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§ Private Profile · London, United Kingdom
Food technology company producing animal-free dairy proteins using precision fermentation for food manufacturers.
Better Dairy has raised $27.2M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at Better Dairy.
Better Dairy has raised $27.2M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Better Dairy is a London-based food technology company that utilizes precision fermentation to produce animal-free milk proteins, such as casein and osteopontin, for use in alternative dairy products and nutraceuticals. The enterprise develops these molecularly identical dairy proteins to supply commercial food manufacturers of infant formulas, dietary supplements, and plant-based cheeses. Operating with an estimated 20 to 50 employees, the startup secured a $22 million Series A funding round in 2022 to scale its proprietary research and development capabilities. Its venture capital backing includes notable equity investments from Happiness Capital, Redrice Ventures, Vorwerk Ventures, Entrepreneur First, and Stray Dog Capital. The firm is currently navigating novel food regulatory frameworks across Europe, targeting commercial approval for its adult supplement ingredients by the year 2027. Better Dairy was founded in 2019 by Jevan Nagarajah and Christopher Reynolds.
Better Dairy has raised $27.2M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $25.0M Series A in February 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2022 | $25M Series A | Redalpine Venture Partners, Vorwerk Ventures | Acequia Capital, Happiness Capital, Manta RAY Ventures, Stray DOG Capital | Announced |
| Dec 17, 2020 | $2.2M Seed | Happiness Capital | CPT Capital, Lisa Feria, VEG Capital | Announced |
Better Dairy has raised $27.2M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Better Dairy's investors include Redalpine Venture Partners, Vorwerk Ventures, Acequia Capital, Happiness Capital, Manta Ray Ventures, Stray Dog Capital, CPT Capital, Lisa Feria, Veg Capital.
Better Dairy is a London-based food tech startup founded in 2019 that produces animal-free dairy proteins, including casein and whey, using precision fermentation technology.[1][3][5] The company creates cheeses, yogurts, ice creams, and bioactive proteins like osteopontin for applications in infant formula, sports nutrition, and healthy aging products, serving the dairy food industry with sustainable alternatives that match the taste, texture, and functionality of traditional dairy without livestock.[1][2][3][6] It has raised over $20 million in funding, including £1.6 million in seed from Happiness Capital in 2020 and £16.2 million in Series A in 2022, enabling proof-of-concept for plant-based casein, production scale-up, and regulatory preparation amid strong growth in precision fermentation demand.[2][3]
Better Dairy emerged in 2019 in London, United Kingdom, from a vision to reinvent dairy proteins like casein—the key to cheese's tanginess, stretch, melt, and ooze—using precision fermentation to bypass cows entirely.[1][3] The founding team, comprising scientists, technologists, and food lovers now numbering over 25 based in Hackney, London, drew on values established in 2020 to invent sustainable dairy futures with minimal environmental impact.[3] Pivotal early traction came via Happiness Capital's 2020 seed investment of £1.6 million, providing not just capital but strategic guidance, expert networks, and regulatory navigation support, propelling the company from concept to proof-of-concept milestones.[2] By 2022, a £16.2 million Series A round fueled advancements, including shifts to more productive fungal platforms like Aspergillus for casein production.[1][2]
Better Dairy rides the precision fermentation wave in alternative proteins, addressing dairy's environmental toll amid rising demand for sustainable, animal-free foods that deliver superior nutrition and functionality.[1][2][6] Timing aligns with market forces like vegan dairy gaps, climate pressures on livestock farming, and investor confidence boosted by peers like Helaina's $45 million raise and TurtleTree's lactoferrin innovations, unlocking sectors from infant nutrition to supplements.[1] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering scalable casein (via efficient platforms like Aspergillus), fostering UK food tech hubs, and partnering with networks like Happiness Capital to navigate regulations, potentially disrupting a $900+ billion global dairy market with lower-impact proteins.[2][3]
Better Dairy is poised to launch initial commercial products post-regulatory nods, scaling casein and bioactives via optimized fungal fermentation while expanding into full dairy replicas and human-centric nutrition like recovery supplements.[1][2][3] Trends like precision fermentation's maturation, regulatory greenlights for novel foods, and surging demand for climate-friendly proteins will propel growth, especially as funding flows to validated platforms amid food security challenges.[1][6] Its influence could evolve from niche innovator to dairy disruptor, redefining "milk's full potential" for planetary and health gains—transforming the startup that ditched cows into a sustainability staple.[3][6]
Key people at Better Dairy.
