About Us
WNWN Food Labs (pronounced ‘win-win’), founded in 2020, is creating a win-win situation for food producers, consumers, and the environment. WNWN uses technology to transform humble plant-based ingredients into high-value, sustainable and ethical treats.
WNWN was the first company to bring cocoa-free chocolate to market and is headquartered in London. Its proprietary process of fermentation techniques converts sustainable ingredients including British barley, used for centuries in beer and whisky, and carob, rich in polyphenol antioxidants, into premium cocoa-free “choc” that looks, smells, tastes, melts, snaps and bakes like the real thing—and feels just as indulgent. It’s also dairy-free, palm oil-free, caffeine-free, gluten-free, lower in sugar than comparable products, and even safe for your dog since it contains no theobromine.
With widely available ingredients, and production methods that don’t require regulatory approval or expensive platforms, WNWN choc can be more affordable than conventional chocolate.
Why alt-choc? It’s delicious, but most chocolate hides a dark secret. Mass-produced cocoa (cacao) is plagued by ethical issues, including widespread use of child and slave labour, and environmental devastation like carbon-emitting deforestation and habitat loss. It’s a crop that’s also highly vulnerable to climate change, including rising temperatures and diminishing rainfall, leading experts to predict chocolate shortages in the coming years.
Consumers are increasingly concerned about how their food is produced, and we’re here for it.
For more about that dark side click here.
Who are we?
We’re a team of food lovers, mad scientists, cooks, designers and chocolatiers.
Our two founders:
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Dr Johnny Drain - CTO:
Johnny is a leading global expert on fermentation who grew up a stone’s throw from the world-famous Cadbury chocolate factory in Birmingham. Johnny has brought his scientific insights to the world’s best restaurants and bars, and his R&D on behalf of top brands includes setting up in-house fermentation labs, creating novel ingredients, and pioneering sustainable solutions for the world’s first zero-waste restaurant. He has a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Oxford.
Ahrum Pak - CEO:
Ahrum is a former financier and advisor who worked in the US, Europe and Asia to bring IPOs to life, and a fermentation enthusiast raised in a household where the larder was stocked with traditionally home-fermented Korean foods. After an MBA and a career in fintech, Ahrum’s growing ambition to address food waste and sustainability, and a fortuitous Instagram message, led her to her cofounder.
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Our talented, diverse team of women (pictured top-right clockwise):
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Carolina Kyvik - Food Researcher:
Carolina, or ‘Caro’, was one of the first students to graduate with a Masters in Biodesign at Central Saint Martins - University of the Arts London, back in 2021. Key projects during her studies were related to sustainability along the food system, especially in regards to food packaging and food waste/production. The youngest in a Colombian/Norwegian family of six, Caro once traveled the world in a 4x4 over the course of a year.
Steph Susanto - Junior Scientist:
With an integrated Masters degree in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol under her belt, Steph’s passion is applying the knowledge gained from her studies in metabolism, synthetic biology and genetics to her work here at WNWN. Born in Glasgow, Steph now resides in Cambridge. Steph is a huge fan of chocolate and, of course, long train journeys.
Bhaswatee Hazarika - Production Supervisor:
Born and raised in India, ‘Bhasu’ gained her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering in India and completed her Masters in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh before moving to London. While no two days are the same for her here at WNWN, Bhasu’s role covers operations, planning and procurement, health and safety and compliance. A craft beer connoisseur and foraging fanatic, Bashu is an expert in small-batch brewing.
Victoria Mortimer - Finance Director:
Victoria qualified as a Chartered Accountant while working at Deloitte in Corporate Finance. With previous commercial finance roles at corporations including KFC and Charles Tyrwhitt, Victoria wanted to try the other end of the spectrum and work for a business with a strong social purpose. That first led her to a frozen food start-up with a focus on eliminating waste and, now, WNWN. In her free time, Victoria volunteers online to help children that are falling behind to read.
Winny Mulyasasmita - Chief of Staff:
Having grown up in Jakarta and Singapore, Winny went to college in Los Angeles at UCLA and studied Business Economics and Digital Humanities. After graduating, she worked in management consulting at Bain & Company Southeast Asia which included working on due diligence on tech scale-ups. Her MBA in Singapore and France fed her passion to pursue her interest in the role of business in making the world a better place. Having run a marathon in 2022, Winny also loves endurance workouts & ocean diving.
Giulia Bartole - Production Staff:
Born and raised in Italy, Giulia has also lived in Thailand, Australia and Brazil and is now based in London. After graduating in Communication Design in Verona, she wanted to focus more on the practice of sustainable design solutions and has specialised in packaging design using bio-informed approaches and biomaterials. Now pursuing her MA in Biodesign at Central Saint Martins in London, Giulia is currently helping the team here at WNWN to help produce tasty, cocoa-free chocolate.
Morgan Bakinowski - Production Staff:
While Morgan grew up in Miami, she now calls London home and studied Comparative Literature and the Environmental Humanities at King's College London. Morgan is interested in the narratives surrounding human relationships with nature and the environment. These dynamics can extend to the potential for sustainable partnerships between societies and landscapes— action and impact informed by mediums of design. Outside of work, Morgan’s interested in keeping her fermented pets prospering, basket weaving and hiking.
Carolina, or ‘Caro’, was one of the first students to graduate with a Masters in Biodesign at Central Saint Martins - University of the Arts London, back in 2021. Key projects during her studies were related to sustainability along the food system, especially in regards to food packaging and food waste/production. The youngest in a Colombian/Norwegian family of six, Caro once traveled the world in a 4x4 over the course of a year.
Steph Susanto - Junior Scientist:
With an integrated Masters degree in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol under her belt, Steph’s passion is applying the knowledge gained from her studies in metabolism, synthetic biology and genetics to her work here at WNWN. Born in Glasgow, Steph now resides in Cambridge. Steph is a huge fan of chocolate and, of course, long train journeys.
Bhaswatee Hazarika - Production Supervisor:
Born and raised in India, ‘Bhasu’ gained her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering in India and completed her Masters in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh before moving to London. While no two days are the same for her here at WNWN, Bhasu’s role covers operations, planning and procurement, health and safety and compliance. A craft beer connoisseur and foraging fanatic, Bashu is an expert in small-batch brewing.
Victoria Mortimer - Finance Director:
Victoria qualified as a Chartered Accountant while working at Deloitte in Corporate Finance. With previous commercial finance roles at corporations including KFC and Charles Tyrwhitt, Victoria wanted to try the other end of the spectrum and work for a business with a strong social purpose. That first led her to a frozen food start-up with a focus on eliminating waste and, now, WNWN. In her free time, Victoria volunteers online to help children that are falling behind to read.
Winny Mulyasasmita - Chief of Staff:
Having grown up in Jakarta and Singapore, Winny went to college in Los Angeles at UCLA and studied Business Economics and Digital Humanities. After graduating, she worked in management consulting at Bain & Company Southeast Asia which included working on due diligence on tech scale-ups. Her MBA in Singapore and France fed her passion to pursue her interest in the role of business in making the world a better place. Having run a marathon in 2022, Winny also loves endurance workouts & ocean diving.
Giulia Bartole - Production Staff:
Born and raised in Italy, Giulia has also lived in Thailand, Australia and Brazil and is now based in London. After graduating in Communication Design in Verona, she wanted to focus more on the practice of sustainable design solutions and has specialised in packaging design using bio-informed approaches and biomaterials. Now pursuing her MA in Biodesign at Central Saint Martins in London, Giulia is currently helping the team here at WNWN to help produce tasty, cocoa-free chocolate.
Morgan Bakinowski - Production Staff:
While Morgan grew up in Miami, she now calls London home and studied Comparative Literature and the Environmental Humanities at King's College London. Morgan is interested in the narratives surrounding human relationships with nature and the environment. These dynamics can extend to the potential for sustainable partnerships between societies and landscapes— action and impact informed by mediums of design. Outside of work, Morgan’s interested in keeping her fermented pets prospering, basket weaving and hiking.