In a quiet industrial park in Batavia region of Illinois, a food-tech startup called Savor is doing something revolutionary: making butter from carbon. Without using any crop produce or palm oil, the start up is using just carbon dioxide and hydrogen to create a creamy, spreadable fat, according to a recent report published by CBS News. The venture has reportedly received support from Bill Gates.
“This is really about how we feed our species and heal our planet at the same time,” Kathleen Alexander, Savor‘s co-founder and CEO, told CBS News.
No Farm, No Fuss – Just Science
According to the report, Savor‘s process pulls carbon dioxide from the air and hydrogen from water, heats them, oxidizes them, and turns them into fat molecules — the kind that is found in butter, beef and oils. The end result, the report said, resembles candle wax but tastes just like dairy butter.
“This is pretty novel, to be able to make food that looks and tastes and feels exactly like dairy butter, but with no agriculture whatsoever,” the media network quoted Savor’s food scientist Jordan Beiden-Charles as saying.
The butter is made with only a handful of ingredients: “It‘s really just our fat, some water, a little bit of lecithin as an emulsifier, and some natural flavor and color,“ Beiden-Charles explained.
Why It Matters
Traditional fat production from cows, crops or palm oil takes up vast land and contributes around seven percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the report said. Savor‘s process, however, produces zero emissions and uses a thousand times less land, according to Alexander.
Coming Soon to a Store Near You
Savor, which is reportedly partnering with restaurants, bakeries, and food suppliers will launch their first edition of chocolates made with this butter for the 2025 holiday season.
“The idea of switching to lab-made fats and oils may seem strange at first. But their potential to significantly reduce our carbon footprint is immense,” Gates wrote in his blog.
