German cheese producer Hochland Group has joined forces with the Belgian-Dutch company Those Vegan Cowboys to roll out animal-free cheese produced using microbial casein.
Those Vegan Cowboys created cow-free casein, a milk protein essential for cheese production, in 2023.
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Animal-free casein is made through precision fermentation process, where microbes are fermented in a controlled environment to produce the same protein (casein) found in cow’s milk – without involving animals.
As per the joint development agreement, the companies will test the casein in semi-hard and hard cheese types, moving toward commercial production.
Over the past year, Those Vegan Cowboys has collaborated with various cheese producers to analyse how its casein performs under different conditions in laboratory-scale testing.
In October, the company suggested that, in specific scenarios, its microbial casein outperformed traditional cow-derived casein.
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By GlobalDataThe animal-free casein is said to have notable environmental benefits such as its production requiring “one-fifth of the land and water” and is estimated to reduce CO₂ emissions by 80%, while completely eliminating methane emissions.
The company suggested that replacing animal fats with plant-based fats could make cheese “healthier than its animal counterpart” by eliminating lactose, saturated fats and cholesterol.
While Hochland does not intend to pivot away from its dairy-based business, which will remain its “strong core”, the company aims to address the growing demand for dairy alternatives, its CFO Hubert Staub said.
As microbial casein is classified as a novel food, Those Vegan Cowboys is preparing to apply for regulatory approval globally.
The company aims to enter the US market this year, with Asia following shortly after and European market entry expected within three to four years.
Furthermore, the company plans to hold its first tastings in The Netherlands later this year, the statement added.
Those Vegan Cowboys chief commercial officer Robert van den Breemer said: “This new way of cheese making can relieve dairy farmers from several heavy societal issues they’ve been burdened with. We can grow past the cow’s physical limitations in the healthiest way imaginable and feed five times the number of people from the same amount of land.
“This can bring farmers the freedom to welcome more nature into their way of working, regain their role as stewards of the land and be acknowledged and rewarded for their services, way beyond maximising milk production. Stainless steel cows can relieve the heavy lifting of mass production, in a healthier way.”
Those Vegan Cowboys was founded in 2019 by Jaap Korteweg and Niko Koffeman after offloading their company De Vegetarische Slager (The Vegetarian Butcher) to Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilever.
In March last year, Those Vegan Cowboys collaborated with German precision fermentation peer Formo to introduce precision-fermented cheese to the EU market.
The company has also partnered with Westland Cheese, known for brands such Old Amsterdam and Maaslander. Together, the businesses launched ‘WildWestLand’, a plant-based cheese line in 2020, now available in Dutch and Belgian supermarkets.
