Irina Millar

Irina is a business consultant turned deep-tech entrepreneur. She has a particular interest in precision fermentation technology, sparked while she was working in the dairy industry. Recognising the potential of this innovative approach in creating food ingredients, Irina joined forces with distinguished molecular biologist Dr Nikki Freed and Master’s student Emily McIsaac to embark on a groundbreaking venture — Daisy Lab.

Daisy Lab’s mission is to revolutionise food production by creating dairy-identical ingredients using microbes, not cows. Irina envisions a future where New Zealand will continue to lead in the field of protein production, but will shift towards plant-based, algal and fermentation-derived proteins as the global demand for sustainable alternatives to animal agriculture continues to rise.