Precision fermentation of dairy and meat products can help solve food scarcity and reduce waste. It can meet the growing demand for novel and vegan proteins. Aside from being environmentally friendly and cruelty-free, it ensures consistent, high-quality products through continuous refinement. Above all, it can help us reduce our dependency on animal agriculture.
Furthermore, precision fermentation can overcome major taste and texture challenges compared to regular plant-based meat substitutes.
Here are five noteworthy startups innovating in precision food fermentation.
1. Melibio makes honey without bees!
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarters | California, United States |
| Total Funding Amount | $9.4M |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed round/$2.2M |
| Website | www.melibio.com |
The current methods of honey production and commercial pollination practices harm honey bees and cause the decline of many other native bee species.
Melibio solves this problem with precision fermentation techniques. It uses food science to develop plant-based honey with the same taste and performance as traditional honey. Their microbial fermentation technology makes their honey molecularly identical to the “real” substance.
This honey does not need bees’ involvement, thereby protecting the species from harm while producing the household sweetener everyone enjoys.
Its method for producing sustainable, cruelty-free honey without bees has several key benefits. The process’s low volatility makes setting up stable supply chains easier, bringing predictability to the honey industry.
Its CEO, Darko Mandich, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Harvard Business School in Serbia.
MeliBio has raised $9.4M in funding. It raised its last funding of $2.2M from a Seed round in Nov 2022.
They were named TIME’s Best Inventions 2021 and won the “Food Replacement Innovation Of The Year” award from AgTech Breakthrough.
2. Zero Cow Factory makes Animal-free dairy products
| Founding Year | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Gujarat, India |
| Total Funding Amount | $4.1M |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed round/$4M |
| Website | zerocowfactory.com |
Started in 2021 in Gujarat, India, Zero Cow Factory is the country’s first animal-free dairy. Their unique technology allows them to reproduce naturally identical milk proteins and make real dairy products.
These products are ethical and safe without any animal involvement. Their products are free of lactose, antibiotics, hormones, cholesterol, and saturated fats.
The startup’s environmentally friendly technology consumes 99% less land, 98% less water, and 65% less energy than the traditional dairy industry. It also emits 84% less CO2.
Led by Sohil Kapadia and Parini Kapadia, Zero Cow Factory has raised $4.1M across two rounds.
3. Melt & Marble creates specific animal fats using yeast
| Founding Year | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Vastra Gotaland, Sweden |
| Total Funding Amount | €5.8M |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed round/€750K |
| Website | www.meltandmarble.com |
Melt&Marble ‘beef fat,’ made by yeast in a fermentation tank
Melt & Marble is a Swedish startup founded in 2015. It specializes in producing ‘designer fats’ for meat alternatives using yeast strains. It can engineer microbes to produce fat that resembles beef, chicken, or palm oil.
Their technology is environmentally friendly, consuming less land, water, and energy than the traditional dairy industry.
The CEO, Anastasia Krivoruchko, is a molecular biology specialist. Their core technology is the ability to produce fats with specific properties and melting points. This process is compatible with existing infrastructure, so it’s plug-and-play.
Melt&Marble has raised a total of €5.8M in funding over two rounds. Their latest funding was from a seed round on May 5, 2022. Eight investors fund them. The most recent was from Paulig and Be8 Ventures.
4. Planetary creates meat and dairy alternatives at scale
| Founding Year | 2022 |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Total Funding Amount | $11.7M |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Convertible note/$3.99M |
| Website | www.planetarygroup.ch |
Founded in Switzerland in 2022, Planetary addresses a significant challenge in this industry: the fermentation bottleneck.
Many companies in the alternative protein space are in the technology or product development phase, but scaling remains challenging for some.
Planetary builds and operates a global network of fermentation facilities to produce bio-based products at scale. This platform can scale up, optimize, and make products with an optimal cost and sustainability footprint. These fermenters can produce between 200,000 liters and 500,000 liters of product.
The startup was founded by David Brandes and Marison Ian. David has experience running a similar successful venture, which was acquired for €15 million.
Planetary has raised $11.7M in funding over two rounds. Their latest funding was raised from a Seed round on Apr 19, 2022, from five investors, including Astanor Ventures and XAnge.
5. UpDairy develops versatile dairy proteins through fermentation
| Founding Year | Sep 2022 |
| Headquarters | Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| Total Funding Amount | $250K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Pre-Seed round/$50K |
| Website | updairy.co |
UpDairy is a Brazilian-Singaporean food tech startup that develops alternative dairy proteins through precision fermentation. They provide a portfolio of ingredients that help food industries offer animal-free alternatives to their consumers.
This startup developed a process for copying a cow’s gene into fungi that grow in a bioreactor, producing dairy proteins. These proteins are versatile enough for many applications, from baked goods to supplements. They aim to create plant-based dairy products that match the sensory profile of animal-based dairy.
UpDairy was founded by Thabata Maria Alvarez, Harsh Sethia, and Mirelle Dogenski. Over two rounds, the startup raised $250K in funding.
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