Pascual, a leading dairy company, has partnered with food tech accelerator Eatable Adventures to launch its incubation programme for cow-free dairy innovation in 2021. This initiative aligns with Pascual’s open innovation arm, Pascual Innoventures, which aims to support the growth of technology in the broader industry. In addition to cellular agriculture-derived dairy, the programme also includes molecular farming projects.
In the latest edition of the Mylkcubator programme, called “Mylkcubator: More than Milk,” Pascual is expanding its scope to include new technologies that have an impact on tangential areas within the company. Pascual has a strong presence not only in the dairy sector but also in juice, soy drinks, and coffee, which reflects its core business. The programme encourages innovators working on alternatives to coffee, egg, lipids, cocoa, sodium, sweeteners, and functional ingredients to apply.
Gabriel Torres, director of Pascual Innoventures, explained the expansion of technologies beyond dairy, saying, “We aim to seek future-oriented solutions for our company’s core business such as coffee and the ingredients we use in our products.”
Mylkcubator is focused on supporting projects that develop technological advancements in cell cultures and fermentation techniques, disrupting the agri-food system. The programme provides collaboration opportunities, ranging from sweat equity and commercial agreements to investment and industrial scale-up.
The incubator is particularly interested in areas such as egg alternatives, alt coffee, alternatives to cocoa, lipid alternatives to palm oil, functional ingredients, and sodium and sweetener replacements. They are looking for technologies such as precision fermentation, genetic editing, and repurposing waste materials.
Now in its third year, Mylkcubator has seen success with its alumni, generating $14.4 million in investment. In previous cohorts, start-ups focused on cellular agriculture for the dairy industry and molecular farming projects. Some notable participants include Real Deal Milk, Zero Cow Factory, De Novo Dairy, M2 Factors, PFx Biotech, Miruku, Maolac, Ergo Bioscience, and Nutropy.
By expanding its focus and promoting technological advancements, Mylkcubator aims to be the pioneer in advancing cellular agriculture technologies and fermentation techniques in the alternative food industry.
