New Zealand-based multinational dairy cooperative Fonterra and US fermentation startup Superbrewed Food have entered into a strategic partnership to explore applications and further develop Superbrewed’s biomass protein platform.
Leveraging Superbrewed’s Postbiotic Cultured Protein, a non-GMO, allergen-free bacterial biomass protein, which recently received FDA approval for the US market, the partnership aims to address growing demand for “sustainable” dairy, and will also explore applications for precision-fermented derived animal-free dairy, as well as plant-based ingredients.
Worth noting in this context is that Fonterra, along with DSM-Firmenich, was instrumental in the 2023 seed round for Dutch precision fermentation company Vivici, which this February announced the commercial launch of its nature-identical whey protein.
Bryan Tracy, CEO of Superbrewed Food, states: “We are pleased to partner with a Fonterra format company that has recognized the value of market launch of postbiotic cultivated protein and takes a decisive step towards expanding our range of biomass ingredients that will make a further contribution to sustainable food production.”
Decisive steps
This marks the second significant collaboration for the FoodTech company this year. This February, Superbrewed announced a partnership with Döhler GmbH, a leading global supplier of natural ingredients, to scale up production. Döhler provides essential fermentation capacities for Superbrewed’s post-biotic protein ingredient.
Furthermore, in 2022, Superbrewed announced a strategic collaboration with Bel Group, whose subsidiaries include Babybel and Boursin, to develop a line of cheeses featuring its Postbiotic Cultured Protein. Bel stated its intentions to develop a full range of both dairy and plant-based cheeses that contain the protein.
Chris Ireland, GM Innovation Partnerships, comments: “Partnering with Superbrewed Foods is a fantastic opportunity. Their cutting-edge technology fits in with our mission to provide sustainable nutritional solutions to the world and meet the global demand for protein solutions.”
More information: superbrewedfood.com