Swiss start-up Cultivated Biosciences has raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round, which will enable the company to address challenges with texture in plant-based dairy products.

The plant-based dairy industry has struggled to replicate the creaminess of animal products – existing dairy-free solutions such as palm oil are not sustainable from an environmentalist perspective.

The funding round was led by Swiss venture fund Wingman Ventures and involved other foodtech venture capital investors including Big Idea Ventures, Blue Horizon, Proveg International and the FoodHack syndicate. CEO and co-founder of US-based Every Company, Arturo Elizondo, also participated in this round.

From its laboratories in Zurich, Cultivated Biosciences will use the funding to develop a creamy ingredient made from GMO-free yeast, providing the mouthfeel needed to make plant-based dairy an alternative for consumers.

The ingredient is clean label and has a sustainable production process. It provides the same texture and colour as dairy products, low lipid oxidation and natural emulsification properties.

Tomas Turner, CEO and co-founder of Cultivated Biosciences, said: “We are beyond excited to build a solution that will elevate the mouthfeel of the plant-based dairy category and ensure that it’s simply better and cheaper than its factory-farmed equivalent”.

Elizondo added: “Fats are the next frontier in accelerating the world’s transition to an animal-free food system and I’m thrilled to be personally backing Cultivated Biosciences and their approach”.

In 2023, the company will start testing its creamy ingredient with selected clients for high-value savoury applications and is open to working with partners, especially those from the Swiss gastronomy sector and the US and European foodtech ecosystem.

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