Miruku, a New Zealand-based food tech company, has made significant strides in molecular farming technology, positioning itself ahead of emerging competitors in the food tech investment sector. According to CEO Amos Palfreyman, the company’s proactive approach has placed it “three to four years ahead” of its peers.

Palfreyman emphasized Miruku’s commitment to addressing challenges in traditional dairy production, as well as broader issues of food security and nutrition. The company’s focus on molecular farming technology aims to program plant cells to function as mini factories for producing proteins, fats, and sugars traditionally derived from animals.

While Miruku is not the only player in the field of molecular farming for dairy products, it distinguishes itself by targeting the business-to-business market and modifying both proteins and fats within the same plant. Safflower was chosen as the primary crop due to its resilience to varying climates.

Since securing $2.4 million in seed funding in 2022, Miruku has made significant advancements in its proprietary dairy seed system. Initially focused on programming plants to produce dairy proteins extractable from seeds, the company has expanded its approach to leverage interactions between recombinant dairy casein and native plant proteins, with or without enhanced fatty acid profiles.

Palfreyman highlighted the company’s achievement of key proof-of-concept milestones, demonstrating the viability and potential of the dairy seed system. Miruku has also expanded its team, established partnerships with food manufacturing partners, and broadened its presence to Israel and Australia, serving as the launchpad for market entry.

In its latest funding round, Miruku secured $5 million in what Palfreyman described as a pre-Series A round. Led by Motion Capital and including participation from seed round investor Movac and new investor NZVC, the funding will support the company’s crop development efforts. Miruku will collaborate with CSIRO, the Australian government agency for scientific research, to conduct field trials of modified safflower varieties in Australia.

Looking ahead, Palfreyman emphasized the company’s focus on advancing its technology and expanding its footprint, particularly in Australia and potentially the United States. With continued investment and innovation, Miruku is poised to further disrupt the dairy industry with its plant-based dairy technology.