Perth-based start-up Whole Green Foods Pty Ltd (Whole.) has taken its food processing WINX™ technology to Japan — and walked away with the Shiseido Award at the 2023 S-Booster Space Ideas Contest.
Contest day saw Whole. successfully pitched WINX™ (whole ingredient nutrient extraction technology) as a solution to one of humankind’s most pressing issues when it comes to space travel — what are we going to eat on those long journeys across the galaxy?
The solution Whole. offered was simple — through utilising its unique processing technology which can achieve controlled high-pressure lysis of ingredient cells, which in turn, can unlock maximum nutrition and enable a wide range of unique cosmetic and cosmeceutical applications.
Whole. says that “traditional methods of food processing result in large amounts of waste and spoilage, and the food outputs created are often poorly processed by the human body.”
“In a space environment, where the ability to produce food is limited, it is critically important to maximise the efficiency of scarce resources.”
Nick Stamatiou, Co-founder and CEO of Whole. says that Whole. successfully secured one of five spots for non-Japanese entrants in the global field after making it through the semi-finals, which were held in Thailand — beating out hundreds of applicants.
Stamatiou says that following the finals, Whole. was invited to attend Shiseido’s Global Innovation Centre in Yokohama, where they were given a private tour of their Research and Development facility.
“We have since engaged with Shiseido’s global CTO to discuss a range of collaboration opportunities, with some leaning toward collaboration on Shiseido’s ‘beauty beverage’ range, which are currently sold throughout Japan and China,” he says.
“Additionally, we are hoping to collaborate on the transdermal capabilities of ingredients processed through Whole.’s WINX technology for advanced nutritional delivery techniques — which may be used here on Earth, or one day even in space.”
Stamatiou says it was an honour to receive the Shiseido award, as Shiseido is one of the oldest cosmetic companies in Japan — that also has a keen interest in skin and health — and its namesake award only goes to applicants that most closely align with Shiseido’s vision.
It rounds out a bumper 2023 for Whole. which in April, announced a successful $1.5 million Seed funding round, in which Artesian and the Grain Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) invested.
The S-booster space ideas contest is a yearly contest open to individuals, start-ups, and businesses in different industries in Japan and Oceania with an aim to take their ideas to space.
Winners will be supported and mentored by experts, with finalists also given a chance to match with investors and business companies.
