NAPA, CALIF. – An animal-free milk to be marketed under the Betterland Cow-Free Milk brand is set to make its debut. The beverage is formulated using Berkeley, Calif.-based Perfect Day, Inc.’s, animal-free dairy protein.
The product will be marketed by Betterland Foods. Lizanne Falsetto is the chief executive officer of the company and the founder of Think!, a manufacturer and marketer of nutrition bars and oatmeal. Think! was acquired by Glanbia in 2015.
“In the five years after selling Think!, I kept an eye on the space of protein innovation,” Falsetto said. “When I saw what Perfect Day founders Ryan and Perumal were doing to cultivate nutritious, more sustainable milk proteins, I felt the pull to not only get back into the industry, but to help build a portfolio of products that taste great, while being better for the planet. That’s when Betterland Foods was born.”
The new product will be available in whole and extra creamy varieties.
Perfect Day’s animal-free protein is produced using precision fermentation, creating a whey protein identical to that found in cow’s milk with a much smaller environmental footprint, according to the company.
The Betterland Milk is formulated with medium-chain triglycerides and sunflower oils. The company said it has less sugar than conventional milk and is lactose free.
Other brands that feature Perfect Day’s protein are Bold Cultr from General Mills, and Brave Robot, Modern Kitchen, California Performance Co. from the Perfect Day subsidiary The Urgent Co. In mid-December, The Urgent Co., acquired the ice cream brand Coolhaus and announced its intent to transition Coolhaus’ line of products to be formulated with Perfect Day’s animal-free ingredient.