
The new Cowabunga beverages contain animal-free whey and are fortified with calcium and Vitamin D.
Food and beverage giant Nestlé is bringing its line of animal-free dairy drinks to select US San Francisco grocery stores under the Cowabunga brand.
The new range comes from a partnership with California-based Perfect Day that manufactures animal-free whey using precision fermentation.
The dairy-free drinks are fortified with calcium and Vitamin D and are available in two flavours: milk and chocolate.
The Swiss food giant first announced plans to explore the potential of animal-free dairy in September. It partnered with Perfect Day through its newly-established US R+D Accelerator.
‘Animal-friendly alternatives’
“As the world’s largest food and beverage company, delivering foods and beverages that are good for people and the planet is a priority,” Heike Steiling, Head of Nestlé’s Development Center for dairy products, said at the time.
“We are exploring emerging technologies that can lead to animal-friendly alternatives that are nutritious and sustainable, without compromising on taste, flavour, and texture.”
The accelerator is a new initiative that aims to explore new technologies and introduce them in the market in under six months.
Joanna Yarbrough, head of R+D Accelerator, added: “We are excited to pilot Nestlé’s first animal-free dairy protein-based products through our U.S. R+D Accelerator.
“While this category is still very young, we know consumers are looking for products that have a reduced environmental footprint, and we are evaluating this avenue as a future growth opportunity for our business.”
Perfect Day foods
Ryan Pandya and Perumal Gandhi founded Perfect Day in 2014 as an animal-free ingredients business. They use precision fermentation to make protein that is identical to the whey protein found in cow’s milk.
The process involves adding naturally-occurring microflora to industrial-scale fermentation tanks.
The specific protein is made in a brewing tank where microflora digest nutrients from plants and turn them into a milk protein
According to Perfect Day, the beverage is naturally lactose and cholesterol free and contains an excellent source of protein and vitamins.
The food tech brand claims that its protein can make several dairy-identical products, including milk, cheese, and yoghourt, without any animal sourced ingredient.
Not only that, the climate conscious milk protein emits up to 80% less greenhouse gas emissions and up to 94% less water compared to that of traditional dairy milk.
Perfect Day has secured $750m in funding so far, and has also created a line of chocolate bars for Mars.
Nestlé’s plant-based trajectory
Although Nestle’s portfolio has traditionally been dairy-centric, the brand is actively exploring sustainable alternatives.
It has already forayed in the plant-based food industry with its European Garden Gourmet brand and its US subsidiary Sweet Earth.
The food giant also made direct investments into Sundial Foods – a California based vegan startup mimicking chicken products with skin and bones.
Last year, Nestlé released KitKat V in select markets. It took the brand two years to perfect the vegan recipe of its classic KitKat bar at its York, United Kingdom facility.
Share this story: Nestlé launches animal-free dairy Cowabunga beverages.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Is Tobey Maguire vegan? Here’s what we know
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 17th August 2023
Tobey Maguire often speaks about veganism and animal issues. Tobey Maguire, the actor best known for playing Spider-Man in the Sam Raimi trilogy, is a vegan. He has been a vegetarian since 1992 and became a vegan in 2009. A lifelong commitment to animal rights Maguire’s decision to go vegan was motivated by his love …
Continue reading “Is Tobey Maguire vegan? Here’s what we know”
Plant-based food jobs surge with 32% growth in just 3 months
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 17th August 2023
The number of open jobs advertised in the plant-based industry increased by almost a third from April to July 2023, GlobalData reported. The plant-based food industry is booming, and this is reflected in the number of job openings in the sector. According to data from GlobalData, the number of open jobs advertised in the plant-based …
Continue reading “Plant-based food jobs surge with 32% growth in just 3 months”
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
Continue reading “QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert”
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
Continue reading “QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?”
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …