Perumal Gandhi, 30 (pictured right) and Ryan Pandya, 29, (left) have created what they describe as a unique niche in the booming market for animal-free dairy alternatives.
Their company, Perfect Day, uses a fermentation process to create the key proteins that give bovine milk its functionality, versatility, and nutrition, in a process that they say puts a lot less stress on the environment. While fermentation has been used to create small amounts of specific enzymes and other food ingredients, Perfect Day is a pioneer in using the process to create dairy proteins, says Pandya, co-founder and CEO.
“We see dairy ingredients as an amazing place to start,” he says. “The industry already knows dairy ingredients, and is already structured that way.”
Pandya and Gandhi recognized early on that dairy ingredients were used in a range of common food products, from soup to crackers, and they decided to focus the company’s energies on that niche, providing an ingredient that could allow these products to be labeled as free of animal products.
“We are now at the forefront of being able to make high-volume, low-cost, extremely pure ingredients using fermentation, which has never really been done before,” says Pandya.
Perfect Day, named after a Lou Reed song that according to one report puts dairy cows in the mood to produce more milk, has also launched Urgent Company, which seeks to develop environmentally friendly CPG brands. Urgent Company’s first product, Brave Robot vegan ice cream, rolled out last year and has enjoyed strong sales, says Pandya.
Pandya and Gandhi have attracted significant funding and several high-profile backers, ranging from leading dairy scientists to celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and business leaders such as Robert Iger, chairman of The Walt Disney Co.
Pandya says the company is seeking to partner with companies in the dairy-products industry to help them rethink their product formulations and reduce their impact on the environment.
“We approach other companies in the dairy industry with open arms and a spirit of collaboration,” he says.
Related: 12 Under 35: Ross Mackay, Co-Founder, Daring; 12 Under 35: Kim and Vanessa Pham, Omsom.