At the inaugural Flavours of Tomorrow Festival, the Singapore Science Park played host to a festival never-before-seen on its grounds, where vendors were specially-chosen based on not just how good their food tasted, but one step further – how innovative they were at integrating agritech, foodtech, and food services into their product as well. Held over two days from 20th to 21st January, these groundbreaking showcases focused on everything from sustainability to fostering a resilient food future for all of us.

Speaking to Marcus Lim, Head, Flexible Workspace at CapitaLand Development, which manages Science Park, we found out more about the planning and that went into the festival, what it means for Science Park, and the future of the space and its programmes moving forward. “The thing about Science Park is that it’s primarily known as a place for work, and people generally only come here if they’re employees or having meetings and business engagement,” says Marcus, on the move to develop Science Park. “That’s why the team at CapitaLand wanted to expand that reach and introduce the broader community to it and what it offers.”

Implicit to Science Park is the presence of a tenant community working in the agritech and foodtech zone, who’ve been integral to the industry in developing food of the future. That too is untapped potential, where the research and findings are often relegated to the industry, taking on a far longer time to reach the commercial spin for mass market appeal. Which is why CapitaLand is bent on showcasing them to the world, and bringing people to Science Park to discover the wonders these tenants have to offer.

“Our role as park managers is to immediate community and make what these businesses do more accessible, so that it can feel more relevant to the general public. Hence, with this festival and beyond, we build more programmes to represent these other perspectives and agendas the community has,” says Marcus. “Essentially, we’re piecing together the puzzle to make it make sense for others, and properly platform the local food tech and innovation present, and give residents a chance to sample these different diets and ingredients coming into the market.”

A collaborative effort between CapitaLand’s Singapore Science Park, Innovate 360 and NUS Enterprise, this year’s festivities included companies such as Shandi Global, Paan Kitchen, Kobashi, Oatside and Hegg. Beyond the main draw of its sustainable food and retail market, attendees were also treated to talks and workshops, ranging from alternative protein creation, plant-based nutrition and culinary arts, live entertainment and even a lucky draw extravaganza, essentially making it a full-on lifestyle event to pen down in people’s calendars.

“This is an event that gives tenants and attendees a chance to communicate and learn more about what Science Park is doing, and pushing forward the mission of creating a sustainable food future for us in Singapore, and how boundaries are already being pushed,” says Marcus. “It’s been a very encouraging first year, where we can see festival goers genuinely curious about what is being offered and discovering all these new brands.”

Ultimately, the festival hopes to break the inaccurate stereotypes that may exist in the general populace, especially regarding how alternative proteins and meatless cuisine may be thought of as expensive, non-nutritive and unappetising. As such, affordability and appeal was at the heart of the offerings, all in the name of moving Singapore towards a more sustainable food culture by breaking down these mental barriers, and working towards developing cheaper, sustainable and more nutritious food. 

“These are the staple foods of the future, and beyond doing the R&D, it still takes a chef, entrepreneur and artist to turn the raw product into something consumers find delectable. We recognised this gap, and wanted to get involved with closing it and encouraging that paradigm shift alongside the Science Park community,” says Marcus. “This festival alone is just one part of a much broader programme, and we fully plan on doing smaller events and sessions throughout the year to continue the conversation. But ultimately, it’s about building the broader ecosystem through collective, community-driven leadership and stewardship such that everyone comes together to make something happen, and hopefully, once word gets out, we get even more stakeholder companies joining us, and grow the community to reach our goals.”

Flavours of Tomorrow Festival ran from 10am to 8pm on 20th and 21st January 2024 at Teletech Park, Singapore Science Park 2, 20 Science Park Road, Singapore 117674. More information about the Flavours of Tomorrow Festival can be found here.