Those Vegan Cowboys Raises €12.25M to Bring Animal-Free Casein and Produce Vegan Cheese at Industrial Scale
- Gauri Khanna
- 6 hours ago
- 3 min read
Dutch startup Those Vegan Cowboys completed a €12.25M raise in just ten days, including a record-breaking crowdfunding round that drew over 1,850 investors, among them dairy farmers and cheesemakers.
The company's precision-fermented casein uses up to 95% less carbon, a fifth of the land and water of conventional dairy, and outperforms cow-derived casein on key functional measures.
With US self-affirmed GRAS status already secured, the firm expects to launch commercially in America later in 2026, with regulatory filings planned for Singapore, Europe, and the UK.
A Crowdfunding Record Built on Proven Technology
Those Vegan Cowboys, the Dutch precision fermentation startup, has closed a €12.25M (roughly $14.2M) funding round, comprising €6.25M raised in December 2024, a €2M extension from an impact fund, and a €4M equity crowdfunding campaign on Invesdor that set a platform record. The campaign reached €1M within its first hour and €2.5M by the end of its opening day: figures that the platform's investment manager described as unprecedented. In total, more than 1,850 crowd investors participated, including, notably, dairy farmers and cheesemakers: a detail that speaks to the technology's perceived compatibility with existing food-industry interests rather than its disruption of them.
The raise is striking given the broader context. Investment in fermentation-focused food startups fell by nearly 44% in 2025, totalling $357M, while the wider alternative protein sector recorded its lowest funding total in seven years at $881M. Those Vegan Cowboys attributed its success to a deliberate strategy: raising capital only after securing commercial validation from industry partners, maintaining lean operations, and building a public following from an early stage. The company's CEO framed the technology not merely as a sustainability play but as a food security proposition: an argument that travels well regardless of the political climate surrounding green investment.
What the Technology Actually Does
Precision fermentation is a process in which microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, or fungi) are programmed with specific genetic instructions to produce target molecules during a fermentation process. In this case, Those Vegan Cowboys uses the method to produce casein, the primary protein group in dairy milk. Casein is the ingredient responsible for cheese's ability to melt, stretch, and hold together; without it, replicating conventional dairy products is functionally very difficult.
The company's recombinant casein, meaning casein produced outside an animal, via programmed microbes, is claimed to stretch five times further than its bovine equivalent and at a lower melting point. It also self-assembles into the spherical protein structures known as micelles that give dairy its characteristic nutritional and textural properties, though the company notes that micelle formation is not always necessary for functional performance.
The process requires approximately one-fifth of the land and water used in conventional casein production and generates up to 95% fewer carbon emissions, with no methane output. Given that the race to bring animal-free casein to market has attracted several well-funded competitors, those performance metrics carry commercial as well as ecological weight.
Partnerships, Products, and a Path to Scale
The fresh capital will be directed towards refining casein functionality, expanding commercial partnerships, and accelerating the transition from laboratory-scale to industrial-scale production. The company is currently working with more than ten food businesses, including European dairy producers Westland Kaas and Hochland, on applications ranging from burger cheese and mozzarella to milk chocolate bars.
Regulatory groundwork is advancing in parallel. Those Vegan Cowboys has already self-affirmed its casein as Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) under US rules: a designation that permits the ingredient to be sold commercially in the country without explicit FDA approval, though the firm is also seeking a formal "no questions" letter from the agency. A US market entry with a commercial partner is expected before the end of 2026, with regulatory filings for Singapore, Europe, and the UK to follow.
Longer-term capital planning points to a €100M dedicated manufacturing facility, to be co-funded with a strategic partner from 2028 onwards. Further equity raises of €15M and €25M are pencilled in for 2028 and 2029 respectively. The company is also among the first to apply for public tasting authorisation in the Netherlands, which recently became the first EU country to permit such events for precision-fermented foods ahead of formal market approval. Those tastings are expected to take place later in 2026.
Those Vegan Cowboys is one of only two startups currently cleared to sell precision-fermented casein in the US market, the other being California-based New Culture. Competitors including Standing Ovation, Fooditive Group, and Eden Brew remain active in the space.
