Company backed by Bill Gates reimagines kitchen staple in surreal new form: 'Tastes … like the real thing'

What if the key to a more sustainable kitchen staple wasn't found in a cow or a coconut, but in the air around us? That's exactly what Savor, a new startup supported by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures, has pulled off. 

Savor first announced plans for this experimentation last year. Kathleen Alexander, Savor's co-founder and CEO, had told the Guardian, "We are currently pre-commercial and working through regulatory approval to be able to sell our butter. We are not expecting to be able to move forward with any kind of sales until at least 2025."

The company has now commercially launched this successful butter alternative that's not only free from dairy and plants — but made from captured carbon, according to Food Dive. Livestock production is known to be a significant source of polluting gases, so reducing meat and dairy consumption is one of the key ways that humankind can reduce its environmental impact. 

This isn't just a science experiment with a tasty twist. Savor's innovation has the potential to rewrite the recipe for one of the food industry's most widely used ingredients — butter and its many stand-ins, like palm oil. These are found in nearly every packaged food item and baked goods, but they come with serious downsides, including deforestation, methane pollution from livestock, and heavy water use.

Savor's solution? Skip the cows and crops altogether. Instead, the startup pulls carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water to build the same fat molecules found in milk, cheese, and oils. 

The company's first commercial product — a plant- and dairy-free butter — is now rolling out to restaurants and bakeries. The company is also working with large CPG brands to customize fats for use in everything from cookies to croissants, according to Food Dive. 

The science is as clever as it is clean. 

According to the company, this process doesn't release any heat-trapping pollution and uses less than a thousandth of the water compared to traditional agriculture. Savor has already opened a 25,000-square-foot facility in Illinois and expanded its R&D operations in San Jose, California. With FDA approval already secured, production is kicking off this year.

Savor projects that its "butter" could potentially come in at less than 0.8g carbon dioxide equivalent per calorie. The standard climate footprint of real unsalted butter with 80% fat is approximately 2.4g carbon dioxide equivalent per calorie.

"Savor's method of producing fats and oils offers differentiated scalability and versatility," said Alexander, according to Food Dive. "We can create rich, delicious ingredients while reaching price parity with conventional fats more rapidly."

Which sustainable cooking change are you most interested in trying? Reducing my food waste 🗑️ Eating more plant-based foods 🥕 Using high-tech kitchen tools 🍳 Not interested 🚫 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

For Gates, it's about more than novelty — it's about climate math. 

"The process doesn't release any greenhouse gases, and it uses no farmland and less than a thousandth of the water that traditional agriculture does," Gates said in a blog post. "And most important, it tastes really good — like the real thing, because chemically it is."

If all goes to plan, your next pastry or packaged snack might be made with butter brewed from air — no farmland, cows, or palm plantations required. It's not just a culinary curiosity — it's a potentially game-changing step toward a more sustainable food future.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.