British biotechnology company Mycofeast has acquired New Zealand-founded dairy protein start-up Daisy Lab for an undisclosed sum.
Officially incorporated in Auckland in 2021, Daisy Lab genetically programs yeast to create animal-free milk like whey, casein and lactoferrin.
The company said its precision fermentation process can reduce emissions by up to 97 per cent, compared to traditional dairy farming.
“We tried a lot of things – many of which didn’t work, but a lot did. We saw our first bands on a gel, got our first fermenters, made our first protein powder. And then earlier this year, we installed our own large fermenter, producing at a scale that we couldn’t have imagined at the start,” Daisy Lab said.
“Through all of this, Daisy Lab has remained a very small company. What we have never had in headcount, we have made up for in an extraordinary amount of determination, ingenuity, delusional optimism, grit and stubbornness.
“Joining a much larger international platform gives our technology a pathway to global markets. Our team and operations will remain in New Zealand, and our founders will move into group roles,” it added.
Daisy Lab will add to Mycofeast’s portfolio of food technology. Headquartered in Oxford, England, Mycofeast also operates a biology hub in California and a 16 million litre fermentation plant in Europe.
