W
e had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Leah Bessa, co-founder of De Novo Dairy, who creates animal-free proteins for human consumption using precision fermentation.
W
e had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Leah Bessa, co-founder of De Novo Dairy, who creates animal-free proteins for human consumption using precision fermentation.
My name is Leah Bessa, and I'm the CSO and co-founder of De Novo Dairy. De Novo Dairy is using the power of precision fermentation to beat nature at its own game by producing nature-identical nutritious proteins more effectively and animal-free.
I was born and raised in South Africa, lucky enough to have spent most of my life growing up in beautiful Cape Town. I wanted to be a vet from a young age. When I finally went to vet school, within my first year, I faced the harsh reality that I didn't have the stomach for it. So, I moved into Food Science in my second year because I was intrigued by the possibilities. It wasn't until my final year of studying that I finally felt a passion for product development and wanted to investigate underutilised food sources. I pursued my Master’s and PhD in Food Science, exploring the potential of insects to replace meat in Vienna sausages and burger patties.
During my PhD, I realised how much I loved researching and finding new ways of creating sustainable foods. I met an old friend, Jean, over coffee one day. After chatting about the impact this could have commercially, we started our first company Gourmet Grubb in 2016. It was in 2021 that we pivoted out of insects into precision fermentation, a technology we thought we would out-compete what we had at Gourmet Grubb. Through a mutual friend, we met Joni and Richard, who were working on something similar in Johannesburg. After one call and an in-person meeting, we started a company together - De Novo Dairy.
We're doing this for people; our food system has many problems, but the one thing we haven't managed to get right is equitable nutrition. But honestly, we mostly do it for the animals and the planet. As stewards of our earth, we are responsible for creating a better way of farming and consuming our food.
I love creating new things and watching the vision we are pushing for evolve every day. I find it very fulfilling to create my own future and be a part of something that will shape the future of food. I'm excited about our impact on people and the planet.
I was working for a corporate company in the product development department. Up until this point, I always saw myself in product development, but it wasn't until I worked at a corporate company, I realised that a corporate company wasn't for me. I wanted to make an impact or a difference in the food space and I had the opportunity to go back and continue my studies in pursuing climate-friendly protein alternatives. At the same time as starting my PhD, I started a company with Jean called Gourmet Grubb, where we developed the world's first dairy alternative from insects. While this was a bold start to entrepreneurship, I learnt a lot, and it paved the way for co-founding De Novo Dairy a few years later.
I think it's a bit more of a personality type. I've always done things slightly differently, and since I was young, I've always asked 'why' (yes, I was a why child), and annoyingly I still am. I question why or how things are done and don't always accept the reason at face value. So, if I think there's a new and potentially better way to do it, I investigate it.
Hiring the right people is a big challenge. In our previous company, we made the mistake of hiring someone without getting to know them very well. They had great technical skills but did not fit in with the company culture, which caused a lot of harm. The lesson is to take your time when hiring and focus on hard and soft skills. It is just as important to consider how a potential hire will fit in with your existing team and whether they will be comfortable in the company culture. By finding the right person for the job, you can ensure that everyone works well together and create an environment of success.
We talked with a dairy company in Spain about a protein we had often encountered. The concentration of this protein is higher in dairy, so you tend to overlook it. They were talking about many of the challenges they have with this protein. Our technology could solve that very easily and at a reduced cost to what they're paying in the market.
So, I think that was our biggest 'Aha' moment. It was a very casual conversation, and when we ended the call, we all agreed that's our protein! We pivoted quite quickly into this new protein, which we're really excited about, and we think our technology is perfect.
I think in terms of compromises, what I find challenging is the financial aspect. Most people typically go into corporate or into something quite well-established. They start with a good financial foundation because they're working, have set times off, the weekends are theirs, and so on. I studied, and I was working at the same time for the start-up. Therefore, I had to make a lot of financial sacrifices. When starting a company, you need to put the company first, so your earning potential is not the same. But you're doing it because if it succeeds, you'll be in a better financial position. So, when you start, it's always a risk – it might not pan out.
So, financially you take a lot of risks and make a lot of compromises. I think timewise, as well, because you don't have the same amount of freedom. You're so motivated to push it to get it to work, but you end up working on weekends and holidays; you're just always online. Downtime is rare, and this is definitely a compromise. But I think it also depends on the kind of person you are. When you're an entrepreneur, you thrive with that, but it's a sacrifice and compromise at the same time. You have to learn to prioritise, especially when you're building something that needs your constant attention.
I find this one difficult to answer because I don't think it will be clear-cut. I think it's going to be very different. My hope for the future is that people aren't as siloed as no one thinks there's one solution. But in reality, problems are very complex, and you need a lot of solutions. I think the future is going to be very diverse in that you need a lot of different crops, and you need a lot of protein alternatives. I don't think there's going to be one fix. I also hope the future becomes more collaborative because that's how you will fix everything.
I like Elon Musk. I wouldn't say he's an idol, but I admire how he doesn't take 'no' for an answer and forges ahead to achieve the things he sets out to do.
I've always loved the philosophy of Jeff Bezos, where he says you should be stubborn about your vision but flexible on the details. I think you start a company with a very fixed set of ideas and plans, but to make a success of it, you need to adapt to the evolving set of information that you are faced with. It is important to keep asking questions, learning and adjusting your strategy/approach while focusing on what you want to achieve (your vision).
We are all consumers, and we should never underestimate our power as consumers. We drive demand, and every purchasing decision will shape the future of what manufacturers make. So, we don't all have to start companies to make a change. We can all make a difference with each purchase we make.
If you would like to find out more about Leah and De Novo Dairy, you can find them at: www.denovodairy.com
To stay up to date with our latest content and interviews, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter.
My name is Leah Bessa, and I'm the CSO and co-founder of De Novo Dairy. De Novo Dairy is using the power of precision fermentation to beat nature at its own game by producing nature-identical nutritious proteins more effectively and animal-free.
I was born and raised in South Africa, lucky enough to have spent most of my life growing up in beautiful Cape Town. I wanted to be a vet from a young age. When I finally went to vet school, within my first year, I faced the harsh reality that I didn't have the stomach for it. So, I moved into Food Science in my second year because I was intrigued by the possibilities. It wasn't until my final year of studying that I finally felt a passion for product development and wanted to investigate underutilised food sources. I pursued my Master’s and PhD in Food Science, exploring the potential of insects to replace meat in Vienna sausages and burger patties.
During my PhD, I realised how much I loved researching and finding new ways of creating sustainable foods. I met an old friend, Jean, over coffee one day. After chatting about the impact this could have commercially, we started our first company Gourmet Grubb in 2016. It was in 2021 that we pivoted out of insects into precision fermentation, a technology we thought we would out-compete what we had at Gourmet Grubb. Through a mutual friend, we met Joni and Richard, who were working on something similar in Johannesburg. After one call and an in-person meeting, we started a company together - De Novo Dairy.
We're doing this for people; our food system has many problems, but the one thing we haven't managed to get right is equitable nutrition. But honestly, we mostly do it for the animals and the planet. As stewards of our earth, we are responsible for creating a better way of farming and consuming our food.
I love creating new things and watching the vision we are pushing for evolve every day. I find it very fulfilling to create my own future and be a part of something that will shape the future of food. I'm excited about our impact on people and the planet.
I was working for a corporate company in the product development department. Up until this point, I always saw myself in product development, but it wasn't until I worked at a corporate company, I realised that a corporate company wasn't for me. I wanted to make an impact or a difference in the food space and I had the opportunity to go back and continue my studies in pursuing climate-friendly protein alternatives. At the same time as starting my PhD, I started a company with Jean called Gourmet Grubb, where we developed the world's first dairy alternative from insects. While this was a bold start to entrepreneurship, I learnt a lot, and it paved the way for co-founding De Novo Dairy a few years later.
I think it's a bit more of a personality type. I've always done things slightly differently, and since I was young, I've always asked 'why' (yes, I was a why child), and annoyingly I still am. I question why or how things are done and don't always accept the reason at face value. So, if I think there's a new and potentially better way to do it, I investigate it.
Hiring the right people is a big challenge. In our previous company, we made the mistake of hiring someone without getting to know them very well. They had great technical skills but did not fit in with the company culture, which caused a lot of harm. The lesson is to take your time when hiring and focus on hard and soft skills. It is just as important to consider how a potential hire will fit in with your existing team and whether they will be comfortable in the company culture. By finding the right person for the job, you can ensure that everyone works well together and create an environment of success.
We talked with a dairy company in Spain about a protein we had often encountered. The concentration of this protein is higher in dairy, so you tend to overlook it. They were talking about many of the challenges they have with this protein. Our technology could solve that very easily and at a reduced cost to what they're paying in the market.
So, I think that was our biggest 'Aha' moment. It was a very casual conversation, and when we ended the call, we all agreed that's our protein! We pivoted quite quickly into this new protein, which we're really excited about, and we think our technology is perfect.
I think in terms of compromises, what I find challenging is the financial aspect. Most people typically go into corporate or into something quite well-established. They start with a good financial foundation because they're working, have set times off, the weekends are theirs, and so on. I studied, and I was working at the same time for the start-up. Therefore, I had to make a lot of financial sacrifices. When starting a company, you need to put the company first, so your earning potential is not the same. But you're doing it because if it succeeds, you'll be in a better financial position. So, when you start, it's always a risk – it might not pan out.
So, financially you take a lot of risks and make a lot of compromises. I think timewise, as well, because you don't have the same amount of freedom. You're so motivated to push it to get it to work, but you end up working on weekends and holidays; you're just always online. Downtime is rare, and this is definitely a compromise. But I think it also depends on the kind of person you are. When you're an entrepreneur, you thrive with that, but it's a sacrifice and compromise at the same time. You have to learn to prioritise, especially when you're building something that needs your constant attention.
I find this one difficult to answer because I don't think it will be clear-cut. I think it's going to be very different. My hope for the future is that people aren't as siloed as no one thinks there's one solution. But in reality, problems are very complex, and you need a lot of solutions. I think the future is going to be very diverse in that you need a lot of different crops, and you need a lot of protein alternatives. I don't think there's going to be one fix. I also hope the future becomes more collaborative because that's how you will fix everything.
I like Elon Musk. I wouldn't say he's an idol, but I admire how he doesn't take 'no' for an answer and forges ahead to achieve the things he sets out to do.
I've always loved the philosophy of Jeff Bezos, where he says you should be stubborn about your vision but flexible on the details. I think you start a company with a very fixed set of ideas and plans, but to make a success of it, you need to adapt to the evolving set of information that you are faced with. It is important to keep asking questions, learning and adjusting your strategy/approach while focusing on what you want to achieve (your vision).
We are all consumers, and we should never underestimate our power as consumers. We drive demand, and every purchasing decision will shape the future of what manufacturers make. So, we don't all have to start companies to make a change. We can all make a difference with each purchase we make.
If you would like to find out more about Leah and De Novo Dairy, you can find them at: www.denovodairy.com
To stay up to date with our latest content and interviews, subscribe to the Brighter Future newsletter.
Want valuable insights from some of the world’s most successful planet-driven founders? Join our Origin Story newsletter. Each one of our Origin Story interviews dives deep into the mind of a planet-driven founder, reveals insights about their company’s DNA, and investigates how they’ve built a successful business. Don’t miss out. Sign up today!