Over the past three years, Valley partner Cultivated Biosciences has worked on using state-of-the-art biotechnology to solve the food industry’s pressing challenges. With recent breakthroughs in product development and industry collaborations, Cultivated Biosciences is rebranding to Cosaic and introducing Cosaic Neo, a unique yeast-derived natural emulsion.

From idea to product

Back in 2021, Tomas Turner, co-founder and CEO, had the idea to grow fats from yeast, to provide texture solutions for vegan cheeses. Appalled by factory farming, he wanted to make an impact by encouraging more people to enjoy creamy animal-free products.

The team he built with his co-founder Dimitri Zogg learnt from the industry about much bigger needs than pure fat alternatives and discovered that their ingredient was much more powerful than fat: a multifunctional natural emulsion from yeast.

This unique ingredient contains fats, but also proteins and fibres. It is the combination of those components that allows the natural combination of 8 key functionalities in 1 animal-free ingredient. It reconciles the needs of the industry for more resilience and performance with the consumer need for better and tastier products. 

Cleaning labels

Cosaic Neo is reported to “clean labels” by replacing unwanted additives, improves the mouthfeel and the taste, improves the physical stability and much more. 

Food product developers can now create both dairy and dairy-free products that meet emerging consumer trends and unlock new business opportunities. This achievement marked a turn in the company’s roadmap and strategy.

Cosaic Neo also delivers functionality and sensory appeal to create products in four key categories: ready-to-drink protein and nutrition shakes, dairy-free milks, barista and coffee creamers, mayo & sauces and creamy liqueurs.

Unlocking opportunity in plant-based protein shakes

Protein Shakes is the fastest growing beverage segment in the US, reflecting the consumers’ interest for on-the-go, healthy proteins. But most commercial plant-based protein shakes contain no more than 8% proteins (around 25g for a 330ml/12 oz bottle) and contain lots of additives. Increasing the protein content further can lead to gelling or strong off-notes.

Cosaic can replace all additives, mask plant-based off-notes and most importantly, improving protein solubilisation to enable loading more proteins – up to 13% or 43g per serving. Cosaic is working closely with industry leaders on trials to bring this concept to market in the US in 2026.

About Cosaic

Cosaic aims for a world in which good food choices benefit everyone: people, businesses, and the planet. They do this with ingredient solutions that offer greater industry resilience and greater consumer satisfaction. Founded in 2021 in Zurich, Switzerland, Cosaic’s 18-member team is transitioning from the research and development stage to the market entry phase. The company plans to introduce its cream to the US market in 2025 and to the European market in 2026, pending regulatory approval for consumption. www.cultivated.bio/

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Powering 200+ meeting places across Switzerland, Valley partner ZFV Group (ZFV) has more than 125 years of expertise in the fields of hospitality and catering. Fortunately for our ecosystem, they don’t keep this knowledge under lock and key. They’re eager to partner with food sector startups to help bring fresh innovations to market.

The ZFV team believes that we can only achieve true change through collaboration. This is why the company is constantly on the lookout for new partnerships with future-focused startups. Read on to find out how Valley partners Steasy, FOOD2050, and Yumame have already benefited from their advice and support. 

Yumame: Partnering with innovative producers

In its own restaurants, as well as in cafeterias and staff restaurants, ZFV’s focus is on balanced and climate-friendly food. Whether it’s through innovative recipes from ZFV’s own climate-friendly kitchen, totally new concepts like Flavour Kitchen or Green Kitchen Lab, or menus that feature more than 50% vegan and vegetarian offerings, ZFV relies first and foremost on diverse partnerships with innovative producers – like Valley partner Yumame Foods AG.

The startup produces delicious and sustainable food based on fungi and fermentation, with a strong focus on local and environmentally-friendly practices. These newcomers attracted the attention of ZFV’s F&B team, who were immediately enthused and impressed by its products. ZFV has now become Yumame’s first catering partner — and they’ve already dished up their first recipes in the Green Kitchen Lab at the University of Zurich. This includes the innovative “Farm to Table” research project, which ZFV developed together with the Zurich University School of Management and Law and Zurich University of the Arts, where Yumame was featured as an important part of the culinary offer.

FOOD2050: Enabling more climate-friendly choices

ZFV values transparency about the effects of its food highly, and aims to inspire its guests with enthusiasm for an environmentally-friendly and balanced diet. Startup and Valley partner FOOD2050, founded in 2021, pursues the same aim. The company was in the process of developing a meal plan system and was looking for a partner that shared its values.

Won over by FOOD2050’s vision, ZFV became its strategic partner in 2021, and they jointly implemented the meal plan system for the first time at the University of Zurich in 2022. They continued to develop the concept together, creating a digital menu and meal plan that helps guests understand the the climate impact of their menus and food profiles that offer detailed information about individual dishes – right down to portraits of the producers who grew the ingredients. The solution was rolled out across 80 ZFV companies in 2023.

“Innovation means keeping one’s eyes open, constant scrutiny, actively engaging with one’s environment, personal development and also taking a chance now and then!” – Dario Notaro, CBDO ZFV

Steasy: Investing in the future of catering

By investing in Steasy, a start-up that developed the first-ever mobile mini steamer, ZFV found a way to delight and serve those who don’t eat their lunch in cafeterias and staff restaurants. Thanks to an integrated battery, a pre-prepared menu can be quickly and gently heated — a total innovation with potential that was immediately obvious to the ZFV team. Today, they’re busy implementing a proof of concept for possible business cases that can leverage this exciting technology.

“High-quality, healthy and sustainable food should also be possible on the move, or in locations where it is not possible to eat in a restaurant,” – Dario Notaro, CBDO ZFV

Open to innovation and new partners

ZFV’s partnerships help the company move closer to its vision of comprehensive meeting places that encompass six key dimensions – menu, people, physical space, virtual space, sustainability — and most importantly, the ZFV ecosystem, including partners like Steasy, FOOD2050 and Yumame.

Through its partnership with Valley, ZFV is eager to connect with even more Swiss food innovators. The team is currently developing a unique innovation infrastructure to further accelerate rapid market testing within the broader ZFV ecosystem.

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In summer 2023 the ZFV Group joined Valley as its first food service partner. In more than 200 meeting places across Switzerland, it is committed to integrated sustainability in the fields of catering, bakery, hotels, and children’s catering and care. The ZFV team attaches particular importance to partnerships. In keeping with the motto “Together we achieve the change”, they’ve already helped several startups to get off the ground and develop new solutions. As part of the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley, they now want to extend this goal.

In an interview, ZFV innovators Dario Notaro, CBDO, and Christian Gerber, Head of Innovation Management, offered us a look behind the scenes and shared insights into current and upcoming projects.

SFNV: You’re the Valley’s first food service partner. In your opinion, how does the food service sector influence the future of the food system?

Dario: It’s absolutely fundamental. If we consider that some 16% of greenhouse gas emissions in Switzerland caused by consumers can be ascribed directly to food, we have an effective lever for improvement – from reshaping our offer and avoiding food waste to our choice of producers. Another important point for us is transparent communication to increase our guests’ awareness of how they eat impacts the environment. Because ultimately we can only achieve the change together.

Christian: Absolutely, food service partners can inspire and enthuse guests to choose climate-friendly dishes and help them to make a positive change. We will achieve this by demonstrating the change to more sustainable thought and action and heightening awareness of it.

SFNV: Our common goal is to bring about improved health for the planet and people through innovative solutions in the fields of food, agriculture and nutrition. How is ZFV Group already involved in these fields, and what is planned for the future?

Dario: Together with startups and fellow Valley partners, we’re developing innovative solutions and banking on partnerships in order to bring about a change together. For example, with FOOD 2050 we ‘re currently implementing an innovative meal plan system in our businesses, which provides guests with information about the global warming potential and the balance of dishes. We’ve also partnered with Steasy, which is developing a simple solution for catering when out and about. And, as the first catering partner, we’re helping the team at Yumame to introduce its vegan products onto the market.

Christian: We love to collaborate with up-and-coming young businesses – it’s exciting. As a practical partner, we can offer businesses our comprehensive know-how and an opportunity to test initial implementations within our businesses, which in turn helps us to bring some pioneering spirit into our own company.

SFNV: Is this collaboration with different innovators also a reason for joining Valley?

Dario: Of course. It’s always really exciting when different partners bring complementary know-how to the table. At ZFV we seek out equal partnerships because we believe that we can only create a future that is fair for people and planet by working together. Through our partnership with SFNV, we want to expand our contribution to reshaping the food system. We regard dialogue and networking with like-minded people as enormously valuable.

SFNV: How would you like to collaborate with and support others in the Swiss ecosystem?

Dario: There is a wide range of opportunities thanks to the diverse areas in which we operate. For us the focus is on co-creation and exchange of knowledge, the joint development of new solutions. As Christian has already mentioned, we also repeatedly support new enterprises and startups and help with market launch and product development.

Christian: By opening up our ecosystem to others, we’d like to accelerate our sustainability efforts, because we can only achieve change together. We aim to provide a practical learning platform for the food tech sector in order to develop new, innovative solutions in partnership.

SFNV: What does a food system that is fit for the future look like to you? What changes are needed?

Dario: A food system that is fit for the future is an integrated system whose ecological, economic and social contexts and effects can be viewed transparently, as a whole. An integrated point of view helps to realise a collaborative solution that applies to various points in the system, which brings us back to equal partnerships and joint development of solutions.

Christian: In order to create a food system fit for the future, we must produce sustainably, reduce food waste, promote a healthy diet and ensure fair conditions for farmers and workers. A comprehensive change requires cooperation between all stakeholders and  motivation and willingness to address the complex challenges.

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