Zero Cow Factory raises $4 million in a Seed funding round from Green Frontier Capital, GVFL, and Pi Ventures. The round also saw participation from Spanish diary firm Calidad Pascual’s investment arm—Pascual Innoventures.
The bioengineered milk startup will use the funds to obtain regulatory approvals to launch in the market, accelerate research and development, and increase production, among other things.
“We are developing a technology to reproduce milk proteins to craft real dairy products that are
ethical, safe, delicious, and identical to cow milk but without any animal involved,” said Parini
Kapadia, Co-founder and chief scientific officer (CSO), Zero Cow Factory, in a press release.
Started in 2021 by Parini and Sohil Kapadia, Zero Cow Factory produces milk through biotechnology. The startup replicates cow’s milk texture, nutrient profile, taste and appearance by using an in-house developed patented technology.
The Surat-based firm claims its first product, which has A2 Beta-casein, is healthier as it is free from indigestion-causing A1 milk protein. After obtaining global regulatory approvals, Zero Cow Factory plans on developing other milk-based products including ice cream, cheese, and yogurt.
“With cattle being the biggest agricultural source of greenhouse gases, precision fermentation startups
have the potential to disrupt the dairy industry globally. If the world (and India) has to achieve its
net zero goals, there needs to be a pivot rather quickly to sustainable solutions. Zero Cow Factory’s own proprietary A2 casein-based solution, a weakness which plant-based ingredients have not
yet been able to address successfully,” said Sandiip Bhammer, Co-Managing Partner and Founder at Green Frontier Capital.
