AB InBev’s ZX Ventures and Clara Foods to scale up fermentation of animal-free proteins

ZX Ventures – the global investment and innovation group of AB InBev – has announced a new partnership with Clara Foods, which will focus on unlocking the potential of precision fermentation at a large scale.

Clara Foods specialises in engineering, manufacturing and formulating animal-free proteins using precision fermentation. In 2019, the company secured funding in a Series B round led by Ingredion.

Through the partnership, the companies aim to explore the development of sustainable, animal-free egg protein ‘brewed’ on a large scale, in order to address global food challenges.

The R&D partnership will draw on AB InBev’s expertise in scaled, food-grade fermentation and downstream processing from its large-scale brewing process. Meanwhile, Clara Foods will lend its technology knowledge in animal-free, performance proteins.

As part of the research, Clara Foods will work with BioBrew – a technology platform venture in ZX Ventures that is exploring opportunities to apply large-scale fermentation and downstream processing expertise beyond beer.

“Meeting the increased demand for food requires breakthrough solutions built on collaboration and innovation that spans several industry domains – both old and new. The ancient and natural process of fermentation can be further harnessed to help meet future demands in our global food system,” said Patrick O’Riordan, founder and CEO at BioBrew.

“We look forward to exploring the development of highly-functional, animal-free egg proteins with Clara Foods in a scalable, sustainable and economically viable manner.”

Arturo Elizondo, CEO and co-founder of Clara Foods, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the world’s largest fermentation company to work together to enable a kinder, greener, and more delicious future. Working with BioBrew, ZX Ventures, and the broader AB InBev group truly allows us to harness our novel technology and bring it to scale – and the possibilities are immense.”