# African Animal-Free Dairy Companies De Novo Dairy is Creating Products with Fermented Proteins By Colin Smith | Published 2022-02-28 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/de-novo-dairy References: [vegnews](https://vegnews.com/2022/2/de-novo-dairy-animal-free-dairy-movement) & [denovodairy](https://www.denovodairy.com/)  'De Novo Dairy' is a new food manufacturing startup based in Cape Town, Africa, that is focusing on creating [animal-free dairy products](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/strive-freemilk). The company has a prototype protein made through a process where microbial hosts are programmed to generate cells that mimic animal-based milk proteins. These fermented proteins are both more sustainable and less damaging to animal life than traditional milk products. De Novo Dairy's founders began researching [microbial fermentation to create animal-like proteins](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/functional-dairy-protein) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the brand has found a suitable protein for use in a variety of dairy products from ice cream to cheese, which has earned the company a large amount of financial investment from other entities such as '[CULT Food Science](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/noochies).' Image Credit: Shutterstock ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.2/10 - Popularity: 6% | Activity: 19% | Freshness: 11% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Animal-free Dairy Products:** De Novo Dairy and other animal-free dairy companies are creating sustainable and ethical dairy products through fermentation technology. - **Microbial Fermentation:** The use of microbial fermentation to create dairy proteins has the potential to disrupt the traditional dairy industry, making it more sustainable and animal-friendly. - **Investment in Sustainable Food Startups:** As De Novo Dairy gains financial backing from entities like CULT Food Science, the trend of investing in sustainable and ethical food manufacturing startups is on the rise. ### Where This Applies - **Food Manufacturing:** De Novo Dairy's use of microbial fermentation technology has the potential to disrupt traditional food manufacturing industries by providing sustainable and ethical alternatives to animal-based products. - **Dairy Industry:** Animal-free dairy companies like De Novo Dairy have the potential to disrupt the traditional dairy industry by offering sustainable and ethical alternatives to animal-based products. - **Investment Banking:** As sustainable food manufacturing startups like De Novo Dairy gain traction, investment banking opportunities in this sector are becoming more prevalent. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Animal-Free Dairy Facilities](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/imagindairy-1.md) - [Animal-Free Milk Proteins](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/animalfree-milk-protein.md) - [Sustainable Animal-Free Milks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/very-dairy.md) - [Lab-Made Milk Proteins](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/labmade-milk-proteins.md) - [Animal-Free Dairy Milks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bored-cow.md) - [Fermented Milk Factories](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fermented-milk-factory.md) - [Animal-Free Milk Alternatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/betterland-cowfree-milk.md) - [Future-Facing Dairy-Free Cheeses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/those-vegan-cowboys.md) - [Animal-Free Dairy Milks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/strive-freemilk.md)