Opalia raises $3.2M for scalable dairy production

Opalia, a Montreal-based foodtech company producing real milk without cows, closes a $3.2 million CAD seed round led by Nàdarra Ventures with participation from Spring Capital, UCEED, Anges Quebec and existing investors including Investissement Québec, Cycle Momentum and BoxOne Ventures.

Opalia’s platform uses mammary cells to produce real milk in a controlled bioreactor environment, producing the same proteins, fats, and sugars as conventional dairy. Unlike precision fermentation, Opalia produces complete milk.

The company has reportedly secured a paid two-year commercial partnership with Hoogwegt and a paid pilot with the Canadian division of a global dairy group.

“We’ve moved beyond proving the science at laboratory scale, now it’s all about scaling and proving commercial viability. With real commercial partners already at the table, we’re building the infrastructure for cell-based dairy to compete globally, not just conceptually,” said Jennifer Côté, CEO and co-founder of Opalia.

Opalia’s milk is a ready-to-use end product and can be sold directly as fluid or powdered milk and can be used to produce cheese, butter, ice cream, and other dairy products without any reformulation.