Alpine Bio, formerly known as Nobell Foods, announces a significant development in its business and technology strategy, revealing a corporate rebranding and the acquisition of a new US patent. The company, which produces animal-free dairy products through molecular farming, is now expanding its technological and market footprint.
“Our platform is more robust than it has ever been, and we have laid the groundwork for aggressive expansion into other proteins”
Nobell Foods has been focused on creating cheeses from plant-derived casein proteins but has shifted its corporate identity to better reflect its broader biomanufacturing ambitions. The rebranding to Alpine Bio aligns with the company’s vision to enhance its biotechnological capabilities in producing various plant-based proteins. Nobell Foods will continue to operate as a division of Alpine Bio.
Alpine Bio announced the rebrand on social media today, stating, “Today marks a significant milestone in our journey as our platform is more robust than it has ever been, and we have laid the groundwork for aggressive expansion into other proteins. Going forward, Nobell Foods will transition into a division of Alpine Bio—which will spearhead the cultivation of our proprietary plant-grown casein production and drive the expansion of our ingredients pipeline.”
Patent acquisition
Additionally, Alpine Bio announces its 10th US patent, focused on dairy food compositions containing plant-expressed recombinant casein proteins. This development represents a critical step forward in Alpine Bio’s ability to replicate traditional dairy products using plant systems, enhancing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of their production processes.
Alpine Bio’s founder and CEO, Magi Richani, remarked on the company’s evolution, stating, “Today we celebrate the breakthroughs our company has made over the last few years to reimagine the future of food in a way that positively impacts the climate, agriculture, and our food system at large. This milestone not only reflects our strides in science-backed technology but also brings us closer to delivering a sustainable and delicious product to market.”
Dairy-identical proteins in plants
Chris Rivest from Breakthrough Energy Ventures also praised Alpine Bio’s innovative approach in a press release: “Cheese is one of the most loved foods in the modern diet, and yet it is one of the worst offenders in terms of its climate impact. Magi and her team have developed a transformative way to produce dairy-identical proteins in plants to create stretchy, gooey, delicious cheese that consumers love, but made from plants—it is simply amazing.”
Alpine Bio plans to debut its animal-free mozzarella cheese at market tastings slated for 2025, a product that has already earned the Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards 2023 in the agriculture category.
