Upcycling firm nop operates on a two-pillar model focused on technical innovation and community impact.
Drawing from her experience running a food waste reduction app for restaurants, co-founder Fioni Fong said she realised that extending shelf life was key to preventing food from being discarded – leading her to explore freeze-drying technology.
“We combine sustainability with social empowerment in a way that not many brands do. We’re not only delivering nutrition and reducing food waste, but also supporting women entrepreneurs,”
Pillar 1 – Leveraging tech innovation to upcycle fruits
“We chose to focus on fruits because they are among the most wasted food items globally. Fruits and vegetables are both heavily wasted, but we decided to start with fruits because they are easier to work with in terms of taste, which is very important – the product still had to be enjoyable for consumers,” said Fong.
She added that most foods have a very short time to be consumed. This led her to think about how to extend shelf life to reduce waste.
“We started exploring different ways to extend shelf life. That’s when we came across freeze-drying. It’s a method traditionally used to preserve food for long periods, such as for space missions, because it retains nutrients very well. We thought: why not adopt this technology to address food waste?” said Fong.
The firm initially experimented with fruit crisps before expanding into fruit powders, allowing consumers to conveniently consume a variety of fruits.
Although the products are consumer-facing, Not Only Powder focused early on B2B collaborations, helping F&B businesses and hotels upcycle surplus ingredients.
One example involved working with Hong Kong-based F&B group Maxim’s to transform unused strawberries into a new collagen-enriched sparkling drink, creating a new revenue stream from food waste.
The firm is also exploring AI-assisted tools to improve its processes and future product development.
For larger fruit volumes of more than 60kg, AI could be used to analyse defects that may not be easily detected by the human eye. Fong added that nop is also studying how AI could eventually support product personalisation.
Consumers could, for example, input their mood, personality type or even star sign, with the tool generating flavour suggestions. Over time, aggregated data could offer insights into emerging preferences and inform future product development.
Beyond upcycling fruit that would otherwise be discarded, nop also emphasises social empowerment.
Fruit and vegetable waste at a glance
Data from the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) shows that around half of all fruits and vegetables produced are lost and wasted globally, due to issues such as inadequate storage, transport, and retail inefficiencies.
FAO estimates the losses from fruits and vegetables – including peels, pulp, pomace, and seeds – account for about 16% of total food waste and contribute roughly 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Pillar 2 – Social and sustainability impact
The firm’s second pillar involves uplifting both overlooked materials and overlooked individuals through natural, upcycled product development.
“We rescue ‘ugly’ fruit from going to waste, which directly contributes to waste reduction. I think many wellness products don’t really focus on this aspect,” Fong said.
She added that nop is expanding into personal care products, including a hand cream made from upcycled orange peels and a lip balm derived from oil extracted from mango seeds.
She described these ingredients as “underestimated waste” – parts of fruit that are typically discarded because their value is overlooked.
She drew a parallel between these ingredients and the people the company works with, particularly young women who lack access to traditional entrepreneurial platforms.
“Their talents are often underestimated simply because they lack a platform or don’t realise their own potential. What we’re doing is uplifting them in the same way we uplift overlooked parts of fruit,” said Fong.
After hiring and training single mothers for packing and production work, the firm has shifted towards a co-creation model where young women – including fresh graduates and single mothers – take ownership of product development.
“Our newly launched lip balm, for example, uses mango seeds. These women take full ownership of the recipes and also have a share in the revenue,” said Fong.
At this point, nop will continue with its two-pillar model at it plans to expand its product range and increase their foodprint beyond Hong Kong.
Product and regional expansion
The firm has also begun collecting vegetables and launched a vegetable-based powder in response to consumer concerns around sugar and calorie content in fruit-based products.
Fong said she initially believed that mixed fruit powders would be more appealing due to their perceived nutritional value from a combination of various fruits. However, nop’s bestsellers turned out to be its freeze-dried fruit crisps.
“Many tell us that snacks feel easier – just open the pack and eat it as a healthy snack. It’s convenient to carry around,” she said.
She added that in markets such as Hong Kong – and potentially Singapore – consumers often perceive powders as less convenient because they require liquids, bottles and mixing. As a result, powders tend to appeal more to fitness-focused consumers who are already accustomed to preparing protein shakes.
To address this, nop has positioned its powders as ingredients for F&B operators, who already have the necessary equipment and processes in place.
Looking ahead, nop is considering expansion into Taiwan, as well as Southeast Asian markets including Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Fong identified Singapore as attractive due to its fast-paced lifestyle, reliance on imported fruit, hot climate and existing consumer habits around smoothies and functional drinks.
She added that sustainability and food waste reduction concepts are more readily understood there, similar to Hong Kong’s international consumer base, which includes tourists and expatriates.
Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam, meanwhile, are being considered primarily as sourcing and production hubs rather than just consumer markets.
Fong said these locations would allow the company to source fruit directly from farms – where a significant portion of produce is rejected for cosmetic reasons – reducing costs and enabling more affordable pricing. Vietnam is of particular interest due to its established food production and freeze-drying infrastructure, and is currently being explored ahead of other markets.
