Perfect Day Debuts Dairy Ice Cream Without the Cow

A biotech start-up based in Silicon Valley is scooping up animal-free ice cream that is already giving the alternative protein industry a collective run for its money.

Perfect Day co-founders Ryan Pandya and Perumal Gandhi, have merged their backgrounds in bioengineering and biotechnology to create a future where it’s now possible to eat authentic ice cream that doesn’t come from a cow.

“What we’re doing here is completely new to the world,” said Pandya.

The company produces its ‘flora-based dairy protein’ through a fermentation process that’s comparable to the way vitamins and amino acids are created.

The final product is a dairy protein that is identical to the protein found in cow milk. This gives their ice cream products the same nutrition, texture and taste as conventional ice cream.

“We wanted our first debut to be under the care of our own brand, so that we could demonstrate the consumer benefits inherent to our protein, while starting a conversation about this new approach to making food,” Pandya explained.

The dairy dessert was received well by consumers, selling out within the first 24 hours it was displayed on their website in the middle of July, and the product isn’t cheap, retailing for $60 in a bundle of three flavors including Milky Chocolate, Vanilla Salted Fudge and Vanilla Blackberry Toffee.

The company says their main goal is to provide a sustainable alternative to the dairy industry, and its positive feedback from consumers could indicate a bright future for the company to collaborate with other brands in the yogurt, cheese and dessert sectors looking to innovate.

“Our goal has always been impacted — to pave the way for a kinder, greener planet,” said Gandhi. “The best way to achieve this will be to work with food companies that already purchase huge amounts of dairy ingredients. While our B2B deals come to fruition, we are eager to share our progress with the world.”

In addition, the company has already partnered with global ingredient giant, ADM to further expand and commercialize their flora-based animal-free dairy protein on a large scale. It will be interesting to see how this company will expand in both the conventional and alternative market in the years to come.