Eden Brew, an Alternative Protein Precision Fermentation Milk Company, Wins BCG Digital Ventures’ Australian Social Ventures Climate Program
BCG Digital Ventures celebrates World Environment Day by naming ground-breaking animal-free milk brand Eden Brew as the inaugural recipient of the Australian social ventures climate competition
“Only one Earth” is the theme for World Environment Day 2022, encouraging humanity’s transition to a greener mode of living — a timely reminder of the need for business leaders to highlight and embrace the corporate feasibility of climate tech.
BCG Green Ventures is a joint venture between the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and BCG Digital Ventures (BCGDV). Formed a year ago, the dedicated team and offering focuses on initiating corporate partnering to invest in, co-build, and scale high-impact climate action ventures.
At BCGDV, we believe business innovation must intersect with climate realities. Corporate action is key to securing a future where products designed to minimize climate change ideally dominate industries, and future revenue streams.
Our ethos is evident in the hundreds of sustainability projects involving BCGDV, and our continued commitment to expanding business ecosystems that support a flourishing global movement toward net zero society that retains shareholder interest.
The BCG Green Ventures and BCGDV incubation initiative offers invaluable support opportunities for climate tech innovators and entrepreneurs hoping to create positive impact on social and environmental causes through sustainable technologies.
“Climate action through clear sustainable innovation is an urgent priority,” says Daniel Jarosch, Managing Director and Partner at BCGDV(Sydney). “We need to facilitate the corporate collaborative development and growth evolution of climate tech ventures.”
Launched in 2021, the inaugural Australian climate impact start-up competition targets early stage, climate tech start-ups most likely to benefit from the pro-bono support of BCGDV’s team of expert venture builders.
The first Social Ventures competition theme, “Protect the Planet ‘’ encapsulates BCGDV’s and BCG Green Ventures’ passionate commitment to innovators, leaders, and founders building products that offer transformative present and future climate solutions.
With an overwhelming response of entrants, finalists participated in a live pitch event at the Digital Ventures’ Center in Sydney. Judging criteria covered analysis of climate impact, product traction, market opportunity, and founder impact.
The winner of this year’s competition, Eden Brew, is on the cusp of revolutionizing global milk supply through a laboratory process known as precision fermentation that creates all six proteins, nature-identical to those found in cow’s milk and combines them into a micelle to match the cow’s milk experience — sustainably and animal free. Micelle gives cow’s milk its unique properties; the heat stability allows us to process and cook with it, and to enjoy hot or cold. Eden Brew’s advanced micelle technology can recreate cow’s milk without the cow and without compromising on the dairy sensory experience. Plant-based alternatives simply can’t match the taste and texture of cow’s milk.
Eden Brew takes a leading edge environmentally friendly approach to addressing longstanding market demand for milk, animal and plant-based products. Eden Brew was co-founded by Jim Fader, Main Sequence, CSIRO, and Australia’s only 100% farmer-owned dairy cooperative, Norco.
“By unlocking the ability to create milk through fermentation, Eden Brew has the opportunity to transform the burgeoning alternative protein market,” says Jim Fader, co-founder of Eden Brew. “Our focus is delicious, animal-free dairy but the applications for the nutrition delivery platform we’re developing is a multi trillion dollar market. Winning the social ventures competition validates that potential.”
He goes on to say: “collaborating with BCG Digital Ventures Australia offers invaluable expert insight, helping us refine aspects of our business model as we progress toward meeting growing consumer demand for sustainable milk that doesn’t compromise on taste and texture, whether for health or ethical motivations.”
Eden Brew’s ground-breaking product is also notable for being lactose-free, and low in allergens. The environmentally friendly production addresses the conundrum many present-day farming practices present to a climate-friendly future. Eden Brew is backed by science from Australia’s premier science institution, CSIRO, Australian dairy farmers through Norco, Australia’s only 100% farmer-owned dairy cooperative and venture capital visionaries; Australian-based Main Sequence Ventures and US-based, Digitalis Ventures.
The United Nations projects a global population with a continued reliance on traditional farming methods will require three planets to address demand. In this context, Eden Brew is the new dawn of dairy, ensuring it can be enjoyed for generations to come — sustainably.
One liter of Eden Brew takes ten liters of water to create. The same amount of dairy milk requires one thousand liters of water, while almond milk requires six thousand liters of water. Eden Brew is set to utilize a fraction of the water and land. Third-party Life Cycle Assessment reports based on globally recognized ISO standards project a three fold improvement on GHG emissions and a 19 fold improvement on land use.
The doubling of protein demand driven by the explosion of the middle classes means that dairy needs to evolve to meet demand sustainably. The Eat-Lancet Report and World Resources Institute both forecast more than a fifty percent increase in demand for protein by 2050, based on the premise of feeding a global population of around ten billion healthy diets sustainably.
Eden Brew’s foresight in providing a form of alternative protein that equals no eutrophication of waterways, and no animals or methane, holds vast environmental significance, hence the win of the BCGDV Social Ventures climate competition. As part of BCGDV’s Australia pro bono work, Eden Brew experienced invaluable access and support from a specialized business building team, enhancing the value creation and performance potential of the climate tech company.
Over five weeks, Eden Brew partnered with the BCGDV design team who helped with website redesign and incorporating their new branding. Our specialists helped define the company persona, and establish a problem statement to drive the new Eden Brew website.
The inception of a sophisticated online presence is foundational for future digital marketing strategies integral to business building, attracting talent and investors alike. The BCGDV design team worked with Eden Brew to produce a high-performing platform.
Eden Brew joins BCGDV’s growing list of Social Impact winners and change-makers, including Impacc, a green ventures company donation marketplace in Africa, and Recup, a deposit-based system for hospitality addressing reusable containers and Plan A, which helps companies build a decarbonized and sustainable economy using data and science.
