Dutch dairy company Hoogwegt will become the first buyer of cell-cultured whole milk from Canadian food tech firm Opalia next month, and will test it in cheese, butter and yoghurt, Green Queen reported.
The first batch will be handed over at Fi Europe in Frankfurt on 17 November 2026, where the two companies will also show a prototype, said Roland Wientjes, Hoogwegt's global technology director. Quantity and price are confidential; he said the price reflects the cost of producing the batch, because "the purpose is to evaluate the technology, not to make a commercial margin."
Opalia, founded in 2020 by chief executive Jennifer Côté and chief technology officer Lucas House, grows bovine mammary cells in bioreactors and induces them to produce milk with its proteins, fats and sugars. It uses an immortalised cell line, so no more tissue needs to be taken from cows, and its serum-free process yields ready-to-use milk rather than a single ingredient, unlike precision fermentation.
The process has been validated at laboratory scale. Hoogwegt will first analyse the milk's composition and test how it behaves in fresh cheese, yoghurt and butter, both as a full replacement and in hybrid blends. "As the technology is at an early stage, further testing is needed before specific applications can be determined," Wientjes said.
Hoogwegt has invested in Opalia since 2023 and signed a two-year agreement a year ago to develop cell-cultured dairy products for commercial use.
Source: Green Queen
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