Daisy Lab precision fermentation assets acquired by Mycofeast

Auckland-based biotechnology start-up Daisy Lab has been acquired by UK firm Mycofeast, a move that shifts the scale of its precision fermentation operations from local laboratory production to global industrial manufacturing. The transaction, completed without a publicly disclosed price, allows the company to deploy its technology for producing animal-free dairy proteins, such as lactoferrin, at a capacity far exceeding New Zealand's current industrial infrastructure. Daisy Lab, founded in 2021, cultivates genetically modified yeast to produce high-value proteins used in infant formula and functional foods. Previously, the industry standard required extracting these proteins from cow's milk or dairy byproducts. By using precision fermentation, Daisy Lab offers an animal-free alternative with specific anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. The company had operated from a facility in Parnell, Auckland, where it secured Environmental Protection Authority approval in mid-2024 to scale production to 5,000 litres of fermentation volume in a contained laboratory setting. Global Integration and Production Shift The acquisition connects Daisy Lab's research and development team in Auckland with Mycofeast's industrial capabilities in Poland and the United States. Mycofeast, an industrial biotechnology group that has expanded through acquisitions since 2023, possesses the manufacturing infrastructure necessary for large-scale production. This structural change addresses the economic bottleneck of scaling: while New Zealand provides the scientific foundation, the capital-intensive infrastructure for mass production resides in Mycofeast's existing European and North American sites.