Shantel
Key Takeaways
- Innovative Milestone: New Culture, an animal-free dairy company, achieves a significant breakthrough by scaling up its fermentation process to produce animal-free dairy mozzarella at a large volume.
- Game-Changing Casein: Using precision fermentation, New Culture produces animal-free casein, the essential protein responsible for the stretchy and melty properties of cheese, at a scale never seen before.
- Reduced Environmental Impact: New Culture’s breakthrough reduces production costs by 80%, making animal-free mozzarella more accessible. The company aims to reach cost-parity with conventional mozzarella within three years.
- Pioneering Sustainability: By eliminating animal ingredients, New Culture contributes to environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and human health, redefining the dairy industry’s boundaries.
About New Culture: Redefining Dairy with Innovation
New Culture, a trailblazing animal-free dairy company, is reshaping the dairy industry by introducing a sustainable approach to cheese production. The company focuses on producing animal-free casein using precision fermentation, allowing them to create cheese with the authentic taste and texture of conventional mozzarella but without any animal ingredients.
Scaling Up for a Sustainable Future
New Culture reaches a significant milestone in its journey to revolutionize the dairy industry. The company successfully scales up its fermentation process to achieve manufacturing volumes that enable the production of 25,000 pizzas’ worth of cheese per run. This achievement represents a monumental leap forward in supplying animal-free, dairy mozzarella to pizzerias across America.
The Power of Precision Fermentation
What sets New Culture’s achievement apart is its use of precision fermentation to produce animal-free casein. Casein is the essential dairy protein responsible for the stretchy and melty properties of cheese. While traditionally obtained from animal milk, New Culture’s innovative approach utilizes precision fermentation to create casein without any animal ingredients. This breakthrough not only matches the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of conventional mozzarella but also reduces the environmental impact associated with traditional dairy farming.
A Game-Changer in Cost and Scale
New Culture’s success isn’t just about innovation—it’s also about practicality. The new large-scale production process slashes product costs by 80%, aligning with the company’s trajectory to achieve its cost targets. Additionally, the company anticipates reaching cost-parity with conventional mozzarella within three years. This cost-effectiveness is combined with a remarkable expansion in production capacity, with the potential to produce animal-free casein equivalent to over 14 million pizzas’ worth of cheese annually.
A Technological Triumph
Inja Radman, co-founder and CSO of New Culture, highlights the achievement of the company’s world-class team: “Our world-class team at New Culture has solved a string of incredibly complex technical challenges in order to produce our animal-free casein at this scale. We are redefining the boundaries of what’s possible in dairy in a way that isn’t being done anywhere else.”
Shaping a Sustainable Future
As New Culture continues to scale up its manufacturing capabilities, it paves the way for an industry with far-reaching implications. This achievement aligns with the company’s mission to create an alternative to conventional cheese production that reduces the environmental impact, enhances animal welfare, and contributes to human health. Matt Gibson, co-founder and CEO of New Culture, emphasizes the significance of this achievement: “We are entering an era where we can produce massive amounts of real cheese without the involvement of any animals.”
The Environmental Impact
Traditional cheese production exacts a heavy toll on water and energy resources. Among all food products, cheese demands the most fresh water and ranks third in terms of land and greenhouse gas emissions. New Culture’s animal-free mozzarella drastically reduces this environmental burden, enabling consumers to enjoy their favorite cheeses guilt-free, without contributing to the detrimental effects of factory dairy farming.
Disrupting the Cheese Industry
New Culture’s breakthrough sets the stage for a paradigm shift in the global cheese industry. With the company’s animal-free mozzarella poised to be available at acclaimed pizzerias such as Nancy Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in 2024, New Culture aims to disrupt the $154 billion global cheese industry while making animal-free cheeses widely accessible.
About New Culture: Leading the Dairy Revolution
New Culture stands as a pioneer in leading the transition to an animal-free dairy future. By reimagining the dairy landscape, the company produces cheeses that emulate the taste and texture of conventional options without any animal inputs. New Culture’s groundbreaking process, driven by precision fermentation, minimizes the environmental impact of cheese production, contributing to a more sustainable world.
Innovating for Tomorrow
New Culture’s achievements have garnered recognition in various quarters, including being selected for Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards, featured on NPR’s “How I Built This” podcast, and named on the 2023 ClimateTech 100 and 2023 FoodTech 500 lists. With backing from notable fermentation and food companies like Kraft Heinz, ADM, and CJ, New Culture is poised to redefine the future of dairy and make cheese accessible for all while preserving the environment and animal welfare.
Pioneering Change: New Culture’s Dairy Revolution
New Culture’s pursuit of animal-free, sustainable cheese production showcases the boundless potential of innovation. By marrying scientific advancements with a commitment to environmental responsibility, the company is ushering in a new era of dairy—one that’s as delicious as it is ethical. With each milestone achieved, New Culture brings us closer to a world where dairy production aligns with the needs of both the planet and its inhabitants.
