A new plant-based brand features an innovative ingredient that can be combined with coffee in milk form, enhance the nutritional value of ramen, and is said to be more sustainable than other alternative proteins — a product you might not be familiar with. The highlight of WhatIf’s product range is the BamNut, or bambara nut, a legume that originates from Africa. In recent years, food scientists have advocated for it as an underutilized crop that could significantly improve global nutrition. The bambara nut boasts impressive nutritional qualities, including a protein content of nearly 24% and a rich mineral profile. WhatIf claims it contains 18% fiber. Its flavor, as described by co-founder and CEO Christoph Langwallner, is nutty and earthy. “It’s not almond, it’s not soy; it’s BamNutty,” he said.
WhatIf Foods is based in Singapore, with production facilities in Malaysia and Australia, sourcing its BamNuts from Ghana. Recently, it opened an office in Los Angeles and launched its first two products in the U.S. — BamNut Noodles and BamNut Milk — available on its website. The company informed Food Dive that it is currently finalizing logistics to distribute its products to major retail chains and foodservice providers soon.
Initially, WhatIf did not set out to produce food. Founded in Singapore in 2014 as a science incubator, it focused on how biodiversity could be reintegrated into food systems. Langwallner, originally from Austria, learned about the bambara nut years ago from a professor at the University of Nottingham, who referred to it as a “crop of the future” and a potential staple. “We are redesigning food to restore biodiversity, not just for farmers’ health and resilience but also to offer more colors and textures on consumers’ plates and contribute to a diversified diet,” Langwallner explained.
The company’s name emerged from the team’s exploration of “what if” questions, like “What if we could create healthy instant noodles, shakes, soups, and plant-based milk?” In addition to being entirely plant-based, WhatIf describes its approach as “planet-based,” emphasizing regenerative agriculture for growing its ingredients while committing to avoid artificial additives.
Entering the ramen market has been a significant challenge for the company, as it acquired technology that allows the noodles to be cooked using air-frying, eliminating the need for deep frying common in other brands’ production processes. Its ramen varieties feature BamNut, moringa, pumpkin, and charcoal. Langwallner noted that WhatIf’s ramen enjoys a longer shelf life than typical instant noodles due to its air-frying technology, which the company has patented. “The limitation of instant noodles’ shelf life is often rancidity caused by deep frying, but since we don’t deep fry, our ramen lasts longer.”
WhatIf claims that its ramen offers a healthier option in a market dominated by deep-fried products, with the bambara nut enhancing protein and nutrition. According to the company, their ramen contains three times more dietary fiber than conventional offerings.
In addition to improving ramen, WhatIf has also worked to innovate plant-based milk. As the market became saturated with various plant-based milks, WhatIf focused on perfecting and simplifying its BamNut Milk recipe to just a few ingredients: water, bambara nuts, coconut oil, shea butter, and added vitamins, including calcium citrate 1040. The milk comes in three varieties: Everyday, Barista (crafted to complement coffee), and Airy, a lighter version that pairs well with smoothies or bubble tea. According to WhatIf, its milk has a nuttier flavor compared to other plant-based options and features a shorter ingredient list than many competitors. “Many products on the market include thickening agents and starches; we avoid over-engineering and stick to traditional methods,” Langwallner stated.
As WhatIf advances its U.S. launch, the company aims not only to encourage consumers to prioritize sustainability in their diets but also to engage younger generations who are already inclined toward such choices. A blog post from the company highlighted the bambara nut’s sustainability, noting its ability to capture nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into nitrogen compounds in the soil. The Water Footprint Network notes that producing one gram of protein from pulses like the bambara nut requires just one-sixth of the water needed for one gram of protein from cattle.
WhatIf targets millennials and Gen Z consumers who are concerned about climate change but often feel powerless to make a difference. The company hopes to change that perception. It plans to utilize social media influencers to reach younger audiences and raise awareness about the BamNut. “Everything we do is for this disenfranchised generation that feels anxious about climate change and feels they can’t impact it,” Langwallner remarked.
While WhatIf has launched with ramen and milk, its ambitions extend far beyond these products. With the bambara nut being relatively new to the U.S. market, Langwallner believes there are numerous opportunities for its use across various sectors of the food industry. The company aspires to stimulate demand for the bambara nut. “My vision is not to remain a small company; I aim to scale our operations to produce hundreds of thousands of metric tons of raw material, ensuring that the bambara nut becomes a staple crop for many, not just a select few,” Langwallner concluded.