A Cheeky Chat With Vedant, Development Scientist At Formo

Get ready to join us on an adventure behind the scenes with Vedant Deshpande , aka Cheeky Badger, a Development Scientist on our Bioprocessing team based in Frankfurt.

This guy's got some serious cheesy expertise and hot takes on how biotech will revolutionize the way we eat and produce our food in the years to come.

We asked Vedant to spill the beans on his journey into the field of bioprocessing.

Trust us, he knows his whey around the alt-dairy industry ??

So, Vedant, what's the scoop? What inspired you to get into bioprocessing, and why do you do what you do?

Well, ever since I was a little, I've been fascinated with biology. I would spend hours reading through books, articles, and study materials on the topic. Fast-forward to today, and I'm still absolutely fascinated by the ability of biotechnologists to mitigate the effects of climate change, reduce the carbon footprint of traditional processes, and develop more sustainable methods.

Tell us a bit more about what you do at Formo. If you had to explain your job to a 10-year-old kid, what would you say?

Ah, that’s a tricky one but here we go! You know how foods like chickpeas, nuts, and even green peas are full of something called protein? Well, at Formo, we make special proteins that can be turned into cheese. And my job is to make these proteins in large quantities so we can make lots and lots of cheese.?

Sounds like a delicious job, indeed! Speaking of which, what's it like working at Formo?

I have to say, the best part of working at Formo are the people. Seriously, you can talk to anyone, at any level in the company, and they’re always open to listening and exchanging their ideas and knowledge. And as scientists, we get to work on so many different projects that no two days are alike. Plus, everyone I've interacted with so far has a solutions-first approach to problems, which adds fun to even the most challenging days.

What does having an impact mean to you, and how does Formo fit into that?

To me, impact goes beyond just talking about change or using cool words. It means setting goals and taking actions that safeguard the future of our planet and the generations to come. And at Formo, this is crystal clear in every meeting we hold. Our goal is to reduce the negative impact of dairy on our environment, and each day, we strive towards achieving this end goal.

We love that! Alright, we have one final question for you, V. If you were a cheese, which one would you be, and why?

Ha, what a fun question! Honestly, my favorite cheese is Mozzarella. It's just so versatile and you can add it to any dish. Nothing can be ruined with too much mozz - it just works!