The Bel Group, a well-known provider of branded cheese products worldwide, has recently teamed up with biotech company Climax Foods in a distinctive collaboration. Their primary objective is to create a new range of plant-based cheese products, which can help tackle the difficulties that the dairy industry is facing due to the worsening climate crisis.
The objective of the partnership is to develop plant-based versions of popular food brands such as Kiri®, Laughing Cow®, Babybel®, Boursin®, and Nurishh®. The focus is on creating affordable, nutritious, and eco-friendly products that are nearly identical to their dairy-based counterparts. To accomplish this goal, the companies will combine their respective skills and leverage data science and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Bel has invested in Climax Foods Inc. to support the advancement of this innovative solution.
“Food is a key lever to address climate change, and we, at Bel, have a strong determination to explore new territories and develop innovative solutions that will define the future of food, for all,” said Cécile Béliot, CEO of the Bel Group in a press statement. “The products we will develop in partnership with Climax have the potential to make a big difference: they can meet the three-fold challenge of sustainable, nutritious, and accessible. This collaboration epitomizes our co-innovation strategy by combining their distinctive technological data science and AI platforms and expertise with Bel’s pioneering and historical knowledge.”
Climax Foods has utilized predictive analytics and AI to gain a thorough comprehension of the molecular structure of animal-based foods. This expertise enables them to produce plant-based alternatives that replicate the texture, taste, and nutritional value of their dairy-based equivalents. Through the utilization of their AI technology, Climax Foods can accelerate the product development cycle and unlock the enormous potential of plant-based ingredients to create groundbreaking recipes in significantly less time than traditional methods.
Climax Foods CEO Dr. Oliver Zahn said, “AI and data can be game changers in food in terms of delivering optimal taste and texture while at the same time making it affordable and sustainable. Evolving recipes over time is what we’ve been doing for hundreds of years. In addition to changing consumer preferences, climate change requires us to accelerate the evolution of food. Together with Bel, we can make a significant positive impact so that people and the planet are better off.”
In 2020, Climax Foods, headquartered in California, received a funding of $7.5 million. Its Founder, Oliver Zahn, formerly a data scientist at Google, SpaceX, and plant-based food tech leader Impossible Foods, secured support from prominent investors such as Tom Chi, Co-founder of GoogleX, Manta Ray Ventures, and S2G Ventures. Recently, the company announced its collaboration with global conventional cheesemaking expert, Caroline Di Giusto, and its plans to establish a pilot and production center in Petaluma. Its objective is to create “Deep Plant Intelligence,” which combines molecular-level data about animal products with its exclusive plant-based ingredients database.
Climax Foods’ team of food scientists has successfully created several prototypes of specialty cheeses, including brie, blue, feta, and goat cheese, which replicate the taste and texture of their dairy-based equivalents. Bel intends to launch these innovative plant-based products in Europe and the United States by the end of 2024, as part of its effort to achieve a well-balanced portfolio of 50% dairy products and 50% plant-based/fruit products. The company aims to contribute to the transition towards a new food system model that can provide sustenance to 10 billion people by 2050 while reducing the environmental impact.
Caroline Sorlin, Chief Venture Officer of Bel, said, “Our group has always distinguished itself in its ability to dare and change the game with its innovative products. The challenge of the food transition is so big that collaborative innovation and the merging of skills is imperative. This partnership is definitely a source of pride, but above all, it is excellent news for the plant-based cheese market.”
Bel, the company that has already introduced a plant-based alternative to its popular Babybel cheese and established its own plant-based cheese label, Nurishh, declared its collaboration with two other firms last year. One is Superbrewed Food, situated in the United States, with whom Bel is collaborating to design dairy-free cheese using biomass fermentation. The other is Standing Ovation, a French precision fermentation dairy firm, who will assist Bel in developing microbe-based casein proteins for use in its cheese product line.