Kiwi founded ,but now Portugal based, NXW’s Marine Whey Golden 35 is pitched as the “next whey” that's functionally similar to dairy whey, but produced from aquatic microorganisms. It’s a step into the fermentative protein arms race, offering technologists a new building block with promises of clean label and functional versatility.

Strauss Group and Imagindairy have made history with CowFree milk and cheese, delivering real dairy proteins without animals via precision fermentation. By leveraging microbial strains to produce whey protein identical to cow-based dairy, the products promise full taste and nutrition while cutting out lactose, cholesterol, and hormones. Israel’s regulatory approval marks a turning point for consumer access to animal-free dairy.

Cacao-free chocolate and beanless coffee are no longer fringe experiments. With cocoa futures breaking $10,000/tonne and weather stress pushing Arabica off its traditional lands, substitutes are moving into mainstream pipelines. Corporate validation (Mondelez backing Celleste), scale-up partnerships (Voyage + Cargill), and footprint advantages (Atomo, Pluri) point to early adoption in blends, coatings, and foodservice channels before full consumer-facing rollout.

The five-year, NZ$10.4m programme will demonstrate how microbes can turn forestry pulp and other local side-streams into export-grade proteins and functional ingredients. Beyond the science, it creates the shared infrastructure and regulatory precedent that startups like Daisy Lab (animal-free dairy proteins) and OPO Bio (cell media and cultured tissues) have been waiting for. Together, these signals point to a potential billion-dollar export category anchored in precision fe