Bioengineered animal-free dairy products startup in India raises $4 million funding

April 6th, 2023

In a gigantic boost for the sustainable products industry, a biotechnology-based animal-free dairy products start-up has raised $4 million (Rs 32 crore) in a seed-funding round. Zero Cow Factory, which creates actual dairy products minus the cows with the help of precision fermentation, has received the funding from Pi Ventures, Green Frontier Capital, GVFL Limited and Spanish firm, Pascual Innoventures.

‘Precision fermentation aids 100% replication of dairy’s taste & texture’

Zero Cow Factory is a Surat-based company started by Sohil and Parini Kapadia. On what inspired them to start the firm, Parini tells Vegan First, “For Sohil and me, the major inspiration to start Zero Cow Factory was based on our personal interest around climate change, animal welfare and fixing protein deficiency, which has been a pressing issue for countries like India.” 

So can plant-based, flexitarian and conscious consumers expect 100% replication in terms of the taste and texture of dairy milk? Parini says, “Precision fermentation-derived proteins are technically, chemically and molecule-wise absolutely the same compared to the animal-derived proteins (especially dairy proteins). It has the same amino acid profile as protein sequence available in the bovine, but we manually synthesise it in a laboratory. Thus, it is the same in terms of taste and texture, but produced differently.”

“It is actually better than traditional animal proteins and it is up to 99% pure protein that is free of lactose, antibiotics, growth hormones, cholesterol and saturated fat,” she adds. According to the company, their milk protein is manufactured with 99% lesser land, 98% lesser water, 84% lesser carbon dioxide equivalent and 65% lesser energy consumption when compared to traditional dairy products. 

‘Our cow-free A2 Beta Casein products could be available in 2-3 years’

The company plans to utilise the funds they raised to secure regulatory clearances, expedite research and development activities, boost production levels, and undertake various other initiatives. “Based on the approvals, we are aiming to launch our products in the market within the next 2-3 years,” says Parini. They plan to initiate commercial production in countries such as the US, Singapore and India as well depending on approvals. 

Zero Cow Company has started with formulating A2 Beta Casein, through which they will produce several dairy products including milk, icecreams, cheeses and supplement powders. The products are aimed to be indistinguishable from real dairy, and yet will be vegan and cruelty-free. 

Can this kind of animal-free dairy take over the future? “As a global average, dairy milk is responsible for 1.39 kilograms of CO2-equivalents to the atmosphere for every litre produced. Hence, we have to shift towards more sustainable methods to produce our food in the future. Additionally, relying on traditional agriculture is not sustainable, looking at pressing issues of growing population, limited natural resources and increasing lactose intolerance among consumers,” signs off Parini. 

Like this? Read: Phyx44 precision fermentation startup in India raises $1.2M Seed to make animal-free dairy

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Photo credit: Economic Times