Bettani Farms Rebrands with $6.5 Million Funding to Redefine the Future of Dairy-Free Cheese

Courtesy: Bettani Farms

In a market where plant-based cheese has yet to find its “oat milk moment,” a familiar name in food tech is reemerging with new ambitions and a new identity. Climax Foods, known for its AI-powered ingredient discovery platform, has officially rebranded to Bettani Farms, signaling a shift toward scalable, seed-based innovation. Alongside the rebrand comes a $6.5 million initial close of its Series A round, led by S2G Investments, and the appointment of Sandeep Patel, former CFO of Califia Farms, as CEO and Chairman.

The changes mark more than a name update; they underscore a recalibration of strategy in a category that has struggled to deliver on early hype. Plant-based cheese remains one of the toughest segments in alt-protein, plagued by subpar texture, poor meltability, and lack of nutrition. While plant milks now command nearly 15% of the U.S. dairy market, cheese alternatives hover around 2%. The gap has left innovators searching for the holy grail: a product that tastes, performs, and nourishes like the real thing.

A Seed-Based Solution to the Dairy Dilemma

Bettani believes it has found that solution in Caseed™, its proprietary protein made from regenerative field crops. Unlike precision fermentation approaches that rely on engineered microbes to reproduce dairy proteins, Bettani’s platform uses naturally occurring seed proteins to mimic casein, the complex molecule that gives cheese its signature stretch, melt, and mouthfeel.

“Bettani is poised to do for pizza what oat milk has done for coffee,” said Patel. “Our Caseed™-powered cheeses deliver the melt, stretch, texture, and flavor consumers crave, without the allergens and high carbon footprint of dairy.”

That claim will be tested soon, as Bettani readies its first commercial launch: mozzarella, feta, and other cheese varieties with 12–20 grams of protein per 100 grams, all non-GMO, dairy-, soy-, and nut-free. The company says its ingredient offers a neutral flavor and creamy texture that make it suitable for both melty and crumbly cheese styles, from brie to cream cheese to blue.

Beyond sensory appeal, the seed-based approach carries practical advantages. By sourcing from regenerative crops instead of fermentation vats, Bettani hopes to deliver a cost-competitive and scalable alternative to dairy that sidesteps the capital intensity and supply chain complexity often tied to microbial fermentation.

Strategic Leadership for a Second Act

Patel’s appointment signals a new phase of operational discipline and commercial focus. With a background that spans corporate finance at Goldman Sachs and Barclays to leadership roles at Califia Farms and PopSockets, Patel brings both strategic and sustainability credentials to the table. His task now: guide Bettani from R&D promise to market presence.

To that end, Bettani has quietly assembled a leadership bench rich in plant-based experience. Rajiv Dave (Califia Farms, Nestlé, Great Lakes Cheese) joins as SVP of R&D; Tom Zilligen (NUMU, Pacific Foods, Schwann) as SVP of Sales; and Maxwell Brown (Meati, Ingredion) as Process Engineer. Together, they aim to move Bettani from startup mode to a full-fledged supplier for foodservice, frozen foods, and private-label brands seeking to improve their dairy-free offerings.

Riding the Protein Wave

The rebrand comes as consumers increasingly seek foods that balance nutrition, sustainability, and taste. According to a recent U.S. survey, 71% of adults are trying to increase their protein intake, while allergen-free and clean-label claims continue to influence purchasing behavior. Meanwhile, new data from Square shows that half of all coffee transactions in North America now include plant-based milks, with oat milk representing 70% of those choices. Yet cheese has lagged far behind, still searching for its crossover moment.

“Cheese is the third most carbon-intensive major food group after beef and lamb, and the most water-intensive,” said Sanjeev Krishnan, managing partner at S2G. “As Bettani starts this new chapter, we believe it has the leadership and vision to make protein-rich, dairy-free cheeses commonplace.”

Beyond Fermentation Fatigue

Bettani’s seed-based technology arrives at a pivotal moment for the alt-protein industry, which has seen both investor fatigue and consolidation in recent months. Precision fermentation pioneers like New Culture, Formo, and Change Foods have made scientific breakthroughs in animal-free casein, but scale-up costs and regulatory hurdles remain steep. Bettani’s approach, anchored in natural proteins and regenerative agriculture, positions it differently: closer to the farm, and potentially faster to market.

If successful, Bettani could offer a third path in the future of dairy alternatives, one that bridges the gap between plant-based simplicity and biotech sophistication. The company’s tagline, “Better with Bettani,” is more than branding; it’s an implicit promise that the next evolution of dairy-free cheese will be rooted not just in innovation, but in accessibility and sustainability.

A Taste of What’s to Come

Bettani will showcase its products publicly for the first time at MISTA’s Growth Hack Demo Day in San Francisco on October 8, followed by Bridge2Food in Minneapolis later in the month. With the backing of S2G and a team steeped in both food science and business scaling, Bettani now faces the ultimate test: can it make plant-based cheese not just an alternative, but the preferred choice?

For a category that’s long promised more than it’s delivered, Bettani’s rebrand suggests renewed optimism, one where seeds, not microbes, may finally hold the key to unlocking cheese’s sustainable future.