She did it!
Our Stainless Steel Cow did it: by means of precision fermentation, real casein is created. Casein is the unique protein that makes cheese cheesy, stretchy and all kinds of amazing. That Margaret’s Finest is a diamond in the rough. It is 24 carat gold, not to be enjoyed as-is, but the raw material from which artisanal techniques will create the most glorious masterpieces.
Blue Stilton, Camembert, ripe Gouda, sharp Cheddar – they all start from the same humble beginnings. And did we mention…. chocolate?
Casein – the protein that makes food amazing
Casein is the key milk protein that gives cheese its stretch, chocolate its silky texture, and sports nutrition its long-lasting protein release. It’s rich in essential amino acids and digests slowly, making it perfect for muscle recovery, steady energy, and a feeling of fullness.
Unlike β-lactoglobulin (BLG) and other whey proteins that absorb quickly, casein releases amino acids over hours, and has unique functional properties – forming gels, binding water, and withstanding heat – making it essential in cheese, chocolate, and countless other foods.
At Those Vegan Cowboys, we make animal-free casein through precision fermentation – identical in taste and function to dairy casein, but produced with 90% less greenhouse gas emissions, no animal cruelty, minimal land and water use, and with extra purity and consistency.
The future of cheese, sports nutrition, and chocolate is here – and it’s kinder, cleaner, and every bit as delicious.
Partnerin’ up on the food frontier
We partner with cheese makers, chocolate producers, sports nutrition brands, and other food innovators worldwide. With our casein, you can create authentic cheeses like camembert, mozzarella, and salad cheese, develop slow-release protein products for athletes, craft premium chocolates, or add stable foams to desserts and beverages. Our tailor-made proteins can even be designed to enhance specific product properties, from perfect melt to elastic stretch.
If your company is looking for a reliable source of pure casein for high-performance food products, get in touch with us. Together, we can shape the future of food.
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Grass
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Cow
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Milk
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casein & fat
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cheese making and ripening
Water, microbial rennet and other ingredients are added.
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dairy cheese
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grass
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stainless steel cow
Microflora make casein and whey proteins, identical to those created by dairy cows. Fermentation is used to make casein in mass.
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casein
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cheese making and ripening
Water, fat, microbial rennet and other ingredients are added.
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plantbased cheese
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What about farmers?
Growing into a truly sustainable, healthy food system, we’re going to need more farmers, not less. Because the old system of a few great players monopolizing food, and livestock farming ever increasing in scale, hoarding the natural land is teetering on its last legs. Organic, plant-based, local farming, on a healthy, human scale is the way forward.
We have good reasons to aim for grass as Margaret’s primary food source. Grass doesn’t need a lot. It grows well in most places and keeps the land in the hands of our grassland farmers.
The nice thing is, talking farmer to farmer we have good conversations – very different from the polarized impression you might get from the news. We’re mostly met by forward thinkin’, genuinely interested minds, curiosity and, of course, a healthy dose of skepticism. As it should be.
What does Big Dairy make of all this?
Traditional players in the dairy biz are mostly genuinely interested, open and curious about Margaret. We already have some cool collabs goin’ on.
Is this GMO or non GMO?
Margaret’s cheese contains no GMO (genetically modified organisms). The microbes that make casein (cheese protein) get a little backpack of synthetic cow’s DNA (no cows involved), but they don’t end up in Margaret’s cheese – just like a cow doesn’t end up in a glass of milk.
So, it’s no GMO product and will not be classified as such. It is considered a novel food though and is thoroughly tried, tested and checked as we speak.
Will it be healthier than cow’s cheese? Suitable for lactose intolerance/folks with cow’s milk allergy?
The stainless steel cow opens doors to better nutritional value than cow’s cheese. You can keep what you like (protein, healthy fats, big taste) and leave out the rest (saturated fats, lactose, hormones intended for a growing calf).
Note: People allergic to casein might have the same reaction to our cheese. For now, we only know it’s lactose free.
Do we need to eat cheese at all?
A simple plant-based, organic diet with plenty of seeds, nuts, pulses, grains, fruit & veg would do the job, we think. And sure, nuts are nice, but cheese just tastes amazing. We’re working on a way to have that treat in a healthy way for everyone involved (including cows, calves & the rest of the planet). With our casein, we can just keep enjoying cheese.
What is stainless steel cow’s cheese made of?
Our Stainless Steel Cow provides casein, the essential milk protein. To this casein, some microbial rennet is added, as is the case in most cheeses today, plus some salt, water, cultures for blue, red rind or white rind etc., and plant-based or microbial fat. In short, the same ingredients as animal based cheese. We’re trying out which kinds of fats works best to make the cheese super creamy. One of the perks of this production process is, that you can choose to make it as healthy as possible: you can keep the good stuff and leave out what you don’t want or need.
What kind of sorcery is this?
Although with pretty fancy results, the basic production process behind our casein (essential milk protein) is fermentation. Just like beer, yogurt, pickles etc.
A stainless steel cow? What, why?
80% of our farmland today is dedicated to livestock, and we’re running out of planet. Our stainless steel cow Margaret does the job 5x more efficiently than her sentient sisters. She’s the next logical step in a world that will soon need to feed 10 billion people – who would still like nice cheese on their pizza’s & charcuterie boards.