Animal-Free Fat Maker Nourish Ingredients Sets Up Global Commercial Hub in Netherlands

A month after being cleared to sell its animal-free meat fat in the US, Nourish Ingredients has set its sights on the global market with a new commercial hub in the Netherlands.
Set to be fully operational by 2026, the facility is located at Leiden’s BioPartner 5, a circular, energy-neutral laboratory that aligns with Paris Agreement targets.

“Our Leiden facility is Nourish Ingredients’s global commercial hub, housing innovation, product development, customer demonstration facilities, and commercial operations. It’s designed to bring us closer to Europe’s food innovation ecosystem and global partners,” James Petrie, co-founder and CEO of the Canberra-based startup, told Green Queen.

Co-founder and CTO Anna El Tachhy has relocated to lead the firm’s European operations, as it looks to scale up its meat- and dairy-like fats produced via fermentation. “Europe offers an ideal environment for the next stage of our growth, with a highly supportive ecosystem and some of the world’s leading food companies based here,” said El Tahchy.

“Combined with a deep pool of scientific and commercial talent and its reputation as a hub for food innovation, Europe is the natural next step in our global journey,” she added.

Positioning itself in the EU will allow Nourish Ingredients to tap into the region’s robust food manufacturing ecosystem, forge deeper partnerships with global companies, access public funding for sustainable foods, and accelerate its regulatory efforts in the bloc.

New facility features demo kitchen and product development labs

Nourish Ingredients’s “designer fats” rely on naturally occurring lipids scaled through precision fermentation, which provide the distinct flavour and cooking properties of animal fats when used in plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. Precision fermentation involves inserting a specific DNA sequence into microorganisms (Mortierella alpina, in this case) to instruct them to produce the desired molecules when fermented.

Nourish Ingredients’s innovations serve as a “sweet spot” between tropical fats like palm and coconut oil (which can be a climate nightmare and are often mixed with a long list of synthetic flavours), and significantly more expensive cell-cultured fats. Its first ingredient is Tastilux, a meat-like fat that facilitates the Maillard reaction, giving products an aroma, taste and cooking experience akin to meat. It is effective at just a 1% inclusion rate.

The Australian startup aims to address the taste, labelling and consumer satisfaction issues plaguing the plant-based protein market, while also targeting the blended meat space. Tastilux is set to enter other major food categories as well, including snacks, ready meals and tallow replacements. The company has also developed Creamilux, a fat alternative for non-dairy applications. It has partnered with New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra to create both dairy and plant-based products with the ingredient. Speaking of which, the BioPartner 5 hub will position Nourish Ingredients as a neighbour to precision-fermented dairy protein maker Vivici, which is backed by DSM-Firmenich and Fonterra. It opens up the possibility of future collaborations between the two startups. The facility will feature a state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen for Nourish Ingredients to showcase its fats to manufacturers, as well as specialised food and sensory laboratories to develop new applications and support rapid product customisation for global markets.

Nourish Ingredients raising $15M and eyeing EU regulatory approval

Last year, Nourish Ingredients teamed up with Chinese synbio firm Cabio Biotech to scale up and streamline its production, and this April, that resulted in its first industrial-scale manufacturing cycle. Additionally, it has partnership agreements for Tastilux in the US, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.

“Cabio Biotech remains our current manufacturing partner for Tastilux, with production capability to meet 170,000 tonnes of end-product demand,” said Petrie. “When it comes to Creamilux manufacturing, while we can’t share official details yet, we’re preparing for our first commercial-scale run with our partner and expect progress to be quick.”

The microbial strain for Tastilux was determined to be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association in the US last month, paving the way for sales to manufacturers in the country. Nourish Ingredients is additionally focusing on Singapore, Australia, the UK, and the EU. “While we haven’t submitted a regulatory application for the EU yet, we are actively advancing our regulatory and commercial pathway for Europe and other global markets, with testing and progress continuing in the background,” Petrie noted. Choosing the EU as its global hub will also give it access to grant and financing opportunities specifically designed for companies developing sustainable ingredients.

“Our aim in accessing EU support is to accelerate growth and deepen our integration into one of the world’s strongest food ecosystems. By leveraging Europe’s extensive customer and supply chain networks, we can fast-track commercial traction and better serve our priority global markets,” said Petrie.

“Equally important, Europe offers a strong framework of government support and innovation funding. Engaging with this ecosystem allows us to unlock strategic partnerships, align with policy, and create de-risked pathways to scale.”

The startup has so far raised nearly $40M from investors, and is now in the middle of another fundraise. “We are currently raising a $15M round, which will enable us to accelerate our commercial operations and drive the business to profitability,” revealed Petrie. “We’re deliberately building a capital-light company, with a strong focus and strategy on commercial growth.”

The fat alternative space is expanding rapidly. California’s Yali Bio, New York’s C16 Biosciences and Sweden’s Melt&Marble, and Estonia’s Äio are using precision fermentation to produce fats and lipids too. Bill Gates-backed Savor, meanwhile, transforms carbon into triglyceride blends via a thermochemical process to produce animal-free fats.