The brand aims to offer a fresh take on snacks by using bold, authentic Southeast Asian ingredients.
“We hope to bring something new to the snack category, which has been dominated by standard Western flavours like BBQ, ketchup, and sour cream & onion. This can be quite boring.
“Coming from Southeast Asia, we feel it’s important to highlight ingredients like lemongrass, lime, and curry leaves, in our products. The goal is to proudly bring South East Asian flavours to the global market,” said Kantin Lab co-founder Vincent Low.
Low added that before Chinese brands entered the scene, there was very little representation of Eastern flavours.
He said: “So I want to introduce and export South East Asian flavours and culture through our products, starting with flavours like salted egg, and then expanding from there.”
One standout product is its nasi lemak-flavoured potato chips, coated in sambal chilli and mixed with whole anchovies and peanuts — offering a snack that closely mimics the full nasi lemak experience.
“It’s about standing out and giving consumers the complete nasi lemak experience,” said Low, who believes Kantin Lab is among the first in the region to incorporate whole ingredients into packaged potato chips.
“It also adds texture to the chips and makes the snacking experience more interesting,” Low said to FoodNavigator-Asia at the FHA-Food & Beverage Trade Show in Singapore.
The firm’s bestselling salted egg potato chips also features whole ingredients, which include curry leaves within each pack.
Additionally, Low shared that the firm is always on the look out for innovative use of South East Asian flavours in familiar formats like potato chips.
Kantin Lab’s newly launched tempeh chips put a playful spin on a typically health-oriented snack.
“Most tempeh products focus on wellness, but we wanted to make it fun — that’s why we launched flavours like chilli cheese, which is popular at Malaysian night markets,” said Low.
The firm also collaborated with a local burger chain to create a cheeseburger flavour — part of its strategy to support local businesses while delivering novelty to consumers.
At the same time, the brand continues to cater to health-conscious consumers with lighter flavours such as Himalayan salt.
Low observed a growing consumer appetite for Eastern flavours and local brands, citing examples like Irvins and The Golden Duck, which have seen regional success. Kantin Lab hopes to ride this wave with its distinct flavour-first strategy.
Kantin Lab plans to expand into two to three Southeast Asian markets this year, with ambitions to enter Western markets — including Europe — by 2026.
