Two innovative Singapore companies are teaming up to launch the world’s first RTD coffee beverages made with animal-free lactoferrin and oat milk.
Branded LF+, the lactoferrin is produced by Singapore and San Francisco-based Turtle Tree using precision fermentation. It is described by the company as “the world’s first sustainably produced lactoferrin”.
The creation of LF+® makes Turtle Tree a rare example of a company that uses precision fermentation not to create everyday dairy protein such as that found in yoghurt or cheese, but instead going after the high-value dairy fraction that is lactoferrin.
With the potential to benefit immune health and gut health, dairy-source lactoferrin is used extensively in infant and medical nutrition, notably in Asia. It is thought of by many as the highest-quality protein that can be derived from milk, but there has recently been a supply shortage of the ingredient. This is reflected in the price, with dairy-derived lactoferrin selling at around $1000 per kg compared to $20-30 per kg of whey or casein. Turtle Tree is now hoping to help fill the supply gap, competing on price with dairy.
The powerful ingredient will be incorporated into an RTD oat milk coffee from MAD Foods, a Singapore-based producer of plant-based beverages. The product will come in three varieties: decaf, single shot and double shot. Expected to launch in mid-2025, it will initially be available in Singapore and Malaysia, with expansions planned for Australia.
MAD Foods says that the partnership helps them “revolutionise your favourite oat milk lattes” and that LF+® is “as kind to animals as it is powerful for you”. It promotes lactoferrin mainly on platforms of gut health, immune health and iron regulation.
For Turtle Tree, getting sales from LF+ has become an urgent matter. Media reports say that the company has burned through the $40 million that investors have put into it and is struggling to raise a new round of $15 million. It is said to have laid off staff, cutting its employee head-count from 24 to 9
