Opalia Sells First Cell-Based Whole Milk Batch to Dairy Giant Hoogwegt

Montreal-based Opalia has sold its first production batch of cultivated whole milk to Dutch dairy ingredients company Hoogwegt, marking the world's first commercial transaction of bovine mammary cell-derived milk for product development.

Montreal-based Opalia has sold its first production batch of cell-based whole milk to Dutch dairy ingredients company Hoogwegt, marking what the companies say is the first commercial transaction of bovine mammary cell-derived milk anywhere in the world. Hoogwegt will use the material for composition testing and product development, with fresh cheese, yoghurt and butter listed as potential applications. The two companies will present a prototype at Fi Europe in Frankfurt, Germany, from 17 to 19 November. The purchase builds on a relationship that began when Hoogwegt joined Opalia's CAD $2 million funding round in 2024, followed by a two-year commercial agreement in August 2025 covering 2026 and 2027. Opalia has so far validated its whole milk process at laboratory scale. "The future of dairy will be a mix of traditional and new production methods, and we want to help shape it," says Roland Wientjes, Global Technology Director at Hoogwegt. "Opalia's technology could combine everything that makes dairy valuable with more cost-effective and sustainable production." Opalia closed a CAD $3.2 million seed round earlier this year to build a proprietary modular bioreactor designed to produce 28 litres per day, which the company equates to the output of one cow. Once scale-up to larger volumes is complete, Opalia plans to license its technology to customers with Hoogwegt's support. The company intends to apply for regulatory approval in North America within the next year and is targeting food grade status in 2028. Opalia CEO Jennifer Côté and Wientjes will be at Hoogwegt's stand (51C8) at Fi Europe to meet companies interested in funding the technology's development and using the milk commercially once it reaches the market. "Our partnership with Hoogwegt demonstrates that cell-based milk is moving beyond a scientific concept and toward real commercial applications," says Côté, who co-founded Opalia.

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