Cow’s milk continues to be a staple of human nutrition. Pediatricians recommend it for infant growth, and for the most part, it has more protein than alternative “milks.” However, this dairy delight isn’t tolerated by all people, and the process from cow to dinner table is a known strain on environmental resources.

Enter Brown Foods, a 1-year-old company developing its first product, UnReal Milk, which is "real" whole milk created using mammalian cell culture technology.

Sohail Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Brown Foods Image Credits: Brown Foods

The founders, Sohail Gupta, Avhijeet Kapoor and Bhavna Tandon, have been friends since their undergraduate days at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Gupta has been a vegetarian throughout his life, and when his wife got pregnant, they were not able to find a milk alternative that was as nutritious to conventional dairy, that didn’t contribute further to climate change and that was cruelty-free to animals.

UnReal Milk is their answer to that problem. With a presence in Boston and India, Brown Foods is a Y Combinator Winter 2022 alum that touts being the first company in the U.S. to produce “real cow’s milk” in a laboratory, accomplishing the milestone in less than 3 months.

“We validated for the major macronutrients, the proteins, the fats and the carbs,” Gupta told TechCrunch. “We could see that the profiles for those were similar to milk at large-scale quantities, and as a result, we could say that we have a superior product from the lab.”

And, by using the cell-cultured approach, UnReal Milk can be similar in taste and texture to real milk, unlike plant-based alternatives. In addition, it can also be converted into typical dairy products, like butter, cheese and ice cream, and is nutritionally similar to cow’s milk. However, unlike conventional dairy, Brown Foods’ milk is estimated to have a 90% smaller carbon footprint.

Armed with the laboratory validation, the pre-revenue company moved forward with raising a seed round, and Thursday it announced $2.36 million from investors, including Y Combinator, AgFunder, SRI Capital, Amino Capital, Collaborative Fund and a group of individual angel investors like Kunal Shah.

Scaling is often an issue with cell-cultivated meat products, so time will tell if Brown Foods is able to jump that hurdle and have a viable product on the market in the next few years.

Gupta expects to start with a small scale-up in the next year. The majority of the funding will go toward those efforts: the bioprocess, scale-up and product development.

“The top-level roadmap of how we are thinking is doing some kind of sampling where we can actually get feedback and learn what things look like and then go toward the kinds of products we will have for commercialization,” he added.

Meanwhile, the global dairy alternatives market is forecasted to be a $50 billion business by 2028, and startups are flocking into this sector with various approaches like cell cultivation and plant-based beverages, all trying to disrupt a $468 billion conventional dairy market.

The dairy alternative market is expected to grow faster than conventional dairy during this decade, at 10% versus 3%, which has venture capital investors drinking it up. For example, Better Dairy raised $22 million earlier this year to create dairy-free cheese, while Miruku is leveraging molecular farming technology to create dairy proteins. At the same time, The EVERY Company, NotCo, Climax Foods and Perfect Day also have investor attention as they develop their animal-alternative cheese and dairy products.

Is cell-cultured meat ready for prime time?

STORY: Footage shared on social media showed flooded streets in Ankara with vehicles appearing stuck in the water. The Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM) Twitter page warned on Thursday (June 9) of further heavy rain and thunderstorms in the north and inland, including districts of Istanbul, advising residents to beware of potential floods.

Amazon is tapping into augmented reality in an attempt to appeal to sneakerheads shopping its site. The retailer this morning announced a new feature called Virtual Try-On for Shoes that will allow customers to visualize how a pair of new shoes will look on themselves from multiple angles using their mobile phone's camera. The company says the feature will help brands to better showcase their products while also informing customers' purchasing decisions.

Mexico City-based digital bank Klar has raised $70 million in equity funding at a valuation of $500 million, the startup announced today. Klar experienced a “7x” year-over-year increase in revenue and 4x bump in transaction volume over the same time period, according to Klar co-founder and CEO Stefan Möller. Also over the past 12 months, Klar added 1.4 million customers and originated over $100 million worth of loans.

Save money this season on this less expensive and every bit as delicious option.

Tesla is recruiting for "smart manufacturing" roles in China, despite Musk's request to "pause all hiring worldwide," Reuters reports.

In today's edition: We're taking you inside Elon Musk's latest acts of smoke and mirrors, and sharing our top gift picks for Father's Day.

Moderna's (MRNA) bivalent COVID booster candidate targeting the Omicron variant achieved all pre-specified endpoints in a phase II/III study.

You know the drill: You have a ton of vitamins to take in a day but you’re not sure exactly when (or really if) you should take them all. And, while we should always turn to food for our vitamin and mineral intake, sometimes vitamin supplementation can help us fill the gaps in our diet. […]

Though more research is needed on vitamin B12 and neurological behavior, the nutrient is essential for giving the body energy.

Eating a mostly plant-based or vegan diet may help you lose weight, prevent disease, and protect your brain and heart health, according to doctors.

“Why, after all these years spent fostering self-love, do I still feel like weight loss is an item for my to-do?”View Entire Post ›

When it comes to carb loading, what exactly does the latest science say about an age-old practice--and what are the best protocols to follow to ensure we hit the start line well-fueled?

Find out why some people still experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D., in the summer — and what you can do about if you're one of them

Muscle-building supplements are all about protein, but you likely get enough from your diet.

They’re likely not at the top of your pupper’s must-have treat list, but you won’t have to worry if they snuffle a few from under the breakfast table, either.

A few months ago, my good friend Emily asked me if she should buy Athletic Greens, a brand of powdered greens.

Shake up your stale menu with new and improved carbs, protein, and fat to freshen up your diet.

New research has revealed over half of Brits suffer from an afternoon slump.