Precision Fermentation: Nutropy Raises €2M from Top Biotech and Alt Protein Investors to Develop the Next Generation of Cheese

Paris - FRANCE, 12.09.2022. Nutropy, created by Nathalie Rolland and Dr. Maya Bendifallah, two founders willing to propose a new sustainable way to produce dairy products, raises €2M for the pilot production of their animal-free cheese and milk ingredients. Supported by renowned international food tech expert investors, the startup plans to launch its first industrial production of animal-free premium cheese within the next 24 months.

The €2M pre-seed round was led by Beast, Big Idea Ventures (itself supported by Bel Group, AAK, and others) and Trellis Road. “Beast is super excited to partner with Nutropy on bringing premium animal-free cheese to the world. We are particularly impressed with Nathalie and Maya’s innovative vision for scaling fermentation processes and their dedication to producing innovative, impactful products. We are proud to welcome them to the growing Beast family of climate deeptech companies”, says Patrick Schneider-Sikorsky, founder and managing partner at Beast. The round was supported by VegCapital, FoodHack, Techmind (through Jericho, its investors club dedicated to sustainable food), a few international business angels with experience in technology, food technology and agriculture and the French government.

Paris-based Nutropy has developed a new technology that gives animal-free cheese products the texture and creaminess that people crave in cheese. This is made possible by a protein called casein, which is the first milk protein that Nutropy is producing through its technology. “We’ve long been convinced of the critical role of casein in the shift away from animal cheese products. After speaking to the majority of casein startups globally we decided to invest in Nutropy as we were very impressed with the team’s technical ability and the milestones achieved in such a short period of time”, said Anna Ottosson, founding partner at Trellis Road. Nutropy is also developing dairy fatty acids and has carefully selected cheese cultures to produce real cheese flavors.

These innovations allow for the next generation of animal-free cheeses that replicate the taste, texture and nutrition of animal cheese. "We are excited about Nutropy’s technology and the quality of the products the team has been able to produce. I tried their premium cheese at one of our events, and the texture and taste were indistinguishable from premium, animal-based cheese. Using bio-identical ingredients is a game changer," says Andrew D. Ive, Founder and Managing General Partner of Big Idea Ventures.

“As cheese lovers, we know the importance of cheese in our gastronomic culture and want to offer consumers a wide range of cheeses free of lactose and dietary cholesterol that are produced in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner”, said Nathalie Rolland, CEO of Nutropy. Nutropy’s process has the potential to use significantly fewer natural resources and limit the greenhouse gases and water pollution that accompany animal-produced dairy products.

The international cheese market is worth $200B and growing. Nutropy’s innovative approach, and its close collaboration with industrial cheese producers and French cheese specialists, mean it is primed to lead the development of a B2B “cheesable milk solution” producing many types of cheese to expand the global cheese market to new frontiers.

About Nutropy

Nutropy is creating the next generation of animal-free dairy, starting with cheese. The company was founded in Paris by Nathalie Rolland and Maya Bendifallah, PhD, mission-driven alternative protein pioneers and technology specialists who are dedicated to providing consumers with what we know and love in cheese - flavor, texture, melt - through a more sustainable and animal-friendly process than traditional dairy. Nutropy leverages innovative precision fermentation technology and ancestral savoir-faire to create distinct animal-free dairy products, with a French touch.