Why this giant vegan chicken is turning its attention to dairy-free gelato

Chicken and waffles are a classic combo but Singapore’s Next Gen Foods is betting on dairy-free gelato and vegan chicken as the winning combo of the future. This month, the company — best known for its flagship vegan chicken brand TiNDLE — made its first acquisition with Mwah!

Based in London, Moah! Founded in 2020 by Damian Piedrahita and Claudia Comini, hospitality industry professionals who met in Italy and shared their frustration with the lack of dairy-free gelato options so they made their own.

“We are thrilled to join the Next Gen Foods family. Damien Piedrahita, CEO and Co-Founder of Mwah!

Next generation foods

The acquisition follows Mwah!’s funding round. $2 million in 2022 led by Next Gen Foods and officially brings together the founders of the gelato brand with Next Gen’s CEO Andre Menezes and CMO Jean Madden (who previously served as directors on the board of Mwah!).

Mwah’s “dairy-inspired” vegan gelato

Moah! It introduces itself to the crowd with a simple yet sophisticated flavour: Madagascar Vanilla Gelato. Dairy-free gelato is inspired by the wonderful experience of eating dairy but instead of exploiting cows, the company uses plant-based ingredients like cashews, coconut oil, vegetable fiber, natural flavors, sugar, salt, and organic Madagascar vanilla.

“Our plan is to introduce our signature creamy and indulgent treat this year — with a unique and best-in-class gelato experience — and we look forward to hearing from dairy lovers everywhere,” said Piedrahita.

The company will get its first wave of public reaction starting on March 15 when the gelato will be launched in select confectionery shops in London. First meow! It will be on display as part of “Cherry and Chocolate Hot Mess” at Floozies Cookies in London where gelato is topped with cherry compote, hot chocolate and chocolate brownie.

Next generation foods

In the WAVE vegan coffee shop chain, Hackney’s is serving Mwah! Raspberry pancakes topped with raspberries, golden syrup, cinnamon, rose petals, and gelato. At WAVE locations in Stokey, customers can try a similar waffle dish made with Mwah!

The company will continue to partner with pastry shops and pastry chefs with plans to launch gelato in retail as well.

Vegan food for a new generation

Next Gen was founded in 2020 by Menezes, a Brazilian-born poultry exporter and food industry expert; and Timo Ricker, a German native whose family business has been making steaks and other meat products for three generations. Its flagship brand, TiNDLE, consists of vegan chicken products — made with soy, wheat gluten, and a proprietary vegetable fat called “lipi.”

Since its inception, Next Gen has raised $130 million to make the next generation of food, funding that helped the company expand its distribution to 1,500 restaurants and 6,000 grocery stores worldwide within two years.

Next generation foods

“When we started Next Generation 3 three years ago, we knew that making a significant impact on the food system would require continual development of delicious foods that consumers wanted. This meant we needed to invest in research and development that would help us,” Menezes said in a statement. In creating products that not only deliver on our promise of eliminating animal farming, but also excel in taste and experience.

Prior to the acquisition of Mwah! Next Gen announced the expansion of its vegan chicken portfolio with vegan nuggets, pies, popcorn, tenders and wings.

By joining forces with Damien and Claudia at Mwah! and expanding our offerings at Mwah! [the] Vegetarian Chicken Class With TiNDLE, we’re committed to making sure everyone can enjoy all the foods they actually love,” Menezes said.

And TiNDLE has already gained quite a few fans since the launch of its flagship chicken. Last year, TV personality and chef Andrew Zimmern joined the team as one of its senior culinary advisors. The chef’s recipe for TiNDLE Waffles and Ice Cream has been reworked for this year’s Expo West trade show attendees who got to sample Mwah’s dairy-free gelato atop TiNDLE’s vegan chicken.

Next generation foods

Ahead of launching the retailer and restaurant on a larger scale later this year, TiNDLE is previewing its vegan chicken in a number of ways, including as part of a collaboration with Chef Chad Rosenthal at Motel Fried Chicken, Goldbely’s digital storefront. New York City and Miami will also get a taste of TiNDLE with their SHOWFIELDS lifestyle concept.

In addition to chicken and gelato, Next Gen is also looking to create exciting plant-based food experiences in other dairy, seafood and meat categories.