Cowboys with capital: Those Vegan Cowboys rope in €6.25 million for animal-free dairy

Those Vegan Cowboys has secured €6.25 million (US$6.9 million) in its first external funding round, providing fresh momentum as the Ghent-based food technology startup advanced its cow-free casein toward commercial deployment and prepared for a future crowdfunding campaign.

The precision fermentation company reported that the round was led by Pieter Geelen, Co-founder of navigation technology company TomTom, with participation from Dutch cheese producer Westland Kaas, known for its Old Amsterdam brand, and Wouter Veenboer, Co-founder of ad automation platform ProductHero. The funding was expected to support operations for the next two years as the company moved closer to regulatory clearance in the United States and scaled up toward market entry.

Those Vegan Cowboys focused on producing casein, the key structural protein in dairy, using microbial fermentation rather than cows. Casein underpins the melt, stretch, and texture of cheese and plays a central role in chocolate and sports nutrition products, making it a critical target for companies seeking to replicate conventional dairy functionality without animal agriculture.

“Those Vegan Cowboys produces real cheese, without the cow,” commented Hille van der Kaa, CEO of Those Vegan Cowboys. “We make casein, the key milk protein, through precision fermentation for use in cheese, chocolate, and sports nutrition. Our mission is simple: to take animals out of the food chain.”

Van der Kaa framed the funding as a turning point for the company’s transition from technical development to commercial execution. “This is where sustainability, technology and industry come together,” she said. “Our partners recognise that animal-free casein is no longer a distant vision, but ready for commercial application. This investment allows us to move from development to market entry.”

The funding round came amid continued capital flows into precision fermentation and adjacent food technology segments across Europe in 2025, despite a more cautious investment climate. Recent rounds included €2.5 million (US$2.8 million) raised by Porto-based PfX Biotech to develop allergy-free human milk proteins, €1.7 million (US$1.9 million) secured by Copenhagen-based SUMM Ingredients to accelerate commercial rollout of its fermented protein ingredient, and a €24 million (US$26.4 million) Series B closed by Netherlands-based Revyve to scale yeast-derived proteins designed to replace eggs and additives.

Additional fermentation-focused companies reporting funding during the year included Fungu’it, which raised €4 million (US$4.4 million) to develop fungi-based natural flavorings, and EvodiaBio, which secured €6 million (US$6.6 million) to scale fermentation-driven flavor technologies. Together, those rounds represented approximately €38 million (US$41.8 million) invested in fermentation-led food innovation, excluding the latest financing secured by Those Vegan Cowboys.

Westland Kaas described its participation as part of a broader commitment to innovation alongside traditional dairy production. “As Westland Kaas, we have always combined tradition with technology,” added Frank Fischer, CFO of Westland Kaas. “We continue to invest in innovation to reinvent cheese for future generations. Our investment in Those Vegan Cowboys reflects our commitment to open innovation and next-generation food technologies.”

Founded in 2020 by former The Vegetarian Butcher founders Jaap Korteweg and Niko Koffeman, Those Vegan Cowboys has built its strategy around functionality rather than novelty. By reconstructing dairy at the protein level, the company aimed to overcome the limitations of conventional plant-based cheese alternatives.

“Our casein is more functional and efficient than traditional dairy proteins, which means it can ultimately be produced at a lower cost,” van der Kaa said. “A true win-win for both the planet and the market.”

The company reported that it was already working with ten industrial partners across Europe on applications ranging from melting mozzarella-style products to semi-hard cheeses. It previously collaborated with Westland Kaas on the plant-based cheese brand WildWestLand, an early commercial exploration that combined product development with market testing.

Looking ahead, Those Vegan Cowboys reported plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign, which would open the company to retail investors alongside institutional backers. The initiative was expected to serve both as a capital-raising exercise and a way to build broader public engagement with precision fermentation dairy proteins.

Van der Kaa described 2025 as a year of tangible progress. “We signed multiple partnerships and letters of intent, and made significant progress toward price parity with traditional dairy proteins,” she said, pointing to cost competitiveness as a critical threshold for large-scale adoption.

The company planned to begin selected tastings of cheese prototypes in the Netherlands in 2026, offering early partners and supporters the opportunity to experience products made with cow-free casein firsthand. Its priorities for the coming year included scaling production, lowering costs further, and advancing regulatory approvals across key markets.

“Development to market is the leap most food innovations never make,” van der Kaa said. “That’s the hardest part – and we’ve made it.”

With fresh capital secured and commercial preparations underway, Those Vegan Cowboys reported that it was entering a new phase focused on translating protein-level innovation into finished dairy products capable of performing at industrial scale.