Slashing CO2Real dairy sans cows.
Big Picture
The global dairy market already exceeds $700 billion per year and will keep growing to keep up with the tastes of an expanding population. Cheese alone makes up more than a quarter of this total. After beef, cheese is among the world’s most greenhouse gas-intensive foods, so in the absence of innovation, this can only mean more deforestation, more water usage, and more methane emissions.
How it Works
Formo combines synthetic biology with traditional manufacturing processes to make premium dairy products. They begin with recombinant proteins that they assemble into micelles, essential to preserve the taste and texture of real dairy. Their first branded products will be premium soft European cheeses, such as mozzarella and ricotta, which alone represent a $35 billion global market.
Unfair Advantage
Their cheeses are true dairy products with the taste and performance of traditional mozzarella, but also vegan, lactose-free, and with none of the ethical hang-ups around animal welfare or runaway GHG emissions. This allows Formo to develop high-margin products that meet the expectations of European consumers, then scale up to serve the large B2B market in food services and restaurants.
09
Tons of CO2e
avoided per ton of cheese
RAFFAEL WOHLGENSINGER CEO & FOUNDER
Raffael was previously the business manager at Atlantic Food Labs. He holds an MA in strategy and international management from the University of St. Gallen.
ROMAN PLEWKA COO & CFO
Roman was previously the CFO and a Venture Partner at the food science venture studio FoodLabs. He holds an MSc in Finance & Investments from the Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University.
Cultured cheese producer Formo secures a record-breaking $50M in Series A
Vegconomist
Series A: A new chaper for cheese
Co-Founders of Formo
Cheese startup grows dairy-free mozzarella in the lab
Bloomberg
Lab-made cheese maker Formo raises $4.7 million
The Spoon