Kiwi World-First Cellular Almond Milk Signals New Era For Plant Dairy

Scott Mathias
1 hour ago
2 min read

New Zealand biotech startup Forever Harvest may have just landed one of the most consumer-relevant future food breakthroughs yet - a pilot production of what it says is the world’s first cellular almond milk. Forget the lab-coat headlines for a moment. This is really about one thing consumers already understand as almond milk booms globally. Right now though the almond industry itself is under serious pressure from water shortages, climate instability and rising production costs, especially in California, which produces roughly 80% of the world’s almonds. Almond milk has already become the world’s largest plant-milk category, with global sales forecast to exceed US$13 billion.

That is where Forever Harvest’s “cellular horticulture” model becomes commercially fascinating. Rather than growing entire almond trees requiring huge amounts of land and irrigation, the company cultivates almond cells directly inside controlled bioreactors. In theory, this could eventually produce almond flavour, fats, nutrients and functionality without needing orchards vulnerable to drought, heatwaves or water restrictions. And the implications go well beyond almonds. If the process works commercially, the same logic could potentially apply to oat, soy and coconut milk ingredients too, especially as weather volatility increasingly impacts crop yields globally.

This feels less like “alternative milk” and more like the next evolution of food infrastructure itself. Consumers are already comfortable drinking oat, almond, soy and coconut milk. The psychological leap here is much smaller than cultivated meat because the product category already exists at mass scale. The question now is whether cellular horticulture can eventually manufacture plant ingredients more reliably, more sustainably and more economically than agriculture itself. If it can, New Zealand may suddenly find itself sitting on one of the more important global future-food IP plays.

TRENOS SiGINT DATA LINK

ENDS:

Comments

Kiwi World-First Cellular Almond Milk Signals New Era For Plant Dairy

New Zealand biotech startup Forever Harvest may have just landed one of the most consumer-relevant future food breakthroughs yet - a pilot production of what it says is the world’s first cellular almond milk. Forget the lab-coat headlines for a moment. This is really about one thing consumers already understand as almond milk booms globally. Right now though the almond industry itself is under serious pressure from water shortages, climate instability and rising production co

1 hour ago2 min read

Mexico’s Avocado Empire Just Served The US A 6.8-Tonne Bowl Of Guacamole

The Mexican avocado industry has smashed a new Guinness World Record after producers in Tancítaro, Michoacán created the world’s largest bowl of guacamole bowl, weighing in at 6.8 metric tonnes and whipped up over just two and a half hours. More than 1,000 growers and community members participated in the spectacle during the 13th annual Avocado Festival, turning what could have been a quirky publicity stunt into something much bigger - a reminder Mexico remains the undispute

21 hours ago1 min read

Iranian Pistachios And The Underground Resilience Of Food Trade

Iran’s pistachio industry is quietly demonstrating something the global food system rarely talks about openly anymore: trade routes bend long before they break. While conflict, sanctions, shipping disruption and regional instability continue to pressure Iran’s export economy, pistachio exporters like DARRA Pistachios are still moving product into Europe via Türkiye’s Mersin corridor, relabeling documentation and rerouting logistics to keep supply chains alive. That may sound

3 days ago1 min read

SIAL Shanghai And The Industrialisation Of Wellness

In the aftermath of SIAL Shanghai 2026 this week, one thing is becoming unmistakably clear: Asia’s next food economy is not being built around hype, it is being built around functionality, affordability, portability and industrial scale. Across the exhibition halls, the strongest signals were not celebrity veganism or futuristic lab theatrics. Instead, brands showcased high-protein beverages, shelf-stable nutrition, AI-assisted ingredient systems, functional snacks, low-GI

3 days ago1 min read

Steakholder Foods Launches Perfecta Premium Plant Meat Into the US

The narrative that plant-based meat is “dead” keeps colliding with one awkward problem: consumers still want meat-like experiences without necessarily wanting more animals, more emissions, more industrial farming or belonging to a movement. Here comes Steakholder Foods with PERFECTA, a new U.S.-bound range of 3D-printed plant-based steaks, chicken breasts, salmon patties, white fish patties and filet mignon-style cuts looking uncannily close to the real thing.

5 days ago1 min read

Oshi - US Plant-Based Seafood Just Found Old Guard Backers And That Changes Everything

The plant-based seafood sector may have just crossed a line from “interesting startup category” into something much bigger. Oshi, the company behind the first whole-cut 100% plant-based salmon fillet in the U.S. market, has secured a US$3 million strategic investment from one of Latin America’s largest traditional seafood manufacturers. That’s not just funding. That’s the old seafood economy quietly acknowledging the future may not look like trawlers forever.

5 days ago1 min read

China Is Building The Protein Factory. ANZ Is Still Acting Like A Farm

China’s food strategy should be setting off alarms across New Zealand and Australia. Beijing is not merely trying to feed its population anymore, it is building a vertically integrated protein factory system spanning genetics, fermentation, synthetic biology, AI-led agriculture, ingredient processing and export manufacturing. Yet ANZ still largely behaves like a commodity frontier economy: grow it, ship it, hope the market stays loyal.

May 181 min read

New Zealand Truffles Move From Luxury Ingredient To Seasonal Consumer Ritual

Winter in New Zealand doesn’t just mean gumboots, soup and shorter days anymore. It also means the return of one of the country’s most quietly luxurious food sectors - black truffles. North Canterbury producer Kings Truffles has confirmed harvesting will begin in early June across its Waipara Basin and Claremont Station blocks, signalling the official arrival of New Zealand truffles for 2026.

May 171 min read

1/161

ADVERTISE WITH US

Kiwi World-First Cellular Almond Milk Signals New Era For Plant Dairy

Recent Posts

Comments

Kiwi World-First Cellular Almond Milk Signals New Era For Plant Dairy

Mexico’s Avocado Empire Just Served The US A 6.8-Tonne Bowl Of Guacamole

Iranian Pistachios And The Underground Resilience Of Food Trade

SIAL Shanghai And The Industrialisation Of Wellness

Steakholder Foods Launches Perfecta Premium Plant Meat Into the US

Oshi - US Plant-Based Seafood Just Found Old Guard Backers And That Changes Everything

China Is Building The Protein Factory. ANZ Is Still Acting Like A Farm

New Zealand Truffles Move From Luxury Ingredient To Seasonal Consumer Ritual