Noquo Foods has rebranded itself as Stockeld Dreamery the company announced today, as it prepares to launch its plant-based cheese product in a little over a month from now.
The Stockholm, Sweden-based startup’s first product will be a feta-like cheese made from fermented pea protein and fava beans. Stockeld Dreamery cofounder and CEO, Sorosh Takavoli, told me by phone last week that his company’s vegan cheese will have a similar nutritional profile to traditional feta in terms of protein and fat, and won’t have any carbs.
Stockeld’s product is beyond the prototype phase and doing a factory launch. Initially, the production run will be limited and sold to foodservice companies and restaurants in Stockholm.
Stockeld raised a $3.6 million seed round a little more than a year ago, and as it re-brands and launches, the company plans to expand its operations as well. Takavoli said they plan to grow the headcount from six to roughly 20 over the next 18 months, and relocate to bigger facilities.
Sales of plant-based cheese lag behind other plant-based categories like milk. But creating a good plant-based cheese to replace traditional dairy cheese is a tricker proposition. In addition to flavor, non-dairy cheese needs to melt properly and have the right texture and mouthfeel. But there are actually a number of startups working to overcome these obstacles. Grounded Foods is using cauliflower to make camembert, guyere and roquefort. GOOD PLANeT makes mozzerella from cocount and potato. And Climax Foods is using data an AI to create new types of plant-based cheese.
While we won’t see plant-based cheese go mainstream this year, both Stockeld Dreamery and Grounded Foods have their cheeses coming to market, so we will definitely get a taste of what is to come.
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