Leave a Nest Singapore and Padang & Co Sign MOU to Advance Japan–ASEAN Refrigeration and Cooling Innovation
Singapore, 19 October 2026 — Leave a Nest Singapore Pte. Ltd. and Padang & Co Pte. Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to launch the Japan–ASEAN Refrigeration and Cooling Challenge, a Singapore-led, industry-driven initiative that connects real refrigeration and cooling challenges across ASEAN’s food supply chains with relevant Japanese technologies.
The MOU was signed on 2 October 2026 at the Future Food & Fuel Summit 2026 (FFFS 2026), organized by Leave a Nest Singapore in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Singapore as part of the SJ60 celebrations.
Adam Lyle, Chair, Padang & Co (left), and Dr Yukihiro Maru, Group CEO & Founder, Leave a Nest (right), at the MOU signing.
Connecting Industry Needs with Japanese Technologies
Reliable cooling helps maintain food safety, preserve product quality and reduce food loss. The collaboration will consider challenges across the food supply chain, from harvesting and storage to transportation, distribution and delivery to consumers.
“Cooling and refrigeration sit at the nexus of food, climate and health, and the cold chain runs both ways. At the first mile, it preserves what farmers and fishers harvest, which in our region is where much of the food is lost. At the last mile, it gets nutritious food to people where and when they need it.” — Adam Lyle, Chair, Padang & Co
Padang & Co will work with industry partners to identify priority refrigeration and cooling gaps, engage challenge owners and explore potential pilot sites across Singapore and ASEAN.
From Technology Matching to Real-World Validation
Leave a Nest Singapore and Padang & Co will work with industry partners and companies across Singapore and ASEAN to identify refrigeration and cooling challenges, while also supporting businesses seeking to strengthen their cold-chain capabilities.
Leveraging Leave a Nest’s networks in Japan and Southeast Asia, the collaboration will connect these industries needs with relevant technologies, startups, researchers and expertise. This two-way approach will also enable Japanese technology providers to identify potential applications and commercial opportunities across ASEAN markets.
Together, Leave a Nest Singapore and Padang & Co will facilitate partnerships, joint development and the establishment of Living Labs and pilot projects, where selected solutions can be tested, adapted and validated under real-world operating conditions.
Through these efforts, the initiative aims to accelerate technology adoption, support localization and market entry, and strengthen regional food supply-chain resilience while promoting more efficient resource and energy use.
Koku Renkei in Action
The partnership reflects Koku Renkei (country-to-country collaboration), a philosophy introduced at FFFS 2026 that extends Japan’s model of industry–academia–government collaboration, Sangakukan Renkei , across borders.
The Challenge puts this philosophy into practice by pairing Padang & Co’s industry networks across Singapore and ASEAN with Japanese science, startups and emerging technologies to tackle shared regional challenges.
About Padang & Co
Padang & Co is a Singapore-based ecosystem convener and innovation catalyst that works with organizations and ecosystem partners to identify industry challenges, facilitate innovation and create opportunities for the development, validation and implementation of solutions.
About Leave a Nest Singapore
Leave a Nest Singapore is a knowledge-based platform company dedicated to advancing science and technology for global happiness. Through its networks of researchers, startups, corporations and ecosystem partners across Japan and Southeast Asia, Leave a Nest connects emerging technologies with industry needs and opportunities for real-world implementation.
Related News Releases – Future Food & Fuel Summit 2026
Main Summit Release
Singapore–Japan Strategic Roundtable
Building a Resilient Future Through Food and Energy Security
Future Food Panels
Future Energy Panels
Media Contacts
Padang & Co
Adam Lyle
[email protected]
Leave a Nest Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Priyavadana Meyyappan
[email protected]