UK brand Mighty is about to release a plant-based drink range that ‘tastes, looks and feels like dairy milk’. Their milk mimicking drinks will be available in major UK supermarkets from mid-January including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, and Amazon.
Unlike the plant-based milk alternatives on the market, the company hopes their creamier dairy dupe could tempt consumers to make the vegan switch. “With more and more people looking for ways to cut down on their impact on the planet, this technology is vital in being able to convert dairy loyalists without comprising on taste, bringing plant milk, and Mighty, to the masses.”
The drinks are made from protein isolates drawn from yellow split pea and oat. These plant ingredients resemble the taste and texture of dairy so closely because they are subjected to a ‘precision fermentation’ process. This technique manipulates microorganisms so that they create ingredients with specific properties. This will be a welcome tool for the vegan food industry as it can deliver quality alternative proteins without animals. Precision fermentation is drawing increasing attention in the food tech sector as it becomes cost-competitive with animal protein production.
“This is the biggest development in plant milk technology and is an exciting time for us to be at the forefront of innovation in the category,” said Mighty co-founder Nick Watkins. “M.lkology will launch the third generation of plant milk with precise fermentation to create a product closer to milk than has ever been seen before.” Watkins founded Mighty in 2018 with his brother Nick Watkins. The company is based in Leeds, Yorkshire.
Mighty has developed their new range using the £4.5 million in seed funding they received in December 2021. The company also plans to use the money for international expansion. This December round came from Bittburger Centures, Schadeberg Fmialy Office, VRD Ventures, and Latsco Family Office. This investment pushed the company’s total funding to £8 million.
The company has been highly rated for its environmental impacts by Mondra, a certification company that analyses the carbon emissions, biodiversity, water usage, and water pollution across brands’ supply chains.
