Mill It creates plant-based buttermilk from ancient grains

Family-owned Mill It makes dairy alternative products from sustainable ancient grains, and created a plant-based buttermilk.

Mill It Buttermilk opens up plant-based opportunities to recreate recipes for baking, and sauces  that previously could only be fulfilled with dairy ingredients. The company’s plant-based products are made from ancient grains millet and sorghum, to replace resource-intensive dairy analogs such as soybeans, almonds, tree nuts, and oats.

Cultivated for thousands of years, mostly by civilizations in Africa and Asia, ancient grains have a high nutritional value, are non-GMO and don’t require fats or hydrogenated oils to improve flavour. These attributes make them ideal bases for a wide variety of healthy and tasty low-calorie foods.

Through a patented formulation and technology two years in the making, Mill It crafts products from these grains that match the taste, texture, and consistency of dairy, while remaining hypoallergenic and rich in micronutrients.

As a crop, these grains are drought and extreme-weather resistant. They require less fertilizer and water than soybeans and almonds and provide high yields. That means they are relatively easy to grow, generate low runoff contamination, have reduced risk of crop damage and offer high-profit potential.

To facilitate growth, Kern Venture Group led a $765,000 Series Seed round. Ariel Savannah Angel Partners alongside investors from the Santa Barbara Angel Alliance and Tech Coast Angels filled out the remainder of the round. Mill It is based in Bakersfield, California.