Fermentation has been used for millennia to preserve edible raw materials from animal or plant origin. This process of transformation has renewed interest with the emergence of crucial need for new ways to fulfill the current food transition. Actually, food production has to be more sustainable, i.e. minimally processed, address ethical concerns and have to reduce negative impact on the environment. Moreover, food products should be safe, healthy and good in order to reach customers’ demands. In line with this, less animal-sourced products, and more plant-based one, are used. Fermentation of plant-based dairy substitutes offers a promising perspective, as fermentation is well known to confer not only hedonic, hygienic properties, but also health benefits, through bacteria probiotic properties, to fermented dairy products. In this presentation, we will focus on the challenges that have to be faced to select appropriate bacteria and to combine them to develop fermented innovative plant-based dairy analogs. In this aim, many strains of lactic acid and propionic acid bacteria have been screened for their ability to utilize carbohydrates that are present in the various dairy analogs. Moreover, these strains are screened for their ability to use proteins present in different plant-based products. In parallel, they are screened for their probiotic properties such as the preservation of a healthy gut barrier. Combination of strains with complementary properties leads to the design of bacterial consortia aiming at safe, healthy, and good innovative fermented foods.