Abstract
- A nationwide dairy strike has halted about 20% of Israel’s milk manufacturing, leaving grocery store cabinets empty and prompting buy limits for customers.
- With conventional milk scarce, cow‑free dairy manufacturers like New Milk are seeing heightened visibility.
- The disaster might assist speed up the adoption of precision‑fermented dairy.
Israel is within the midst of a nationwide milk scarcity after farmers went on an indefinite strike this month.
Round 20% of dairy provide has been halted over proposed reforms that danger decreasing shopper costs and jeopardising the livelihoods of not less than 400 dairy farms.
The transfer is unprecedented and has resulted in empty grocery store cabinets, with milk and contemporary dairy merchandise reminiscent of cottage cheese and cream all affected.
However disruption might have a shocking upside for an rising nook of the dairy area: animal-free milk.
What’s animal-free dairy: and what does it need to do with Israel?
Israel has formed up as a meals tech hub fronting different protein innovation together with dairy, meat and fish alternate options. Begin-ups together with ImaginDairy, Remilk, Aleph Farms, and ChickP all hail from the nation.
Within the dairy area, precision fermentation dairy companies ImaginDairy and Remilk made waves final fall with the discharge of Israel’s first cow-free dairy merchandise to land in retail.
The class guarantees to be a candy spot between standard dairy and plant-based alternate options by providing dairy-identical style and performance whereas nonetheless being vegan. The merchandise are usually made with precision fermentation-derived proteins which might be genetically-identical to conventional dairy: which means they’re produced in fermentation tanks, slightly than derived from an animal.
And final fall, Israel noticed the primary cow-free dairy merchandise enter retail.
ImaginDairy’s BLG protein is a core ingredient within the dairy-identical milk and cream alternate options offered by grocer Strauss Group, whereas Remilk partnered with Gad Dairy to introduce New Milk, a barista-style milk different.
The launches already performed an necessary function as case research for shopper acceptance of animal-free dairy.
However with shortages leaving gaps within the milk aisle, the absence of conventional choices will naturally heighten the prominence of this rising class.
A cowless milk provide
“The present milk scarcity in Israel implies that many supermarkets are limiting the variety of bottles that customers should purchase,” Aviv Wolff, CEO and co-founder of Remilk, advised us. “It additionally implies that customers at the moment are going through grocery store cabinets empty of conventional milk.”
However even earlier than this week’s developments, Remilk’s bottles have been “promoting out at a gentle clip”.
“We have been seeing a much more overwhelming response to the grocery store launch than we might have imagined,” he added. “The last word take a look at for a brand new product is whether or not it systematically seems on clients’ buying lists. The optimistic evaluations have included the numerous elements that one judges when making an attempt a brand new dairy expertise: style, texture, performance.”
There’s one other key USP for cow-free milk in Israel: it may be served along with a meat-based meal, which is in any other case strictly forbidden to those that observe Jewish dietary legal guidelines.
Shopper acceptance has been ‘wonderful’. “We’ve got been privileged to obtain excellent shopper evaluations, starting from style to texture to total expertise, from throughout the nation,” mentioned Wolff. “The keenness on social media and common media is difficult to overlook.”
The shortages inevitably put the highlight on these merchandise, too.
“Clearly, the present state of affairs additional underscores the benefit of a cow-impervious provide chain,” Wolff mentioned.
“We’re in ongoing contact with our manufacturing amenities, ramping up manufacturing to fulfill the sharp demand. This is applicable each to the fermented protein and the completed milk product.
“Remilk and our companions are doing our greatest to maintain the tempo to fulfill the rising demand: take into account that it is a nationwide scarcity.”
Subsequent, Remilk is aiming at cultivating long-term buyer loyalty and launching new codecs.
“Further New Milk merchandise are anticipated to enter the market within the coming months,“ Wolff advised us. ”This may strengthen the place of New Milk as not simply milk to drink along with your espresso each morning, however as a complete new dairy class.”
Can cow-free take off in 2026?
The animal-free dairy area is trying to bounce again after a few testy years for the sector, which has confronted a tricky regulatory and investor panorama.
European start-up Formo expanded its management staff because it seems to ramp up industrialization this yr, and These Vegan Cowboys is eyeing a US launch after closing a latest funding spherical.
Confidence from Israel’s retail trials might assist prop up the sector this yr.
Strauss Group, for one, has signaled perception that the class can stand by itself sooner or later. CEO Shai Babad advised this publication throughout an investor name in November 2025 that every one cow-free merchandise formulated alongside ImaginDairy had offered out.
However the restricted nature of the present retail trial means it could take a number of quarters earlier than the Israeli multi-national can draw significant conclusions relating to demand and gross sales efficiency.
“Proper now, there’s not even a degree in speaking about revenues or demand. We’ll want a pair extra quarters earlier than we even have some knowledge and actually perceive [the market],” Babad mentioned.
“However we do consider cow-free can develop to be a really huge class in Israel, to be an answer not simply in milk drinks and spreads but additionally in yogurts and desserts and in any dairy product that we now have at present.”
