HIBT Lab! New Culture: Matt Gibson and Inja Radman

Mozzarella Journey

The journey of New Culture's mozzarella innovation began with a strategic decision to focus on mozzarella due to its market size and quick production time. Matt Gibson explains that mozzarella is the best-selling cheese in the US, largely due to its use on pizzas, and its rapid production cycle allows for swift experimentation and improvement 1. Inja Radman adds that they initially focused on fresh mozzarella, but later pivoted to low-moisture mozzarella to maximize impact and shelf life 1.

We want to displace large amounts of cheese that comes from animals as soon as possible.

--- Inja Radman

The pandemic posed challenges, but the team used the time to plan meticulously, resulting in a highly productive period once lab work resumed 1.

   

Future Market

Looking ahead, New Culture aims to expand its product line beyond mozzarella, with cheddar as a potential next target. Matt Gibson notes that the decision will be based on market size, production complexity, and the current state of plant-based cheese alternatives 2. While the team is excited about future possibilities, they remain focused on establishing their mozzarella as a household name before venturing into other cheese types 2.

We do want to be the household name for mozzarella.

--- Matt Gibson

This strategic focus ensures that they can meet the demand across various channels, from national chains to local restaurants 2.