Sustainable dairy proteins without the cow

Vivici was launched in 2023 as a spin-off from a strategic collaboration between what was then DSM (now dsm-firmenich) and the New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra. Both parties had already accumulated considerable knowledge and research into the precision fermentation process, and a new start-up was to bring this to fruition for the food industry. Stephan van Sint Fiet, a biotechnologist with a doctorate, had gained extensive experience in R&D and commercial roles at various ingredient companies and was approached to get Vivici off the ground as employee number one. ‘I assembled the IKEA tables here myself.’ The company has since grown into a team of 20 people with a wealth of experience in the food industry. ‘We’ve already made most of the mistakes somewhere else, so we don’t need to make them again at Vivici,’ says Van Sint Fiet.

One protein

Vivici’s core activity focuses on the production of a sustainable dairy protein as an ingredient for various food products. To this end, they employ precision fermentation to produce the whey protein beta-lactoglobulin in yeast. This first product recently received FDA approval and is being incorporated into products including protein drinks for children. Approval for the European market is still pending.

‘It’s often about the technology, but it should be more about the consumer’

Precision fermentation operates in much the same way as other fermentation processes in the food industry. What distinguishes precision fermentation is that the micro-organisms — yeast in Vivici’s case — are genetically modified in such a way that they produce primarily one protein, rather than a mixture of proteins. Making this concept successful and profitable hinges on working with exceptional efficiency, as competition in the food industry is fierce. ‘Producing at scale via the simplest possible process — that’s the key,’ says Van Sint Fiet. Thanks to the purification step and the high precision of the micro-organisms, Vivici is able to offer a product with 99% purity. ‘The purest product on the market,’ according to Van Sint Fiet.

Sporting

Above all, Vivici aims to produce a sustainable dairy protein — and sustainable it certainly is. According to a Life Cycle Analysis, their fermentation process generates around 70% less CO₂ emissions, uses 86% less water, and has 90% less impact on the soil. ‘And that doesn’t even take animal welfare into account,’ says Van Sint Fiet. The meaning behind the name Vivici is, fittingly, sustaining life through discovery.

A glance at their website reveals that Vivici targets sporty and active individuals. ‘This is a consumer group that actively seeks out products with a high protein content and good quality proteins,’ Van Sint Fiet explains. For Vivici, this represents an entry-level market. ‘Our dairy protein has far broader applications than just bars and shakes, but it’s important to establish a solid reputation first.’ In the future, Vivici will look to broaden its focus to other products in which their protein can be incorporated. A tour of Vivici’s offices reveals no shortage of examples. Research is currently underway into ice cream and carbonated drinks with added protein — though the latter, it turns out, is proving rather more difficult than expected.

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Looking bright

‘It’s often about the technology, but it should be more about the consumer,’ believes Van Sint Fiet. That is why it is important for Vivici to be able to explain their product clearly. It is a milk protein that is vegan, yet unsuitable for people with milk allergies — a concept that some find puzzling. Those with a milk allergy might naturally gravitate towards a vegan product, but in the case of Vivici’s offering, that logic doesn’t apply. Their precision fermentation protein is not an ‘alternative’ protein; it is identical to the animal-derived whey protein. ‘We try to make clear to our clients [the food manufacturers, ed.] how they can apply and use our protein — and how they can in turn explain it to their own customers.’

‘Our dairy protein has far broader applications than just bars and shakes’

Another challenge for Vivici is the (further) scaling up of production. That too is no simple feat, but so far they have not encountered any insurmountable obstacles. Several production sites are already up and running in Europe, and bioreactors in the US are also operational through a partnership. ‘The sun is shining on Vivici,’ says Van Sint Fiet. For now, these challenges are not standing in the way of their continued growth.

Looking ahead, Vivici aspires to use their platform for the production of a much wider range of proteins. ‘We want to build a pipeline through which we can produce various proteins.’ This platform encompasses not only technical know-how, but also, explicitly, knowledge of the commercial trajectory. The team is currently exploring a second product: the protein lactoferrin. This iron-binding protein is available in limited quantities from milk, but has a range of potential medical applications. Precision fermentation could increase the availability of lactoferrin. Van Sint Fiet: ‘We don’t want to be a one-trick pony.’