Innovating the dairy industry

You’re scanning through the dairy aisle at your local supermarket and the term ‘probiotic’ keeps popping up. But what is that, and why do I want it in my body?

It’s no surprise that probiotics are a trending topic in the dairy industry. Some scientists claim that microbiomes can, eventually, be manipulated to cure cancer. Friesland Campina, one of the largest dairy manufacturers in the world, took initiative to draw upon startups that are actively innovating in microbiomes.

VITL is a start-up that has the capacity to build a full, completely personalised nutritional profile via your smartphone. Using their app, they can draw patterns from your eating and drinking habits to understand your body’s tendencies and, basically, advise you on what you should be eating. No, this doesn’t necessarily mean carrot sticks and hummus everyday, but it does mean you might need to cut down on certain foods to aid your body’s digestion. VITL makes it easy to understand what’s best for your body.

AnaBio developed a unique method of encapsulation. What is that? Encapsulation is essentially a method which enables live bacteria to be transported, in tablet form, all the way through the digestive track. This innovation is a game-changer in the microbiome marketplace.

Another startup changing the face of the dairy industry is vDNA. These guys offer a comprehensive and integrated DNA, microbiome and blood analysis for health and wellness. They provide an at-home “welcome pack” as well as an online assessment that will give you a complete overall picture of your gut’s health, as well as coaching in how to improve it. Hello, personalised healthy living!

Sure—there’s a bunch of startups that are looking into it, and there’s some scientific research making broad claims, but how relevant can microbiomes really be? Significant enough for one of the largest dairy companies, Friesland Campina, to take a vetted interest in innovating toward it. A company whose dairy products find their way on to the shelves of over 100 countries and that turns over an annual revenue of over 11 billion euros.

Loads of startups approached Friesland Campina in hope of winning the golden ticket—a pilot contract. After a great number of interesting, dynamic and diverse startups were consulted, not just one but three pilot contracts were given to VITL, AnaBio and vDNA.

A really cool development in the microbiome sphere and we at Get in the Ring, are proud to be part of it. One big step for mankind, one big step for the microbiomes in your gut.

Want to meet cool startups like these? Then join us at the Global Meetup.