The Dutch-Belgian company Those Vegan Cowboys is about to organize the first public tasting of cheese made without a cow. The technology behind the product - precision fermentation - is now also attracting the attention of the traditional dairy industry.
Precision fermentation builds on fermentation that has been used for centuries for wine, sauerkraut and sourdough bread. The difference is that microorganisms are programmed to convert sugars into a very specific ingredient. In this case: casein, the main protein in cheese. Chemically it is identical to animal casein, and according to the company the functionality is also correct - an important difference from existing cheese substitutes.
Functionality
That functionality is crucial. Casein determines how cheese melts, stretches and tastes, properties that have until now been difficult to match with plant-based alternatives. The casein can also be used in chocolate, milk foam and other applications. In a test setup in the lab in Ghent, cubes of chocolate made with vegetable casein melt in the same way as chocolate with animal casein and the taste also remains fairly constant, according to CEO Hille van der Kaa.
First tastings in the Netherlands
Those Vegan Cowboys wants to organize a tasting in the Netherlands in 2026, where public tastings of precision fermentation products are now allowed under strict conditions. This is not yet the case in Belgium: tastings of novel foods are not allowed there. The Netherlands is therefore a European leader in this area.
Traditional cheese sector steps in
The interest from the established dairy industry is striking. Westland Kaas, known for Old Amsterdam, has invested in the technology. CFO Frank Fischer: “We have always combined tradition with technology. Our investment in Those Vegan Cowboys reflects our commitment to open innovation and next-generation food technologies.”
The German cheese producer Hochland has also entered into a partnership for the commercialization of animal-free casein. In total, the company works with ten industrial partners on various applications. Those Vegan Cowboys recently raised 6.25 million euros for financing.
Scaling up remains a challenge
Yet there are also caveats. Precision fermentation is expensive, energy-intensive and technologically complex. Scaling up is the real stumbling block. Those Vegan Cowboys claims up to 95 percent fewer emissions than conventional dairy. This is based on internal models. However independent, large-scale life cycle analyzes are still lacking.
For the American market, the company has obtained GRAS food safety status and is aiming for a market launch in 2026. In Europe, the company is still awaiting EU authorization through the Novel Food procedure.
Bron: EVMI