Australian startup Eden Brew has launched with a $4 million investment to produce milk via precision fermentation. Backed by CSIRO and Australian dairy giant Norco, Eden Brew says its milk will have the same sensory feel as conventional dairy milk and contain identical milk proteins.
Eden Brew co-founder and chief executive Jim Fader, CSIRO developed a way to create one of the key molecules in milk using ‘precision fermentation’, which enabled Eden Brew to recreate milk proteins.
“Science can program microorganisms to grow pretty much anything in a very accurate way. We’ve unlocked the secret to making milk through fermentation,” Fader said.
In Australia, sales of dairy alternative drinks have increased 48% from 2016 to 2019.
Research shows more than half of consumers who switch to non-dairy milk eventually go back to dairy because the sensory experience is, as Fader suggests, ‘not right’.
“We can absolutely emulate in every way the dairy sensory experience,’ Fader says.
Fader also added he believes a large dairy corporation like Norco investing in an alternative milk “makes perfect sense” a way to “capture the dairy-free segment of the market”. He believes that ultimately this milk will be produced alongside dairy milk at Norco’s facilities.
READ MORE: Eden Brew launches with $4 million investment to develop a better alternative to cow’s milk [Smart Company]
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