Here comes the alternative to alternative dairy.

LegenDairy Foods, which makes cheese from lab-produced milk compounds, raised US$4.7 million from a cohort of investors including German drugs and tech company Merck KGaA. Its goal is to make cheese that’s closer to the real thing than plant-based options from cashews or other sources, without milking cows.

LegenDairy has already created prototypes of mozzarella and ricotta, according to an emailed statement. The new cash will help the Berlin-based startup diversify its cheese offerings, expand its development facilities and hire more people.

“For the first time in human history, we are capable of producing real animal products without harming our environment,” LegenDairy Chief Executive Officer Raffael Wohlgensinger said in the statement.

Merck has a broad portfolio of science-related businesses, making everything from cancer drugs to semiconductor components to gene-editing kits. It’s expanding its involvement in lab-grown animal products via its venture capital arm after investing in Dutch company Mosa Meat. That company says it created the world’s first “slaughter-free hamburger” with meat harvested directly from cow cells.

The German company isn’t related to U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co.