Mi Terro is a biotech that rescues food waste and re-engineers it into sustainable fibers to replace plastic. There are two components of our technology. First, we turn bad food into good food. We extract bacterial-grown casein protein from bad milk and purify it into "good" casein protein. Once we have the "good" casein protein, it can be made into healthy food again. Second, we re-engineer the good casein protein into biodegradable and affordable fibers and biopolymers that can be used to replace petroleum-based materials. We are giving food waste a new life.
Current Status
We started with a B2C approach to validate the market. We have generated more than $100,000 online sales of our brand products in the first 8 months, selling to customers from 40 countries. We've launched our products in China and Japan. We have been featured in more than 100 internationally-recognized publications, such as Forbes, Business Insider, Bloomberg, WWD, Vogue, and China's Central Television. We've filed 2 patents and will file 4 more inventions in 2020.
Market
Because of our revolutionary technology, Nike, Danone, Toyoshima, XRC Lab, and Ping An Insurance are our clients. We have signed LOI with H&M, Ralph Lauren, Richemont, and Asmara. We are partnering with Dairy Farmers of America to secure our upstream resources. We have customers from the fashion, textile, bed appliances, and packaging industries.
Problem or Opportunity
Food waste creates 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases, which equals 37 million cars driving on the road at the same time. 128 million tons of milk are thrown away every year globally. The world doesn't need another food delivery service, it needs a solution to solve food waste. At the same time, fashion and packaging companies are searching for high-quality, affordable, and sustainable alternatives to replace plastic. Mi Terro is the solution! Currently, there are two types of fibers in the world: petroleum-based (ex. polyester) and plant-based (ex. cotton, bamboo, modal, etc.). We are creating a third type of fiber, which is protein fiber made from food waste. The food waste industry is $1.3 Trillion globally, the packaging industry is $900 Billion globally and the textile industry is $1 Trillion globally.
Solution (product or service)
Mi Terro is the world's only biotechnology company that rescues food waste and re-engineers it into sustainable fibers and biopolymers to replace plastic in the fashion, medical, and packaging industries. There are two components of our technology.
First, we turn bad food into good food. We extract bacterial-grown casein protein from bad milk and purify it into "good" casein protein. Once we have the "good" casein protein, it can potentially be made into healthy food again. This solution not only saves millions of food from going to waste but also feeds people in need.
Second, we re-engineer the good casein protein into biodegradable and affordable fibers and biopolymers that can be used to replace petroleum-based materials in the fashion, medical, and packaging industries. We are giving food waste a new meaning of economic value for a better environmental cause.
Through our patent-pending technology, we created the world's first sustainable apparel line made from excess milk. We are also inventing the world's first biodegradable, non-toxic, water-soluble, durable, and edible food packaging film made from cheese whey waste.
We are replacing petroleum-based materials with protein-based materials made from food waste. We are redefining the circular economy in which everything begins with food waste and ends as recyclable or biodegradable.
So far, the majority of innovation in food- and ag-tech is based on genetic engineering, plant engineering, mechanical engineering, AI, and computer science. There’s a lot of room to innovate using materials, like nanomaterials and biomaterials. We are turning food waste into fruit coating and other applications that can prevent more food from going to waste. We are taking a world problem and making it into a world solution.
Competitors
Currently, there are two types of fibers in the world: petroleum-based (ex. polyester) and plant-based (ex. cotton, bamboo, modal, etc.). We are creating a third type of fiber, which is protein fiber made from food waste.
Advantages or differentiators
Qmilk is a German company that blends fresh milk protein with acrylic (petroleum material) to create fiber, which is costly, time-consuming, and harmful to the environment and the human body. Compare to Qmilk, Mi Terro has the world's only technology that directly uses milk waste (expired & spoiled), and the final product is 100% biodegradable. Our fiber is cheaper than organic cotton and modal, requires 60% less water compared to organic cotton, and 100% biodegradable. We partner with Dairy Farmers of America, Danone, Nestle, and GM to secure our upstream resources. We also have partners like Nike and H&M. We are consolidating the entire supply chain. We've filed 2 patents and will file 4 more inventions in 2020. We also have a team of serial entrepreneurs, Ph.D. material scientists, professors, chemists, and marketing experts that have demonstrated successful results.
Finance
We started with a B2C approach to validate the market. We have generated more than $100,000 online sales of our brand products in the first 8 months, selling to customers from 40 countries. Our retail price for the milk shirt is $40. Our product margin is 75-80%. Our wholesale margin is 50%. Our fiber will be cheaper than modal and organic cotton.
Business model
Our business model is B2B2C and licensing. We can sell fiber and final products (customized and standard). We will license our technology once it is patented.
Money will be spent on
70% on technological development, 20% customer acquisition, and 10% backup.
Technology might take longer to develop than expected. Demand is higher than supply.
Incubation/Acceleration programs accomplishment
USC Incubator Lair East Lab The Batchery Dairy Farmers of America Accelerator MassChallenge Boston
Won the competition and other awards
We won the First Place and People's Choice Award at the 6th Annual U.Pitch National Collegiate Elevator Pitch Competition & Showcase - Presented by EY! We were a winner of the USC New Venture Seed Competition. We won the Startup World Cup Chicago Regional. We won the Entre virtual pitch competition In addition, we won the Falling Walls NYC.
Invention/Patent
Already filed 2 patents and will file 4 more patents in 2020.