Netherlands-based vegan cheese producer Max&Bien is releasing a plant-based cheese wheel coated in paraffin. Made with fermented wheat, the wheels are available in cumin, truffle and mustard flavors and will be offered at cheese and delicatessen stores as of this week. 

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Jobien Groen, co-founder and COO of Max&Bien, says the development marks a social and material advance in the vegan cheese market.

“There is already some vegan cheese on the market, but we want to normalize it – not only in flavor and looks but also how the shops are selling it.”

“We want to make plant-based cheese normal for cheesemongers as well as consumers. So when the customers come in, we want them to recognize it as they would any other cheese.”

Groen asserts that all too often, the non-dairy cheese options have an off-putting presentation and taste. This is something the company feels can and should change, in line with advances in plant-based meats and milks markets. 

Taking vegan cheese market 
Max&Bien’s envision cheesemongers being able to slice off and allow customers to try pieces before purchasing, as with dairy-based products. Normalizing how products are sold and consumed is just as important as developing the products themselves, asserts Groen. 

“We want to show everyone that cheese substitutes can be at least as tasty. And that you can enjoy a perfectly good drinks night with a delicious plant-based cheese platter, without having to miss out on anything.”

By using a paraffin coating, the practical advantage of shutting out oxygen is also paired with the visual advantage of looking identical to any normal wheel of cheese. 

The company also uses traditional methods of cheese making, which create flavors that are close to traditional cheese. “A lot of other alternatives are leaning on coconut oil or potato starch, which does not have much flavor,” continues Groen. 

“We think the more tasty alternatives there are, the more people will choose them. We can already see the progress with plant-based meats and milks; if the price and flavor are right, people will choose them. 

“It’s not that everyone needs to go vegan, but everyone is looking at using fewer animal products. But they have to be tasty.” 

Rising demand 
The vegan cheese category is currently experiencing the fastest growth within the rapidly growing plant-based market, according to Veerle Vrindts, director of NGO ProVeg Netherlands, which is touting Max&Bien’s innovation as an important step in the plant-based market. 

“Sales in the Netherlands increased by 400 percent in the last two years alone. This is exactly why [Dutch retail chain] Albert Heijn decided toVegan cheese sales in the Netherlands have increased 400 percent in the last two years, according to ProVeg. double its range of vegan cheeses last month and other supermarkets will soon follow suit,” she explains. 

Groen says the company has other plans in the works for the future, aimed largely at tackling some of the most demanded gaps in the market. 

“Everyone is looking for nice melty cheese – that is the holy grail in cheese making. There is a lot to experiment with and develop in this area. Another area we are looking at is old crumbly cheese with salt crystals, which is very high in flavor.”

Milking the animal-free dairy boom 
The cheese wheel comes as huge leaps in plant-based dairy products are occurring throughout industry. This year, Belgium-based company Those Vegan Cowboys began using microbial fermentation methods to produce casein – the most important protein component of milk. 

Using advanced technology, the company can manufacture essential ingredients that are not naturally produced in plants, something its founders believe can lead to cost- and taste-competitive vegan cheeses. 

In Canada, Nabati Foods Global recently completed the construction of a manufacturing facility that will produce 1.2 million pounds of plant-based “cheeze” and one million pounds of plant-based meat with room to expand capacity further. 

The construction comes following the completion of the company’s oversubscribed financing round of US$7.7 million. It will be used for wholesale orders in the US and market entry into the EU.