Gerber-Rauth
INVESTS IN THE DAIRY ECOSYSTEM©
AND ADJACENT SECTORS
Gerber-Rauth
Our Mission
We are using private investment to accelerate the development of novel food technologies for the alternative dairy sector and to create increasingly sustainable business models for traditional dairy.
Through our subsidiary company, L’INTERFORM and our business unit and brand MEYLAND ADVISORS, we are leveraging 50+ years of industry expertise in commercialisation and strategic advisory to support the transition of the Dairy Ecosystem© towards a viable future.
Who we are
GERBER-RAUTH is a boutique private investment company based in Milan with roots in alpine Northern Italy. Our company name and business principles originate from two distinct places in the Province of Alto Adige linked to our founding family: the Gerber farm and Rauth guesthouse.
The Gerber farm, founded in 1587, represents classic agricultural principles of resilience, social and ecological responsibility, and long-term planning. The Rauth guesthouse, formally established in 1945 but with an ancient tradition of welcoming guests traversing the Alps, stands for openness, entrepreneurship, and a pioneering spirit.
We bridge the gap between the traditional and new dairy worlds by forging partnerships with our portfolio companies and co-investors to create true, long-term value in strategic investments and commercial projects.
OUR COMPANY CULTURE
The GERBER-RAUTH team lives and breathes diversity. With as many nationalities as people, we welcome diversity of discipline, experience, thought and gender. We encourage the articulation of contrarian opinions in order to challenge ourselves and to learn from one another. Our culture is focused on and rewards results.
We believe that the best ideas are not necessarily based on seniority and seek to foster talent at all levels. We dedicate significant time to recruiting and onboarding team members who are the best fit for our business principles and we focus on retaining the best and the brightest. As such, we prioritise on-the-job coaching and mentoring, career growth with colleagues taking on real responsibilities from an early stage, and formal and informal educational opportunities.
HOW WE DEFINE THE DAIRY ECOSYSTEM ©
Business Principles
AMBITION
We are ambitious people with a strong commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
DISCRETION
We are fully aware of the importance of discretion and keep confidential the information of our clients, business partners and associates.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
We are creative, inquisitive and open-minded, and enjoy the opportunities and challenges of entrepreneurial endeavours.
INDEPENDENCE
As a business that partners with its associates, we have full freedom to act, provide un-conflicted advice, and are willing to take unconventional and contrarian views when reasonable and well founded.
INTEGRITY
We conduct our business and lives with integrity and adhere to the highest ethical standards.
LONG-TERM VIEW
We are building our business for the next generation with a continuous focus on sustainable, long-term value creation.
MERITOCRACY
We reward people based on performance and offer them the opportunity to take on real responsibilities right from the beginning.
PERFORMANCE
Our success is founded on the professional quality of our work and our ability to act quickly. We have a friendly service culture that puts clients and business partners at the centre of our operations.
REPUTATION
Our most important asset is our reputation with clients, business partners and society at large. We consistently work on building and maintaining our impeccable reputation.
TEAMWORK
We make a rare effort to identify, recruit and develop the very best in terms of our clients, business partners, and associates. We embody diversity and develop our business based on shared goals.
SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES
L’INTERFORM is an agricultural commodities broker and trader specialising in dairy, and one of the largest in Europe. L’INTERFORM manages business relationships across all sales channels, has commercialised many historical brands on the European dairy market, and in recent years, has expanded both its geographic reach to North America and its product assortment to include plant-based alternatives.
MEYLAND ADVISORS is a client-centric boutique advisory unit and brand of GERBER-RAUTH offering bespoke business consulting solutions ranging from corporate finance to risk management services for actors in the Dairy Ecosystem© and adjacent agribusiness sectors. MEYLAND ADVISORS brings inspiration and innovation to a sector where expert knowledge is much needed. It is a highly specialised niche player in a fast-changing market.
Investment portfolio
ACELLULAR AGRICULTURE
Animal free dairy proteins, fats, and flavours through precision fermentation
PLANT-BASED
Dairy-free, organic, child nutrition formulas
PLANT-BASED
Dairy-free, organic, nutrition formulas
ACELLULAR AGRICULTURE
Fatty acids, proteins and natural pigments from micro-algae
ACELLULAR AGRICULTURE
Animal free biomolecules and cheese through precision fermentation
ACELLULAR AGRICULTURE
Animal free whey protein through precision fermentation
ADJACENT INVESTMENT AREA
Social enterprise producing organic pet food
MOLECULAR FARMING
Animal free proteins through molecular farming
Exited
PLANT-BASED
Organic children’s food
PLANT-BASED
Historical, leading American plant-based and organic CPG
PLANT-BASED
First Italian, organic and plant-based CPG
Investment Thesis
We are interested in true innovation in the Dairy Ecosystem© and adjacent sectors. We pursue deep tech and intellectual property that are game changers and seek out new approaches to traditional dairy that are better for humans, animals and the planet.
We are agnostic to geography and stage but insist on a solid founding team and business models, methods and IP that are scalable and transferable. Defensible innovation with an economic moat is critical.
Our focus is on raw and semi-finished ingredients with industrial applications that can leverage our 50+ years of expertise in the value chain. In cases where we see real innovation in a branded product, we would also consider investing.
Focus areas
- Dairy ingredients derived without the animal
Novel food technologies including molecular farming, cellular agriculture, acellular agriculture, machine learning, artificial intelligence and upcycling.
- Plant-based dairy alternatives
Primarily ingredients and, where there is strategic alignment, highly innovative consumer food products.
- Traditional dairy oriented towards a more sustainable system
Businesses driving outcomes that are humane and sustainable for both animals and people.
KEY TECHNOLOGIES
AND METHODOLOGIES
WE INVEST IN
We invest in the following technological and methodological categories. The list is not exclusive as we understand that the science in our field is constantly evolving. We will evolve with it.
Acellular agriculture
Molecules harvested from microbial processes
Advanced plant-based
Food and beverages made from plant ingredients via novel processes
Animal welfare precision measurements
Technologies that evaluate lameness, mastitis and body condition, which are key welfare indicators for dairy cows
Cellular agriculture
Products made or harvested from living or once living animal or plant cells
Circular resource management
Energy-efficient technologies and practices that minimise water, land and fuel wastage
Machine learning and artificial intelligence
Tools that unlock smarter paths from raw inputs to complete outputs throughout the agri-food value chain
Molecular farming
Genetically modified plants as bio-reactors
Regenerative agriculture
Farms with practices that restore soil health, keep it productive and promote biodiversity
Upcycling
Processes by which “old” products are modified and get a second life as they’re turned into a “new” product
Our added value
- Corporate finance and general management experience and competencies
- Deep knowledge of dairy sector and agricultural value chain (including logistics, quality management and regulation)
- Extensive network of investors, including: family offices, PE/VC, sovereign wealth funds, public investment and granting entities, CVCs, acquisitive multinationals, capital markets, large and boutique investment houses
- Scientific and technical network
- Strategic partnerships (production, co-manufacturing, licensing, market access/entry)
- Thorough due diligence and investment process with clear risk management mindset
- Understanding of broad Dairy Ecosystem© player universe
- Valorisation of agricultural raw materials
Associations
We are proud members of the following national and international agri-business associations:
Contact
Gerber-Rauth
Viale Angelo Filippetti 28/A
20122 Milan (MI) – Italy
T: +39 02 693 7921
E. info@gerber.vc
VAT number: IT02930100215