We’ve just secured the largest Series A FoodTech funding round in Europe, $50M. Stand by for progress, growth and CHEESE.

With a planet in crisis, a lot needs to change, and fast. Bruce Willis in a spaceship ain’t gonna cut it this time around.

The food system rates medium-to-highly on the fucked scale, clocking in a full third of Earth’s GHG emissions, scything down rainforests, exploiting workers, shooting up on antibiotics, and that’s before even mentioning the fluffy critters who are probably getting the roughest end of this ol’ deal.

Since 2019 Formo has been in the business of reimagining how and for whom the food system works. By making milk proteins using microorganisms instead of cows, we figured we could bust some of the most damaging elements of our relationship with food. Combining precision-fermentation made dairy proteins with artisanal, age-old techniques, we’re making unbelievably decadent cheese that will set the world on fire (in a good way).

That’s right — We’re talking real proteins, real cheese, unreal flavours: and all with no animals involved.

We get excited saying it and people get excited hearing it: we are as smug as anything to have secured $50M for our recent fundraising round: the largest ever European Series A food-tech deal.

This new funding will allow us to turbomegacharge our progress — pulling in more of the best brains around, move into a new Formo HQ, accelerate our research, get the world tasting our cheeses and build up capacity to produce proteins at serious scale. We are taking the dairy parlour of the future microscopic and then back up to a size that can get in the ring with industrial dairy, gloves off.

While it’s tempting to consider this truckload of fresh cash as a win in itself, it’s more important to reflect on what this money fundamentally represents: it’s trust in our rockstar team and the values we cherish, it’s recognition of our technological pacesetting, and fundamentally, belief that people everywhere are ready to make decisions every day that take us towards a better, more sustainable planet. Huge.

While dollar incentives haven’t always yielded optimal outcomes for the planet and its inhabitants, the power of money spent by each of us can foster a safer, fairer world. Money in the hands of the right communities and organisations, nurturing the right ideas and underpinned by solid morals can generate immense societal good. We are so happy that our investors see it this way, and see us as having the resolve, creed and borderline-problematic-obsession with cheese to undertake this mission.

We also recognize that technological breakthroughs will form just one aspect of the bundle of solutions needed to create a better food system. Next-gen burgers and cheese will not solve it all and we need political, business, consumer, technological and philosophical forces working in harmony to ensure a planet fit for the future. We have a role in stimulating each of these; partnering with our peers in the food community to prepare for the changes ahead, co-crafting responsible and equitable industry standards and policies with politicians, as well as introducing this new class of products to consumers. It all falls squarely into the remit of our startup, fearless and never unaware of the impact we can have on the world.

Earlier this year we set the ambitious target of replacing 10% of dairy products in Europe by 2030 using precision-fermentation. With this new investment, that goal — and the benefits to the climate, animal welfare, public health and the food system as a whole — feel closer than ever. There is much work to be done and many fantastic people who we can’t wait to join us on this journey, both inside and outside the company.

The time is now and we couldn’t be more excited about it.

Series A: A New Chapter for Cheese

Over the past two years, you may have known us as LegenDairy Foods, a biotechnology company who uses precision fermentation to create sustainable dairy products from microorganisms.

But from today you’ll be seeing a different side to us — a new name, a beautiful logo, mouthwatering imagery — because today marks the start of the exciting next chapter in our story.

We’re now Formo — the future dairy from Berlin.

As a team, we have always shared an amazing ambition and understanding of what we want to achieve — to bring irresistible change to the food system; to create sustainable products people will fall in love with; to marry our belief in great science to solve important problems, with our insatiable appetites — but to create the change we desire, we have to be able to share that vision as clearly and confidently outwards as inwards.

We want cheese-lovers everywhere to champion what we’re trying to do, to become a part of our cause.

...confronting ourselves as a team to shape a new shared narrative which embodies the spirit and strategy of the business.

The rebranding process is about more than just picking new fonts: it has been about re-engaging with the essence of who we truly are; why we’re here; what bonds us so closely together; and what that means for finding our own place in the world.

For the last few months we’ve been working as a team with creative studio forpeople in Amsterdam to reach the sharp end of these questions.

It has meant grappling and dissecting; tough conversations and tougher decisions; confronting ourselves as a team to shape a new shared narrative which embodies the spirit and strategy of the business. 

We’ve set ourselves a mission: to bring the future of food to life through science, cheese, and conversation. 

It’s our goal to bring about much-needed change in a food system out-of-balance; to champion new approaches to making delicious dairy products through a mix of science and tradition; and to involve people everywhere in the question of “what should our food system look like going forward?”

We made sense of the behaviours we all share, which guide how we act as a team and as individuals (from choosing a name, to choosing a flask!), these are the DNA of Formo:

We Live the Science — embracing the positive possibilities of scientific practice and advanced technology in dairy.

We Remix the Heritage— finding new ways to celebrate the tradition of millenia of cheese-makers.

We Show Love to The World— demonstrating best practice in responsible food-making and business practices.

We Evolve Without Fear— challenging convention and approaching the future with courage and confidence.

The challenge then became to create a kit of parts which helped us to express this DNA with clarity and poise, each element measured and tested against these ideas.

Take our name, Formo, for example: It’s the latin translation of ‘i mold, i form’.

When the Romans expanded their connections in Europe and beyond, their soft caseus didn’t travel well, so they set about innovating to create a new format of cheese which would hold its taste and flavour. They called this new cheese formaticum — meaning formed.

To us, the name Formo represents the millennia of cheese-making heritage, the science of dairy innovation, sharing and demonstrating ideas to the world, and boldly pushing into new territory.

We carried this DNA throughout every detail of our visual identity, mixing ideas of science and tradition with honesty and courage.

Our stamps are riffs on the artisan markings on Parmigiano-Reggiano wheels; our colours are derived from different blends of cheese, and lab microscopy; our photography looks to accentuate the excitement of scientific discovery, as well as the creamy indulgence of beautiful animal-free dairy.

So yes, you might see us looking a little different — moving around Berlin with our black jumpers promising a mellow, creamy, oozing, crumbling future of animal-free dairy — but for us the rebrand means reconnecting to who we were all along , and giving ourselves the best footing to take the next big step in the Formo journey.

Our founders Raffael Wohlgensinger and Dr. Britta Winterberg share the story of why and how LegenDairy Foods decided to rebrand to Formo.

From our Founders

A Note From our Founders

Changing the world is a lot about knowing what other people think and a lot about knowing what other people want. For that reason, it’s a special feeling to take a cross-sectional slice of society and ask them about the things that matter most to you. Do my ideas about the world stack up outside the cozy confines of my head? Nothing like a nationally representative sanity check to provide some answers. 

My co-researcher Chris Bryant of the University of Bath and I just took a plunge into this realm, surveying 5,000 people from around the world on whether they would embrace precision fermentation made dairy. Is the world ready to milk microbes rather than cows? We dipped our toes to check the temperature.

While Formo is laser-focused on the science and logistics necessary to bring precision fermentation dairy into the mainstream, none of that happens without a populace who can see, taste and enthuse about the arrival of animal-free dairy.

It’s for that reason that we put equal emphasis on understanding how to harmonise what people cherish about food today with the possibilities of food tomorrow. How does the vision of dairy without animals work for as many of earth’s inhabitants as possible?

Publishing our findings in a peer-reviewed journal was a thermometer reading of this question and showed some really interesting things about the way forward for a food system leaning less heavily on animals. I saw three main takeaways in the data about the state of play for companies looking to recreate animal products.

1.	People are ready to roll when it comes to precision fermentation made dairy. 

After laying out the process of copying cow DNA into microorganisms that underpins precision fermentation, a strong majority of people across all surveyed countries were ready not just to try, but also buy precision fermentation made dairy cheese, with an average of over 70% claiming that they’d be definitely or probably likely to buy. Demand will not be a limiting factor for these products and it should, thus, be full steam ahead to create the infrastructure and supply chains necessary to deliver these proteins at scale.

2. 	Flexitarians will be key in taking these products mainstream.

We’ve spent more time thinking about cheese than you’d believe and it turns out lots of different types of consumers purchase cheese: it’s been clear from the beginning we wouldn’t be making cheese products with one niche group in mind, rather catering to a spread of cheese desires. However, seeing how strongly flexitarianism predicted enthusiasm for precision fermentation dairy cheese, it looks likely this group will chaperone precision fermentation derived dairy into the mainstream. It’s tremendously promising that these consumers ‘get this product’ and are ready to embrace it, especially given the well-documented increases in flexitarianism.

Of all variables examined, the strongest predictor of willingness to purchase animal-free dairy cheese was the current level of cheese consumption. People don’t want cheese reinvented, don’t want self-driving cheese, don’t want Jar Jar Binks cheese - as a product, classic cheese makes people happy. The people currently eating the most cheese were the ones most excited about precision fermentation for dairy products. This suggests to me that, much like Impossible Food’s unapologetic ‘We Are Meat’ adverts, precision fermentation companies need to make no apologies about being real, decadent cheese. Own it, love it, showcase it - the consumers will follow.

On reflection, this piece of research was an initial gauge of how consumers will respond to animal-free dairy cheese in five different countries. It showed that once consumers understand animal-free dairy and the basics of precision fermentation, they are ready to embrace it heartily. The logical next step for companies like ours is to invest the energy and conscientiousness into expanding the breadth of people who understand the possibilities of precision fermentation, converting them to animal-free dairy cheese buyers and advocates for reducing our reliance on industrial animal agriculture.

Transparently and accessibly communicating precision-fermentation to consumers is crucial, as well as the combined research around it. I’m not unaware of the optics of precision fermentation companies publishing research into consumer acceptance of precision fermentation derived products, hence why having our research peer-reviewed and open access was so important, as well as collaborating with a fantastic research institution, the University of Bath. We need to continue in the same transparent and collaborative manner as we start to tell the story of precision fermentation to the wider world, doing so with respect, honesty and enthusiasm.

Oscar Zollman Thomas is Business Analyst at Formo and Co-Author of: Zollman Thomas, O. M. & Bryant, C. J. (2021). Don’t Have a Cow Man: Consumer Acceptance of Animal-Free Dairy Products in Five Countries.

If you could hear 5,000 peoples opinions at once? Ask them about cheese.

Cultivated cheese company LegenDairy Foods rebrands as Formo.

Leader in European precision fermentation launches consumer-facing brand
•
Growing team of experienced scientists and business executives
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New website live now

Berlin, April 21, 2021 – Cultivated dairy company Legendairy Foods today announces its rebranding to Formo as a consumer-facing brand, at the forefront of the future of cultivated dairy. Formo is the leading European player in the precision fermentation space, focusing on animal-free dairy products. 

With the new brand, Formo will bring the future of food to life through science, cheese, and conversation. Formo is the Latin word for ‘I mold, I form’ and the historical origin of the word is closely connected to the tradition of the ancient Romans improving cheese through new technology. The new website of Formo, on which the company also introduces its growing team of scientists and business executives, can be found here.

Formo uses microorganisms instead of cows to produce their animal-free milk proteins. Initially, selected microorganisms are encoded with milk protein DNA sequences. These cells then grow in a fermenter until enough protein has been produced to be harvested. The milk proteins are then combined with plant-based fats and carbohydrates to create the base for the cheesemaking process. In the traditional way, fermentation, enzymes, or heat are then used to coagulate the product into curd. From there, the Formo artisans can cover the whole spectrum of cheeses. The product can be packaged right away as fresh cheese, or ripened to create strong, unique flavors.

“We started with LegenDairy Foods as a brand to establish ourselves in the precision fermentation space. With the best talent on board and our first validated prototypes, it is the right time for us to launch a protectable consumer brand. Our new brand communicates our vision and values: changing the food system through delicious animal-free products”, said Raffael Wohlgensinger, Formo founder and CEO.

“Our team wants to make the best of European cheese culture enjoyable to the whole world. We pioneer new ways of making the hedonistic cheese products we all love, but with better, more sustainable technology and a good conscience. Formo represents our ambition to remix the heritage by combining tradition with breakthrough science.”, said Dr. Britta Winterberg, Formo founder and CSO.

Alongside the rebranding, the company is working towards bringing the first products to the consumer. Later this year, Formo is planning to host an exclusive product demonstration event in collaboration with a Michelin star chef. In addition, the team is going to release a consumer acceptance study on cultivated dairy products in the near future.

“After 6 months of close collaboration with creative studio forpeople in Amsterdam, we feel like we have nailed a name and identity that is distinctive, memorable, and most importantly adaptable”, said Roman Plewka, Formo CFO. “We identify ourselves as a purpose-driven company, and the Formo brand allows us to move beyond traditional dairy in the future as well.”

Forpeople Creative Director Patrick Niall says, “The concept at the heart of the identity is the heritage of innovation and evolution in cheesemaking. From the name Formo to the stamps and symbols from artisanal craftsmen, the strategy was to identify a language to celebrate the next evolution of deliciously high-tech dairy.”

About Formo
Formo is a food biotech company on a mission to bring the next generation of sustainable, healthy, and equitable dairy products to consumers. Formo, formerly known as LegenDairy Foods, is Europe's first cellular agriculture company developing cultivated dairy products - that is dairy which is based on real, animal-free milk proteins produced using precision fermentation. The startup was founded by Raffael Wohlgensinger and Dr. Britta Winterberg to create a more sustainable and ethical food system where change is not initiated through consumer sacrifice but rather through hedonistic products that are deliciously high-tech.

For more information and interview requests, please contact:
press@formo.bio
+49 176 66880458
High-Resolution Images are available in Formo’s press kit here

Cultivated Cheese Company LegenDairy Foods Rebrands as Formo

Meet Formo

We've rebranded, meet Formo.

Formo is a food biotech company on a mission to bring the next generation of sustainable, healthy, and equitable dairy products to consumers.

Formo, formerly known as LegenDairy Foods, is Europe's first cellular agriculture company developing cultivated dairy products - that is dairy which is based on real, animal-free milk proteins produced using precision fermentation.

The startup was founded by Raffael Wohlgensinger and Dr. Britta Winterberg to create a more sustainable and ethical food system where change is not initiated through consumer sacrifice but rather through hedonistic products that are deliciously high-tech.

Press

210913_SeriesA_Formo.pdf

Largest European Series A in FoodTech Press Release 13-09-2021

Press Kit .zip

Largest European Series A in FoodTech Press Kit 13-09-2021

Consumer Survey Press Kit.zip

Consumer Survey Press Kit 24-06-2021

210624_PR_WS (1).pdf

Consumer Survey Press Release 24-06-2021

Formo Press Release 21–04–2021.pdf

Formo Press Release 21–04–2021

Brand Elements.zip

Brand Elements (.zip)

Team Photography.zip

Team Photography (.zip)

Product and Process Photography.zip

Product and Process Photography (.zip)

Product and Process Animations.zip

Product and Process Animations (.zip)

We bring the future of food to life through science, cheese, and conversation.

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