In the Netherlands, dairy proteins startup Those Vegan Cowboys has raised €6.25 million (US$7.3 million) to bring animal-free casein to the US market in 2026.
The protein is produced via precision fermentation using cells from Margaret, the company’s cow. Growing cells from Margaret has a much lower environmental footprint and is more humane that factory dairy farming.
The funding was led by Pieter Geelen, founder of mapping tech pioneer TomTom. ProductHero founder Wouter Veenboer and two dairy majors, including Netherlands’ cheese giant Westland Kaas, participated in the round.
“When animal-free and plant-based become the norm, the future of food looks incredibly promising. This funding round is a powerful step in that direction,” Jaap Korteweg, who co-founded the startup with Niko Koffeman a year after they sold their plant-based meat brand, The Vegetarian Butcher, told Green Queen.