During Chinese New Year in 2001, David Yeung had a revelation. “I just didn’t want to cause any suffering to animals for my personal enjoyment of food,” he says. What started with converting to a vegetarian lifestyle evolved into activism, entrepreneurialism and eventually a full-blown empire.

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In 2012, Yeung launched Green Monday, a social venture that addresses animal welfare, environmental issues, health and climate change through innovative projects. In 2015, he unveiled Green Common, a plant-based grocery store that now has 14 different outlets across Hong Kong.

“Our planet is past the point of sustaining eight billion people,” says Yeung. “This is not just a passion but a responsibility. We must be part of the solution.”

In 2018, he launched what might be his most talked-about venture yet, OmniPork, a plant-based minced pork alternative. “The idea for this came out of a selfish agenda,” he says with a laugh. “I missed dumplings and luncheon meat, two of Hong Kong’s most iconic comfort foods.”

Rather than pigeonholing his ventures as “vegetarian” or “vegan”, Yeung hopes that people will instead see them as sustainable options that even omnivores can embrace. He says, “My goal is not to make everyone a vegan. It’s about the shift in ratio in what we eat. If people can cut 10, 20 or 30 per cent of meat consumption, we’d be in a much better place.

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