UNPACKED

← Frontpage

**Dairy’s Cash Splash, From Cottage Cheese to Cow-Free Proteins**

1d ago · 5 sources · trend

Dairy is having a capital moment.

In the US, cottage cheese sales topped $2 billion in 2025, up 19.2% in dollars and 13.9% in volume, according to Circana. British brand All Things sold 1 million pots in four months after launching in January. Good Culture just landed fresh backing from L Catterton in a deal reportedly valuing it at more than $500 million to fuel scaling.

Big dairy is spending too. FrieslandCampina is putting more than €90 million into whey protein capacity in the Netherlands, with full operations expected by 2028. Bel North America invested $350 million to expand its Babybel factory amid double-digit growth for Babybel and Boursin. Walmart opened its third milk processing facility in Texas, investing over $350 million and creating more than 400 jobs. Spain’s DIA will invest €180 million in 2026 to buy around 200 million litres of milk from Spanish suppliers.

Even the alternatives are getting sharper. Aux Labs raised $4 million to commercialize animal-free dairy proteins and is scaling through existing brewing facilities in North America instead of building its own plant. In Europe, plant-based dairy holds a 21% share of the plant-based food market, versus 4% for plant-based meat.

Why it matters. Dairy is not playing defense. It is scaling, modernizing, and doubling down on protein. From cottage cheese glow-ups to precision fermentation, everyone wants a piece of the same prize. High-protein, high-velocity staples. The contrarian take? The dairy aisle is no longer a legacy category. It is a growth battleground, and capital is flooding in from every angle.

Key facts

  • Aux Labs, a Canadian animal-free dairy startup, raised $4 million to commercialize its precision fermentation platform for dairy proteins.
  • Aux Labs is using existing brewing facilities in North America to scale production instead of building its own plant.
  • In the US, cottage cheese sales topped $2 billion in 2025, up 19.2% in dollar terms and 13.9% in volume, according to Circana.
  • British brand All Things sold one million pots of cottage cheese in four months after launching in January.
  • Good Culture secured fresh backing from private equity firm L Catterton in a deal reportedly valuing the business at more than $500 million to support scaling.
  • FrieslandCampina is investing more than €90 million to expand whey protein capacity and modernise facilities in the Netherlands, with full operational capacity expected by 2028.
  • Walmart opened its third milk processing facility in Robinson, Texas, investing over $350 million and creating more than 400 jobs.
  • Spain's DIA will invest €180 million in 2026 to purchase around 200 million litres of milk sourced from Spanish suppliers.
  • Plant-based dairy holds a 21% share of the plant-based food market in Europe, compared to 4% for plant-based meat, according to Circana.
  • Bel North America invested $350 million to expand its Babybel factory in Brookings, South Dakota, amid double-digit growth for Babybel and Boursin.
  • $4 million
  • $2 billion
  • 19.2%
  • 13.9%
  • 1 million pots
  • $500 million
  • €90 million
  • 2028

Coverage