UK Start-up Better Dairy Advances Cow-Free Cheese with Precision Fermentation

A UK start-up, Better Dairy, hailing from East London, is driving innovation in the dairy industry by developing cheese and yogurts without the need for cows. The company asserts that their animal-free cheese options not only match the taste of traditional cheese but also present a significantly lower environmental impact.

Better Dairy utilizes the cutting-edge technology of precision fermentation to generate animal-free casein, a key protein in milk responsible for cheese's unique taste, texture, and meltability. According to David Nunn, the Chief Scientific Officer at Better Dairy, this method involves programming microorganisms to synthesize the proteins necessary for dairy products, effectively eliminating the cow from the equation.

The approach allows the company to produce a variety of cheeses, including cheddar and parmesan, by following traditional cheese-making processes. Founder and CEO Jevan Nagarajah emphasized the company's commitment to collaborating with existing cheese producers, recognizing that each has distinct methodologies for crafting their products.

With a growing demand for plant-based and environmentally friendly products, Better Dairy aims to facilitate the production of animal-free cheese by marketing their proteins to cheese manufacturers. The company aspires to create alternatives that are indistinguishable from traditional dairy cheese in terms of taste and performance, sans the environmental burden associated with livestock agriculture.

Nagarajah clarified that their success metric isn't plant-based cheese but rather traditional cheese, with products that taste, melt, and stretch like their dairy counterparts, devoid of bovine involvement.

Better Dairy's mission aligns with broader environmental goals as livestock agriculture, a major source of methane emissions and resource consumption, is a significant contributor to climate change. Methane is notably more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, making innovation in reducing these emissions critical.

Currently, Better Dairy's efforts are focused on scaling up the production of proteins like casein and osteopontin in their laboratories. The company is navigating regulatory frameworks in various markets, including the U.S., with projections to receive regulatory approval for casein production by 2028 and osteopontin as an adult supplement by 2027.