AMSTERDAM – Food technology company Sophie's Bionutrients and New Zealand-based biotech and commercialization venture NewFish announced they are collaborating to create dairy alternatives by using microalgae.

Through the partnership, the companies plan to share ingredient supplies, as well as research and development efforts, in order to co-develop microalgae strains and commercialize new alternative dairy solutions.

The joint effort also involves the New Zealand-based Cawthron Institute and its expert marine scientists, as well as the Netherlands-based Wageningen University & Research, which has specialty programs focused on healthy foods.

"Together with NewFish and Cawthron Institute, we are working to overcome the challenges of obtaining sufficient microalgae strains, scaling production capacity and bringing online sufficient global supply to make available affordable, taste and consistent foods made from microalgae,” said Kirin Tsuei, co-founder and chief technology officer at Sophie's Bionutrients.

"We are pleased to form this strategic partnership with Sophie's Bionutrients, already an industry leader in microalgae fermentation and proteins,” said Hamish Howard, NewFish’s general manager. “NewFish, Cawthron Institute and New Zealand have a complementary focus regarding novel ingredients, whereas we also have our endemic microalgae strains and species. This partnership will serve as a starting point for deeper global collaboration between the parties and will accelerate the microalgae foods and nutrition industry. We are solving a global issue, which requires a collective solution.”

Sophie’s Bionutrients is a B2B food technology company backed by the Temasek Foundation that operates between Singapore and the Netherlands. It first announced in 2021 the development of a sustainable alternative protein for use in dairy and other novel foods, with the use of microalgae.

With headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand, NewFish specializes in biotech and novel ingredients, as well as fermentation, production, research and development, commercialization and the manufacturing of novel seafoods and proteins derived from microalgae.