward convenience foods.

The Shandi Global trajectory signals a powerful trend - Indian-rooted innovation, incubated in Singapore, is now shaping the global plant-protein market. What began as parental frustration with one underwhelming burger is morphing into a scaled, science-driven enterprise tackling affordability, nutrition, and protein access at mass-market levels.