Murni Gives Aussie Plant-Based a Reset via Alejandro Cancino

For anyone who’s watched Australia’s plant-based sector evolve, Alejandro Cancino (ex Fenn Foods and The Aussie Plant-Based Co) has always been one of the few operators who shaped its rise with real integrity. While others chased supermarket space at any cost, he obsessed over renewable energy, responsible packaging, and carbon-neutral production, often putting principle ahead of profit. Now, after stepping back and spending time in Indonesia, he’s returned with something feeling far closer to his food philosophy: Murni, and a clean, shelf-stable tempeh built for real-world eating.

What makes this launch different is how grounded it is. Instead of raising millions to inflate a brand before a single unit ships, Alejandro Cancino has gone the opposite route in the form of a lean AUD 40,000 community-funded loan to get Murni’s first production run out the door. It’s a deliberate reset: secure manufacturing slots, lock in packaging, build early retail and food-service distribution, then let the product itself earn its place on shelf.

And the product? It’s almost a counter-statement to where plant-based went wrong. Tempeh is whole-food, protein-rich, minimally processed and culturally authentic and in shelf-stable form it avoids the cold-chain burn weighing down so many brands. It’s accessible, affordable, and energy-efficient, aligning perfectly with Alejandro Cancino’s long-standing mission to make sustainable eating simple rather than theatrical.

If Murni succeeds, it won’t be because of hype. It will be because one of the category’s most respected operators is putting his name behind a food that’s honest, humble, and built for scale, with a community willing to back the kind of plant-based future consumers actually want.

TRENOS SiGINT DATA LINK

ENDS: