Zero Cow Factory has raised $4 million in funding. The cash will be utilised to speed the company’s R&D activities, increase manufacturing capacity, and gain regulatory permissions to become commercial.
Zero Cow Factory, a biotechnology firm that claims to be manufacturing India’s first animal-free protein and dairy products by bioengineering microorganisms and precise fermentation, announced a seed round of investment of $4 million (Rs 32 crore).
Green Frontier Capital, GVFL (previously Gujarat Venture Finance Ltd), and pi Ventures co-led the investment. Pascual Innoventures, an investing arm of the Spanish dairy firm Calidad Pascual, was also a participant.
With this fresh funding, Zero Cow Factory will be able to expedite its R&D activities, increase manufacturing capacity, and gain regulatory permits to enter the market. Sohil Kapadia and Parini Kapadia launched the Surat-based firm in 2021 with the goal of revolutionising the dairy sector by manufacturing sustainable animal-free milk proteins and dairy products. The product is a novel substitute for cow’s milk protein, yet it has the same flavour, texture, nutritional profile, and appearance.
The business claims to have created a patented process for producing dairy proteins like casein and whey without using any animals.
The company’s initial product is A2 Beta-casein, which is also healthier since it lacks A1 milk protein, which causes indigestion. The company’s goal is to be the first to obtain global regulatory clearance for this protein.
The novel protein will also be employed in the food, dairy, CPG, nutraceutical, and dietary supplement sectors to manufacture different sustainable food and dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt, ice cream, and supplement powder.
According to the company, the new protein is also free of lactose, antibiotics, growth hormones, cholesterol, and saturated fat, and it is produced in a more environmentally friendly process that uses 99% less land, 98% less water, 84% less carbon dioxide equivalent, and 65% less energy than traditional dairy methods.
According to the business, it has already established proof of concept at the lab size using a tiny bioreactor that produces animal-free casein. The funds would be used to expedite the construction of a pilot facility in Gujarat for commercial production.
Initially opting for the B2B path, the firm stated that it is in talks with a number of companies in the CPG, dairy, and nutraceutical sectors about collaborating to manufacture various products utilising Zero Cow Factory’s milk proteins as components, replacing milk in their supply chain.
Artesian VC and Brinc, two global foodtech investors, previously provided Zero Cow Factory with an undisclosed pre-seed investment. It is also a member of worldwide innovation accelerators such as Spain’s Mylkcubator, Switzerland’s MassChallenge, and the United States’ Plug and Play.
