“We’re serving the same audience — people who love cheese — but also those with a passion for a vegan or a plant-based lifestyle, including the newly coined and growing segment flexitarians,” Whitehall Specialties CEO Steve Snyder recently told Cheese Market News reporter Rena Archwamety. Snyder was interviewed for an article headlined, “Plant-based alternatives look to improve taste, functionality.”
The article gave Snyder an opportunity to discuss the exciting market demand for NewFields’ innovative new Premier Line of plant-based cheeses. The line includes Cheddar-, Mozzarella-, American-, shredded Parmesan- and Blue cheese-style flavors.
He told the publication that NewFields is partnering with new customers as well as many of Whitehall Specialties’ existing dairy-based clients. “There is overlap in in our business for those who are interested in both dairy and non-dairy options. For example, a foodservice customer who might want to serve a meat analog like Beyond or Impossible Burger also wants to have plant-based cheese that they can offer in a restaurant venue.”
The article reported that, “Plant-based offerings are growing, with 58% of the top 100 foodservice chains in the United States offering plant-based or vegan menu options, according to the 2019 Good Food Institute Restaurant Scorecard.”
NewFields’ flavors and formats that are particularly well suited for this growing segment include both cheddar and American slices for burgers, mozzarella shreds for pizza, blue cheese crumbles for salad dressings, shredded parmesan for salads and dried parmesan for all applications that can benefit from enhanced savory and umami flavors.
Commented Snyder, “Pizza customers might have a plant-based, vegan pizza along with regular conventional pizzas. Even in a salad bar situation, they might want to have shreds so someone who is truly vegan and interested in most of the salad bar, but wasn’t able to enjoy cheese, now will have plant-based options.”
Consumers understandably want their plant-based cheese to taste and perform just as well as their dairy-based counterparts. NewFields’ ability to bring large-scale production and novel formulation together to better deliver on these targets is why our team is gaining respect in the space.