New Zealand biotech firm Nutrition from Water (NXW) is scaling up production of its micro-algae based whey in preparation for an overseas launch of its product within the next year.
The company – which is currently finalising a Series A fundraise to move into commercial production – said its first area for expansion would be the Global South, targeting affordable nutrition with its Marine Whey 50 products to markets such as India, China, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
NXW added that it is applications testing in partnership with leading dairy, nutrition, and ingredients companies, with a plan to produce and sell 100 MT of Marine Whey 50 over the coming 12 months to prioritised customers.
“We are producing our Marine Whey product range from our HQ manufacturing centre in Portugal and testing a variety of nutrition applications and solutions – everything from coffee creamers to mayonnaise to fat filled powders to hospital food to yoghurts to everyday baked goods,” NXW Founder & Director Alex Worker told Future Alternative.
“We’re exploring with several global partners to accelerate the Nutrition from Water category together, working in coalition to bring Marine Whey, Marine Fibre, and other specialised nutrition ingredients to market, with a focus on affordable and specialised nutrition categories,” Worker added.
NXW is backed by San Francisco-based accelerator IndieBio and global VC firm SOSV. New Zealand Olympian and SailGP sailor Pete Burling has also invested in the firm.
Marine Whey feta cheese and high protein milk. images via NXW.
Founded in 2020 and recently rebranded from NewFish, NXW sources out protein-rich nutrition from microscopic organisms found in freshwater and marine environments through fermentation.
The start-up – which recently won the ‘Nutrition For Tomorrow’ Award sponsored by Cargill – developed the technology via its partnership with marine science park Cawthron Institute, with whom it is exploring 900 strains to optimise for nutrition solutions.
NXW says that because its Marine Whey product relies on organisms grown in fermenters, it can therefore be harnessed with no interference to sentient marine life. What’s more, the company claims its production process requires only a fraction of the water, land, and time compared to other protein sources and emits a fraction of the greenhouse gases.
NXW is targeting its Marine Whey for areas including sports, medical, aged and affordable nutrition categories.
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