New Culture
New Culture is a San Francisco food technology company producing animal-free mozzarella cheese via precision fermentation of bioidentical casein protein. It sells B2B to pizzerias and food service operators, and holds the world's first GRAS designation for animal-free casein.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What New Culture does
New Culture is a San Francisco-based food technology company founded in 2019 that produces animal-free dairy cheese using precision fermentation. The company's core technology involves training microorganisms to produce bioidentical casein protein — the dairy protein responsible for cheese's characteristic stretch, melt, and texture — without any animal inputs. This casein is recovered and combined with water, plant-based fats, salt, sugar, starch, and minerals using traditional cheesemaking techniques to produce animal-free mozzarella cheese. New Culture's animal-free casein was the world's first to receive self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status, clearing the regulatory path for US commercial sale, and the company has scaled production to manufacturing levels producing 25,000 pizzas' worth of cheese per batch.
The company sells its mozzarella primarily through B2B food service channels, launching commercially at flagship partner Pizzeria Mozza (Nancy Silverton) in Los Angeles in 2024. New Culture has secured $5 million in early demand from pizzerias ranging from single-location independents to nationwide chains, and its cheese is validated to perform across wood-fired, gas, and electric ovens (550°–900°F). The company also sells its casein protein as an ingredient to food manufacturers and has signaled intent to expand into retail distribution. Distribution and scaling is supported by strategic partnerships with ADM (announced August 2022) for production scaling and CJ CheilJedang (November 2022, expanded May 2024) for commercial manufacturing capacity.
New Culture has raised $25 million in Series A funding (November 2021) co-led by Ahren Innovation Capital and CPT Capital, with additional undisclosed strategic investment from CJ CheilJedang and partnership-linked capital from ADM. The company employs 30+ people as of late 2022, growing from a two-person founding team led by CEO Matt Gibson and CSO Inja Radman. Headcount expansion includes technical leadership additions such as VP of Biology and VP of Process Development and Engineering. The company's economic proposition targets cost parity with conventional mozzarella within three years at 14 million pizzas' worth of production scale, supported by an 80% cost reduction already achieved through scaled fermentation and a 28% reduction in casein inclusion rate versus the prior formulation.
New Culture firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- New Culture
- Legal name
- New Culture
- Website
- https://newculture.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- New Culture is a San Francisco food technology company producing animal-free mozzarella cheese via precision fermentation of bioidentical casein protein. It sells B2B to pizzerias and food service operators, and holds the world's first GRAS designation for animal-free casein.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
New Culture industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Alternative Dairy Products
- NAICS
- Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151)
- SIC
- Dairy Products (2020), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pasta Filata Cheese Manufacturing (Mozzarella, Provolone, String Cheese) (AFAHABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB), Whey, Casein & Milk Protein Ingredient Manufacturing (AFAKAKAF), Dairy Protein Ingredients (Whey, Casein/Caseinates, Milk Protein Concentrates/Isolates) (AFAJAHAC), Casein & Caseinates Manufacturing (Acid/Rennet Casein, Sodium/Calcium Caseinate) (AFAHAFAE)
Keywords
Where New Culture is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
New Culture business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Animal-free dairy cheese product sales: New Culture generates revenue by selling its animal-free mozzarella cheese to food service operators (pizzerias) and potentially retail. Launch at Pizzeria Mozza (May 2023 debut, commercial menu 2024) with $5M in early demand already secured from chefs and pizzerias across the industry.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | B2B food service pricing — pizzeria/restaurant supply |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
New Culture product offering
Product offeringCore offering
New Culture manufactures animal-free mozzarella cheese and animal-free casein protein using precision fermentation. Microorganisms are trained to produce dairy-identical casein protein without any animal inputs; the casein is combined with water, plant-based fats, salt, sugar, starch, and minerals using traditional cheesemaking methods to produce mozzarella that stretches, melts, and tastes like conventional dairy cheese. The company sells primarily through B2B channels to pizzerias and food service operators, with the ingredient casein also offered to food manufacturers.
Product overview
New Culture is a food technology company that produces animal-free dairy products using precision fermentation. The company manufactures animal-free casein protein, which is the essential ingredient that gives cheese its characteristic stretch, melt, and texture. This casein is sold as an ingredient and used to produce their flagship product: animal-free mozzarella cheese. Both the casein protein and finished cheese products are lactose-free, cholesterol-free, and free from hormones and antibiotics. The company operates a business-to-business model, selling casein to food manufacturers and directly to pizzerias and food service operators, with retail distribution planned.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Animal-Free Mozzarella Cheese Premium animal-free mozzarella cheese made using precision fermentation to produce bioidentical casein protein, then combined with water, plant-based fats, salt, sugar, starch, and minerals using traditional cheesemaking techniques. The cheese stretches, melts, browns, bubbles, and tastes like conventional dairy mozzarella. It is lactose-free, cholesterol-free, and free from trace hormones and antibiotics, and performs across wood-fired (900°F), gas, and electric (550°F) ovens. Sold in block, shredded, or chunked formats to pizzerias and food service operators.
- Animal-Free Casein Protein (Ingredient) Bioidentical casein protein produced through precision fermentation without any animal inputs. The world's first animal-free casein to achieve GRAS status, enabling the production of authentic dairy cheese without animals. Sold as a standalone B2B ingredient to food manufacturers and other food producers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80% product cost reduction via scaled manufacturing of animal-free casein (25,000 pizzas' worth of cheese per production run)
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use New Culture
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
New Culture technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
New Culture partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- CJ CheilJedang (Manufacturing)coreStrategic partnership for commercial manufacturing capacity. CJ CheilJedang's manufacturing infrastructure enables New Culture to scale production of animal-free casein and cheese to meet commercial demand.
- AMC GlobalminorNew Culture collaborated with AMC Global, a leading custom market research firm, to conduct comprehensive consumer research on the appeal of animal-free mozzarella cheese. AMC Global conducted survey research among pizzeria diners, early adopters, and skeptics.
- Nancy Silverton / Pizzeria MozzaflagshipFlagship launch partnership with pioneering chef Nancy Silverton and her Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. Nancy Silverton is the first chef to serve animal-free cheese at her restaurants, which are renowned for the quality of their cheeses. Two custom pizzas (classic margherita and caponata) designed for the menu. Additional tasting events held in LA, NYC, and SF.
- CJ CheilJedangcoreCJ CheilJedang, a major South Korean food company, provided funding to New Culture in November 2022 and later entered a strategic partnership in May 2024 for commercial manufacturing capacity to support large-scale production of animal-free dairy products.
- ADM (Archer Daniels Midland)coreStrategic partnership announced August 2022 to scale up New Culture's alternative dairy platform. ADM, a major global food ingredients company, partnered with New Culture to support production scaling of animal-free dairy proteins and products.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
New Culture competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Those Vegan Cowboys: Belgian startup producing animal-free casein via precision fermentation for cheese applications. Direct competitor in the same technology platform and target product (animal-free dairy cheese).
- Formo: German company using precision fermentation to produce animal-free cheese proteins, including casein. Direct competitor pursuing the same end-market with similar technology.
- Imagindairy: Israel-based company producing animal-free dairy proteins via precision fermentation for cheese and other dairy applications. Direct competitor with overlapping technology and product strategy.
- Climax Foods: US-based company developing animal-free cheese using precision fermentation and AI-driven formulation. Direct competitor targeting the same cheese end-market.
- Better Dairy: UK-based company producing animal-free dairy ingredients (casein and whey) via precision fermentation for cheese applications. Direct competitor with overlapping product focus.
- Remilk: Israel-based company producing animal-free whey protein via precision fermentation for dairy applications including cheese. Competes for the same fermentation-manufacturing capacity, B2B ingredient customers, and consumer brand positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Perfect Day: US-based pioneer of precision-fermentation animal-free whey protein. While focused on whey rather than casein, it is a broader incumbent in the animal-free dairy space targeting B2B ingredient customers and competes for the same retail/foodservice shelf and capital.
- Miyoko's Creamery: Established US plant-based cheese brand sold through retail and foodservice. Competes with New Culture for the same 'animal-free cheese' consumer occasion, but uses plant-based rather than precision-fermentation technology.
- Daiya Foods: Major plant-based cheese brand owned by Otsuka. Competes for retail and foodservice cheese alternative shelf space, though with a plant-based rather than fermentation-based technology platform.
Emerging players
- Willicroft: Netherlands-based plant-based cheese brand focused on European foodservice. An emerging player in the alternative cheese space with partial overlap with New Culture's foodservice focus, though using different production technology.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
New Culture social profiles
Digital presenceNew Culture compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
New Culture financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
New Culture leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
New Culture funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors21 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
New Culture M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about New Culture
What does New Culture do?
New Culture manufactures animal-free mozzarella cheese and animal-free casein protein using precision fermentation. Microorganisms are trained to produce dairy-identical casein protein without any animal inputs; the casein is combined with water, plant-based fats, salt, sugar, starch, and minerals using traditional cheesemaking methods to produce mozzarella that stretches, melts, and tastes like conventional dairy cheese. The company sells primarily through B2B channels to pizzerias and food service operators, with the ingredient casein also offered to food manufacturers.
Is New Culture a public or private company?
New Culture is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was New Culture founded?
New Culture was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is New Culture based?
New Culture is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does New Culture make money?
One revenue line is on record: animal-free dairy cheese product sales.
Who are New Culture's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Those Vegan Cowboys, Formo, Imagindairy, Climax Foods, Better Dairy and Remilk. Broad incumbents are Perfect Day, Miyoko's Creamery and Daiya Foods. Willicroft is listed as an emerging player.
Does New Culture have an API?
No public API is recorded for New Culture.
What industry is New Culture in?
New Culture's product category is Alternative Dairy Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAHABAC, Pasta Filata Cheese Manufacturing (Mozzarella, Provolone, String Cheese), with a secondary code of AFAKAKAB, Cheese Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 311513 and its SIC code is 2020.