In recent years, the worldwide market for vegan milk alternatives experienced a true uprising. Brands such as Oatly entered the supermarket shelves and recorded rapid sales growth. This holds true for Germany as well. It is hard to imagine the lives of Germans without plant milk: steadily rising sales figures provide an outlook on the future potential of this industry. Part of the reason for this is that an increasing number of people are deciding to become flexitarians – reducing their consumption of animal products without giving it up completely.
However, in addition to the known plant milks such as soy, oat and almond milk, there are other, less well-known alternatives.
To give a comprehensive overview of exciting food innovations in the food sector, we present 15 innovative alternatives and the according food startups.
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The following brands will be introduced
Lab-grown
Cashew nut base
Chickpea base
Split pea base
Almond base
Cereal-mix base
Lab-grown
Perfect Day
Method: Fermentation
Perfect Day extracts the milk flora from cow’s milk and the sugar from plant milk. In the next step, milk proteins are produced through fermentation. These are then used in the further production of milk-based products.
Turtletree Labs
Milk from animal cells without the necessity of a real animal
TurtleTree Labs strives to develop animal and human breast milk using cell-based technology.
Legendairy Foods
Method: Fermentation
Legendairy artificially cultivates the milk proteins casein and whey protein as a basis for dairy products.
New Culture Foods
Method: Fermentation of casein
New Culture Foods develops lab-grown cheese based on fermented casein.
Cashew nut base
New Roots
Base: Cashew nut
New Culture Foods develops lab-grown cheese based on fermented casein.
Tomm'Pousse
Base: Cashew nut/soy
Tomm’Pousse produces cheese on the basis of soy and cashew milk, using traditional fermentation techniques.
Miyoko's Creamery
Base: Cashew nut
Miyoko’s Creamery produces hard cheese, soft cheese and cream cheese by fermenting cashew milk.
Happy Cheeze
Base: Cashew nut
Happy Cheeze produces soft cheese made from fermented cashew nuts.
Chickpea base
ChickP
Base: Chickpeas
ChickP isolates up to 90% pure protein from the chickpea grain as the basis for dairy products.
Split pea base
VlyFoods
Base: Yellow split peas
VlyFoods developed a milk alternative based on the yellow split pea that is high in protein.
Ripple Foods
Base: Yellow split peas
Ripple Foods produces milk, yoghurt, sour cream, frozen desserts, protein shakes and powders all based on the yellow split pea.
Almond base
Califa Farms
Base: Almond/Oat/Coconut
Califia Farms produces plant-based dairy products such as milk, cream and yoghurt based on almond, oat and coconut milk.
Mondarella
Base: Almonds
Aixa Trade developed a mozzarella based on GMO-free almond milk.
kite hill
Base: Almonds
kite hill produces yoghurt, cream cheese, ricotta, filled pasta, dips and sour cream based on almond milk that has been nourished with enzymes and bacteria cultures.
Cereal-mix base
Eclipse
Base: cereal, potato, maniok, oat
Eclipse produces plant-based ice cream that is free from nuts and soy. It is made of old grains, cassava (a plant with a starchy root bulb) and oats.
