In this episode, we sit down with Bram Kerkhof, Head of Product at REDUCED, the Copenhagen food-tech turning industry side streams into clean-label, umami-rich flavor concentrates.
Bram bridges his chef craft and food science to show how koji fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis can transform “leftovers” into premium taste while also cutting emissions.
From chicken wing tips and broken rice to apple cores, vegetable trimmings, and even invasive shore crabs, REDUCED’s “waste-to-taste” platform proves sustainability can (and must) taste incredible.
Together we dive into three big themes:
From side stream to flavourful ingredient – how REDUCED upcycles by-products (e.g., chicken carcasses, apple cores, leek offcuts, shore crabs) into clean-label flavor bases and why *taste* has to lead for circular foods to win (if the taste is good, so is the adoption)
Fermentation as green tech – the duo of koji fermentation and enzymes for lower-energy bioprocessing, concentrated umami, and consistent quality at scale (including the messy learnings of sourcing, shelf life, and scale-up hiccups.
Scaling impact in the real world – moving from consumer branding to B2B, navigating novel-food rules and category gatekeepers, tracking emissions, and opening global doors after being named Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Company” of 2025
If you’ve ever wondered how surplus mushrooms or chicken trimmings can skip the landfill and end up on your plate in the tastiest way possible, then this episode is for you.
#CircularFood #FoodInnovation #UpcyclingFoodWaste #Fermentation #CircularEconomy
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🎙️Created and hosted by Solveiga Jur
📸Photography magic by Ingmar Bötker
🎬Video editing by the versatile Sandra Linne
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