Accelerating the growth of ethical and sustainable food systems in Asia with actionable research and design
Research In Progress
We have several ongoing research projects in the field.
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on our latest findings.
Advancing Research-Driven Advocacy with the ACE Movement Grant
As proud recipients of ACE Movement Grants, our upcoming initiatives focus on increasing data accessibility and enhancing advocate engagement.
Throughout the next year, we will hold action-driven workshops to create new intervention ideas, and test out ways to increase advocate access to existing research and data.
International Advocate Strategy Study with Faunalytics
In partnership with the Pollination Project and Faunalytics, we are conducting a study to understand how strategic decisions are made by groups in different regions.
Using a survey and focus group discussions, we will dive into the strategies employed by international advocacy groups, and the factors that go into their decision-making. We will also work with advocates to co-create potential solutions for their current challenges. The full report will be shared in Q2 2024.
Harnessing the Power of Stakeholder-Engaged Research In Animal Advocacy
This project explores different approaches to involving key stakeholders in food systems research, developing a framework for research design and analysis.
While we demonstrate the application of this framework to the context of farmed animal advocacy research in China/SE Asia, it also provides a generalisable tool for researchers and funders in future project design and evaluation.
Scoping Collaboration Across Social Movements In Southeast Asia
In partnership with Faunalytics, this study investigates the potential for strategic collaboration between the farmed animal advocacy movement and other social movements in Southeast Asia.
By examining the missions, goals, and strategies of diverse movements, the study seeks to identify collaborative opportunities that could amplify impact and effectiveness in the region.
Research Highlights
We help organisations understand Asian consumers and stakeholders to develop effective strategies in the region.
How familiar are Chinese consumers with plant-based meat?
Our study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics looked at Chinese consumers’ diets, familiarity with plant-based meat, how they feel about these products, and which attitudes and demographic characteristics were associated with willingness to purchase.
Read summarised findings in this blog post.
What are the different types of Chinese consumers?
What are the challenges and opportunities faced by the animal advocacy community in China?
In partnership with Faunalytics, we worked with members of the Chinese animal protection community in China to understand the advocacy landscape and the challenges and opportunities faced in this nascent field.
The study is accessible here.
Chinese Consumers' Attitudes Towards Animal Welfare
Building on the results of the previous study, we conducted focus groups to test advocates’ assumptions of Chinese consumer attitudes towards meat consumption, farmed animal welfare, and higher welfare products. We tested different campaign messages across 8 demographic groups, identifying grandparents and mothers as highly receptive audiences.
Read our key findings for the study here.
Capacity Building Gaps within Farmed Animal Organisations in Asia
Commissioned by Animal Advocacy Africa, this study aimed to identify the challenges and needs of FAW/vegan organizations in Asia, informing the organisation’s strategy to launch their programme in Asia.
The findings and recommendations are also applicable to funders and capacity builders in the region who want to find actionable, effective ways to grow the movement in the region.
Read the full report here
Farming systems in Thailand and Indonesia
In partnership with a large international NGO, we are researching the multiple aspects of the Thai and Indonesian farm animal landscape, to assess whether and how to effectively enter these new markets. As part of our systematic study of national, we will conduct desktop research, stakeholder interviews with over 20 animal industry stakeholders, and a consumer survey of 400 respondents per country.
Consumer diets and perceptions towards plant-based meat in SE Asia
In collaboration with the Good Food Institute APAC, we have conducted foundational research on six countries in South East Asia to guide decision-making for startups, corporates, investors, and policymakers.
Utilising mixed-methods research like semiotics, focus groups, a 6000-respondent survey, and segmentation analysis, we aim to understand consumer attitudes and promising segments of alternative protein markets in SEA.
Read the findings summary here
Full report here
A little more about us
At Good Growth, we work with alternative protein companies, animal welfare nonprofits, and social impact funders to understand consumers, scope new markets and prototype products & programmes.
Our Vision
A sustainable food system that ensures the well-being of both humans and animals.
Our Mission
Accelerating the growth of ethical and sustainable food systems in Asia with actionable research and design
Who we work with
We support local and international organisations to build ethical and sustainable food systems in Asia.
Food Systems & Animal Welfare Nonprofits
We help organisations understand Asian markets, assess threats, identify opportunities, and find talent for potential expansion.
Alternative Protein Companies and Investors
We help companies looking to assess and enter markets in Asia, and provide investors with insights that aid deal decisions while supporting existing portfolio companies.
Research Organisations and Funders
We help funders looking for Asian-based researchers to tackle a list of prioritised research questions and/or RFPs. Looking for an Asia-based contractor to help deliver international research? We can help!
The team
We bring together professionals across academia, business and design to deliver rigorous and actionable research. With a network across the globe, we bring multicultural, interdisciplinary perspectives to research and design.
Founder and Lead Researcher
Jah Ying is a social and market researcher, with 10 years of experience working with NGOs, social enterprises and startups across Asia and Europe. Her recent work focuses on the animal welfare and alternative protein industry in Asia, including consumer studies on attitudes towards plant-based products and farmed animal welfare in China, as well as landscape analyses of animal advocacy across Asia.
She is currently studying the intersection of farmed animal welfare and organisational decision-making at the University of Sydney, aiming to apply academic research and entrepreneurial experience to develop effective tools for animal advocacy in Asia. Previously, Jah Ying founded and sold a student sponsorship startup, and led climate change campaigns in China and East Asia.
Head of Projects and Operations
Ella is an experienced project manager in user research and stakeholder engagement. She has led stakeholder and market research projects related to the alt protein industry in China, as well as the animal advocacy movement in Asia. She is also in charge of the distribution of research insights and general operations for Good Growth.
Prior to joining, she was involved in running sustainability-related training programmes for corporates and government bodies. She also has experience in UX research & design and stakeholder management for a top property developer in Hong Kong and Mainland China. In her spare time, you can find her trying the latest plant-based protein products around town.
Researcher
Jack is a Researcher and Writer at Good Growth. He has 6 years of experience working with academic institutions and NGOs in Asia, Europe and Africa. He started his career in China, where he spent over 4 years conducting ethnographic research with the Hmong/ Miao ethnic group with various academic and NGO research projects.
Since graduating from a second MA in International Development from Sciences Po, Paris, in 2020, he has conducted research on hospital resilience in China, on movement growth for climate organisations, and on innovation in the nonprofit sector.
In his spare time, he loves playing percussive guitar, freediving, playing 5-a-side football and cooking ridiculously spicy Chinese food. He speaks fluent Chinese, English and French, and is proficient in Hmong and Japanese.
Our Advisors
A panel of expert researchers and industry professionals advise the direction and strategy of our organisation
Dr. Jo Anderson (she/her) is the Research Director at Faunalytics, a nonprofit organization that provides research and data to empower animal advocates in their work. She has a PhD in social psychology from the University of Waterloo and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University.
With over a decade of social science research experience, Jo has led and supervised studies pertaining to individual, institutional, and corporate animal advocacy efforts. In addition to directing Faunalytics' research program, she is also a co-leader of the RECAP (Research to End Consumption of Animal Products) researcher collective and an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
Dr. Michelle Sinclair is an International Animal Welfare Program Director, an academic and an author from Australia. Michelle moved to the USA to join the team at Harvard Law School Animal Law & Policy Program where she has been conducting her work since 2021.
Academically, Michelle is a cross-cultural anthrozoologist with qualifications in psychology, human resources and animal welfare. Aiming to better understand the stakeholders capable of making impactful change for animals around the world, such as livestock leaders in Asia, she conducts collaborative research to identify barriers, opportunities, mutual benefits and solutions with the goal of engaging traditionally adversarial parties into strategic collaboration to improve animal welfare.
Michael Tam is an optimist and creative at heart. As the Global Design Director at IBM iX, the experience design consulting arm of IBM, he helps enterprise clients place HUMAN at the centre of Why and How their business should Think, Act, and Innovate.
A true restless soul, Michael is also an Education Designer who teaches UX Design at Happyer Skills while serving as a Global Mentor & Board Advisor for ADPList, a platform that aims to make mentorship accessible to everyone.
Having spent half his life in New Zealand and done over a decade of storytelling for brands, Michael now lives every day like a prototype.
Zhao Zhong is the founder and director of Green Camel Bell, a grass-root environmental NGO in Northwest China. At the local level, he conducts a range of programs and projects focusing on environmental education, water pollution monitoring, and community-based eco-agriculture and sustainable development. At the national level, he promotes and researches public participation in environmental decision-making and provides training and mentorship to grassroots partners. He also promotes responsible green investment overseas.
He was a Hubert H. Humphrey fellow in 2015-16 at the University of California, Davis on Natural Resources Management and Climate Change. In 2009, he was named a “Hero of the Environment” by Time magazine, and in 2017, he was nominated as an Asia 21 Young Leader by Asia Society. Zhong received his Bachelor’s degree in Electronic and Information Engineering from the Hefei University of Technology and a Master degree of Laws from the University of Hong Kong.
Read our latest research
Discover general population trends, different customer personas and product/market strategies for plant-based meat in China, as found by Good Growth's proprietary mixed-methods study.
How familiar are Chinese consumers with plant-based meat?
Our study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics looked at Chinese consumers’ diets, familiarity with plant-based meat, how they feel about these products, and which attitudes and demographic characteristics were associated with willingness to purchase.
Read summarised findings in this blog post.
What are the different types of Chinese consumers?
We drilled deeper into different consumer personas based on their motivators for food consumption, and found 5 different personas with varying levels of potential for plant-based meat consumption.
Read our report for product/marketing strategies for plant-based meat in China here.
Our Work
Some of the research and studies we have done so far
Chinese Consumer Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare
We partnered with Faunalytics to conduct focus groups regarding the attitudes of Chinese consumers towards meat consumption, the concept of farmed animal welfare, and tested different types of messaging.
We found nuanced perceptions towards meat, animal welfare and health, and shared recommendations for stakeholders working in the ecosystem.
Capacity Building Gaps within Farm Animal Welfare/Vegan Organisations in Asia
Commissioned by Animal Advocacy Africa, we sought out to understand the challenges and needs faced by FAW/vegan organisations in Asia.
The findings and recommendations are intended for funders and capacity builders in the region who want to find actionable, effective ways to grow the movement in the region.
Understanding the Plant-based Market in China
Using a survey of 1200+ consumers, 10 focus groups and a series of food diaries, we tried to uncover motivations behind why people eat what they eat, and what may trigger them to try/buy plant-based meat.
To understand more about the general population, read our blog post here, and the peer-reviewed study can be found here.
For a deeper dive into consumer personas for plant-based meat, read our report below.
Growing A Community: How To Support Farmed Animal Protection In China
Our lead researcher, Jah Ying, partnered with Faunalytics to conduct a study of farmed animal welfare-related advocates in China. The report identified key challenges and bottlenecks to growing the movement, as well as opportunities for capacity building and advocacy.
China Alternative Protein Data Catalogue
A working prototype of a database that aggregates industry data sets to provide a consolidated view of China’s alternative protein industry.
We are continuing to explore ways on how we can make data useful for advocates and companies. Message us if you have ideas on how we can work together!
New Business Ideas to Support the Plant-based Industry in Asia
We worked with a client to identify business opportunities and come up with a business plan. The business model would revolve around helping industry players grow the market for plant-based food products in one of the biggest countries in Asia.
Industry Landscape and Consumer Perceptions on Farmed Animals in Thailand and Inodnesia
We worked with a client to conduct research on the production systems, animal welfare standards, market for animal products and alternative protein in these two Southeast Asian countries. We also conducted a quantitative survey to understand what consumers understood and thought of farmed animal welfare, as well as motivators for purchasing food.
Our Specialists
We source and onboard the right people for your project
Mark McCoy
organisation strategy
With a background as an entrepreneur, coach, and strategy consultant, Mark supports leaders, startups, and institutions in the for-profit and non-profit sectors in meaningfully engaging with complexity. Most recently, Mark was a Principal with the consulting firm Incandescent, with a primary focus on strategy development and execution for clients in the non-profit sector.
Tracy Pun
strategy
After having worked as a Business Analyst at McKinsey and JPMorgan, Tracy now does research at Sanford Bernstein and offers strategy consulting for impact focused organizations.
David Manheim
research
David is an independent researcher working with several universities and research groups, including the Open Philanthropy Project. He is currently involved in understanding large scale risks to humanity in different domains, focusing on biosecurity and artificial intelligence alignment, looking at both technical issues in risk evaluation and public policy approaches. He completed his doctoral dissertation at Pardee RAND, part of the RAND Corporation.
Hendrik Kuhl
digital growth
Former managing director at Lion & Lion digital agency, Hong Kong, Hendrik is a business leader and strategic marketer. He is excited by analytical challenges, driving impact at scale and delivering business growth.
Natasha Williams
communications
Multidisciplinary communication specialist with more than 17 years at communication agencies, Natasha is highly experienced at creating and delivering effective multichannel communication campaigns (digital, events, social, traditional media), integrated communication strategy and planning (international and UK), and partnerships.
Graham Miao
product and growth
Graham is a project manager experienced in growth strategy, product research and localisation. He works with the Good Food Institute in China, and was previously an early employee at China’s first YC tech company Strikingly. He also leads the Shanghai Effective Altruism chapter and works on related China-facing initiatives.
Oliver Bramford
digital marketing
Digital Strategist for boutique branding & digital agency (‘14-’16) and freelance digital strategy consultant (‘16-’18). Advising CEOs and marketing managers. Co-authored Bottlenecks and Solutions for the X-risk Ecosystem report (2018). Facilitated launch of Effective Altruism Geneva’s policy research program. Former host at Impact Hub
Florent Berthet
operations
Entrepreneurship teacher at ECAM Lyon engineering school. Taught startup best practices, supervising more than a hundred entrepreneurship projects. Co-founded Effective Altruism France. Founded and managed a democratic school (Ecole Nikola Tesla). Co-authored Bottlenecks and Solutions for the X-risk Ecosystem report (2018)
Jah Ying Chung
partnerships
Built and sold Launchpilots, a sponsorship marketplace for student NGOs in Asia. Entrepreneur in residence with Swiss aid program in the Balkans and Hong Kong tech incubator. Growth consultant and advisor for startup and social business founders. Former climate campaigner in China and East Asia coordinator. Former associate in social incubation and venture philanthropy
