The UK’s first animal-free dairy company, Better Dairy, announces the closure of £1.6m (approx. $2.1m USD) in seed funding. The London-based alt dairy startup makes products that it says are molecularly identical to traditional dairy without using animals as part of the production process.
Founded in London in January 2020 by Jevan Nagarajah (CEO) and Dr. Christopher Reynolds (CTO), Better Dairy seeks to produce “better foods in better ways”, and is using advancements in technology to do so starting with the hugely unsustainable dairy market.
The round was led by Happiness Capital and includes a number of other notable investors in the space including CPT Capital, Stray Dog Capital and Veg Capital along with a consortium of high-profile angel investors. Better Dairy will use the funds from this investment round to accelerate its R&D efforts with the aim of commercializing its first products by early 2022.
“We’re hugely excited by what we’re building, and the promise that our technology has to radically improve dairy production,” said co-founder of Better Dairy, Jevan Nagarajah. “What is even more exciting for us are the high-quality investors that we have on board to help realize our vision, alongside the great advisors and team that we continue to attract to the company”.
“Innovation in the dairy category is sorely needed and Better Dairy is bringing that innovation with a process and products that will deliver great taste, texture, and nutritional content without the pollution, poor animal welfare, and waste of dairy milk,” said Lisa Feria, Stray Dog Capital’s CEO and Managing Director. Better Dairy is the most recent addition to Stray Dog Capital’s portfolio, which includes companies like Beyond Meat, Miyoko’s Creamery, Daring Foods, and Kite Hill.
