Daisy Lab

Reimagining Dairy with Precision Fermentation

Daisy Lab is a New Zealand-based biotech start-up using precision fermentation to produce dairy-identical proteins without cows.

Founded and led by an all-women team of scientists and operators, the company is on a mission to transform the global food system with more sustainable, scalable, and ethical alternatives to animal agriculture.

Using microbial fermentation, Daisy Lab produces whey proteins that are molecularly identical to traditional dairy, but without the environmental footprint. The result: dairy proteins with no cows, fewer emissions, and dramatically reduced land and water use.

Formed by co-founders Irina Miller (CEO), Dr. Nikki Freed (Chief Science Officer), and Emily McIsaac (Operations Manager), Daisy Lab brings together deep scientific pedigree and operational grit. The company has already made significant strides in scaling its microbial whey protein and is actively developing caseins to further expand its dairy-free offering.

Backed by leading investors including The Values Trust, Icehouse Ventures, Outset Ventures, and Even Capital, Daisy Lab recently closed an oversubscribed NZD $1.5 million seed round to accelerate R&D and scale production.

Why Daisy Lab Is a Great Place to Work

Mission-Driven Innovation Every day, the team is working on technology that has the potential to reduce emissions, challenge the status quo in dairy, and improve global food security.

Female-Led, Science-First Led by women with expertise in biotech and commercialisation, Daisy Lab is proud to be part of a new wave of science-based climate solutions founded in Aotearoa.

Backed by Industry and Impact Investors With support from top investors and a newly appointed Chair, Leon Clement (former Fonterra executive), the team is well-positioned to collaborate with industry and bring precision fermentation to market at scale.

From the Dairy Capital of the World New Zealand’s legacy in dairy makes it a unique launchpad for Daisy Lab’s next-generation approach, building on the past, but with a radically different vision for the future.