In the latest episode of Gen.T’s podcast Crazy Smart Asia, David Yeung, founder of Green Monday, talks the power of plants, the importance of self-belief and what ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky taught him about business
Twenty years ago, David Yeung became a vegetarian. He was mocked; his family asked him why. He had no idea it would change his life forever.
In 2012, he founded Green Monday, a social venture and advocacy organisation, to tackle the looming issues around climate change, food insecurity and public health. Even his closest friends doubted his business model.
A few years later, he created Green Common, a plant-based grocery store that now has 15 outlets across Asia, following it with the launch of OmniPork, now OmniFoods, which produces plant-based meat alternatives that focus on the tastes and demands of the Asian market.
Today, Green Monday is the leader in Asia’s rapidly growing alternative protein industry. In 2020, it raised US$70 million in its fourth fundraising round, the largest raise for an alt-protein startup in Asia to date, with celebrity investors including James Cameron, Mary McCartney and Susan Rockefeller.
Above all, the company is making good on David’s promise of tackling some of the biggest challenges facing the planet today. Needless to say, they’re not mocking now.
In a breathless conversation that covered so much ground, we discussed the difficult early days, the future of the alt-protein industry, and how he went from running a chain of grocery stores to creating a global food tech giant.
Here are a few excerpts from the candid conversation. Click the audio player below to listen to the episode or subscribe via Apple, Spotify, Google or wherever you get your podcasts.
Taking a leap
“Thinking back, I find it to be very surreal. Just how did I come up with that courage? Now, people call it vision, right? ‘Oh, David, Green Monday—you guys are such visionaries.’ I mean, really, back then we were just stupid. And crazy, just like the name of your show.”
