Vivici—a startup formed by Fonterra and DSM-Firmenich to produce dairy proteins via precision fermentation—has raised a €32.5 million ($34 million) Series A round.
The Netherlands-based firm, which has been rapidly scaling production of the whey protein beta-lactoglobulin, is also planning to launch bovine lactoferrin, a higher-value dairy protein with multiple health benefits.
The funding round, led by Invest-NL and APG (on behalf of pension fund ABP), was supported by regional economic development agency InnovationQuarter and existing shareholders DSM-Firmenich and Fonterra, and will help Vivici access new markets and establish long-term manufacturing capabilities.
Vivici has secured its first offtake agreements for beta-lactoglobulin and plans to launch lactoferrin in the second half of 2025, CEO Stephan van Sint Fiet told AgFunderNews.
Sizable Series A demonstrates market confidence, says CEO
While Vivici was arguably late to the animal-free dairy game, it has been able to move unusually rapidly by leveraging its founders’ expertise in dairy proteins and industrial-scale biomanufacturing, he claimed.
“We entered the scene about two years ago as the new kid on the block, and since then, we’ve leapfrogged a lot of the field and catapulted ourselves to the front. We have a very strong technology base, a deep understanding of ingredient applications and marketing, and a team with a track record of bringing innovations to market.”
While the animal-free dairy market is still in its infancy, with high-profile players encountering some well-publicized challenges, the fact that Vivici has been able to secure such as sizable Series A round demonstrates that it has “the confidence of the market,” said van Sint Fiet.
Scaling up manufacturing
Vivici has been working with partners in Europe with small scale facilities to produce beta-lactoglobulin and recently revealed it was the first firm to road-test its process in a new 75,000-liter fermenter at the Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP) in Ghent, Belgium, he said.
“We did a successful commissioning run with them and now we have European partners that are able to produce at full industrial scale, by which I mean hundreds of cubic meters of fermentation capacity. We’re also working with partners on the other side of the pond [the Atlantic] to see what is possible there.”
While some commentators have questioned whether it is commercially viable to produce whey and casein proteins via precision fermentation, he said, “From our perspective, we have now matured our bioprocess to the extent where we think it’s ready for prime time. We’ve always communicated that our goal is to bring whey proteins to the market at price parity to where they are traded at today in the market and our manufacturing strategy is geared towards achieving exactly that.”
Applications for beta-lactoglobulin and lactoferrin
For the beta-lactoglobulin, which can be used in clear protein drinks, he said, customers are especially interested in using it for premium protein beverages and snacks, sports nutrition, and active nutrition.
Bovine lactoferrin, a higher-value protein Vivici plans to launch in the second half of the year, has applications in similar areas, he added.
An iron-binding anti-microbial protein found in mammalian milk, lactoferrin has benefits for humans around immunity, iron regulation, digestive health, endurance, and muscle strength, but has historically only been available in small quantities owing to the costs and challenges of isolating it from milk (thousands of liters are required to make a single kilo).
“We believe that lactoferrin has huge potential,” said van Sint Fiet. “The market today is already half a billion dollars, but it is constrained by availability and quality fluctuations, and cost, which make it very hard for the ingredient to be broadly applicable. We believe that precision fermentation can deliver a stable supply, more stable pricing, consistent quality and a more affordable product to really unlock its potential both in existing and new markets.”
According to van Sint Fiet: “We never wanted to be a one-trick pony, and there are technology and market synergies between beta-lactoglobulin and lactoferrin. We use the same production host and we’re able to use similar upstream and downstream processes for both.
“The benefit of having built the platform with beta-lactoglobulin means the time to market and the cost to market for the second protein and the third and the fourth protein is considerably lower.”
Regulatory status
Vivici has already secured self-GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status for its beta-lactoglobulin and plans to submit a GRAS notice to the FDA for lactoferrin in due course, he said.
“Initially that will be for general, food and beverage use and potentially also personal care and cosmetic applications. And then over time we’ll gradually tackle the more challenging segments [from a regulatory perspective] such as infant nutrition and foods for susceptible populations.”
Further reading:
New player on lactoferrin block plans precision fermentation site in the Midwest
Australian precision fermentation startup All G plans bovine lactoferrin launch in 2025
Helaina raises $45m series B round to support market entry of human lactoferrin
