Stockeld Dreamery, a Swedish and US-based dairy-free startup, says it has ‘finally developed’ the ‘melty and gooey’ feature so far missing from vegan cheese.
The inability of plant-based cheeses to melt in the same way as dairy is one of the main complaints when it comes to dairy-free alternatives.
Making it their mission to end this excuse once and for all, vegan start-up Stockeld Dreamery has crafted cultured plant-based cheddar slices, named MELT, with impressive melting capabilities.
Made from fermented legume milk and free from nuts and soy, each slice contains 2g of protein and a delicious cheddar flavour.
After hearing ‘many stories of disappointment’ about vegan cheese with a ‘plasticky texture’ that doesn’t melt, Stockeld Dreamery co-founder and CEO Sorosh Tavakoli hopes MELT is the answer to what he calls ‘plant fatigue’.
Looking for the perfect plant-based cheese for your toastie? Here is our guide to the best vegan cheeses.
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MELT vegan cheese slices have a unique sticking factor that helps keep the ingredients in burgers together, making them easier to eat. Photo © Stockeld Dreamery
‘Plant fatigue’
Writing on Medium, Sorosh said: “I’ve heard so many stories of disappointment related to plant-based cheese over the years.
“The cheese that never melted, the cheese that ruined the entire pizza or burger, the plasticky texture that made a friend question if it was really food or plastic.
“This is the consequence of the consistent over-promising and under-delivering of our industry giving consumers ‘plant fatigue’. If anything, this has fuelled our product obsession over the last few years.”
He added that over the last four years, he’s been working on the issue, for three of those, Stockeld Dreamery (which started in Sweden and now has moved Stateside) the startup has been working on developing vegan mozzarella for pizza.
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MELT slices melt twice as fast as comparable products and boast an impressive meltability factor. Shown on the left is Violife's Original Flavour slices, and on the right is Stockeld Dreamery's MELT slices. Photo © Stockeld Dreamery
Pivot
However, now it is working on a plant-based cheddar alternative.
This would be more versatile, and designed for use in vegan sandwiches, mac and cheese, burgers and more.
Sorosh said: “We aim to increase the number of restaurants carrying dairy-free cheese, to make operators give consumers a choice when they order burgers, whatever the patty is made of, and to make kid’s menus more accessible with dairy-free grilled cheese.”
He added that ‘no one’ has yet stood out when it comes to meltability – but he sees Stockeld Dreamery as the answer to this standout product.
Sorosh wrote: “We believe our product is so good that if it weren’t for the cost, we could easily be the default cheese in burger restaurants. There are no allergens and the experience is on par.”
He added: “Most products don’t actually melt, they just soften, so if you put two separate pieces next to each other, they never fully merge.”
The answer, he says, is fermentation.
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Fermentation
He explained that fermentation ‘helps bring more authentic flavour to cheese, it gives cleaner ingredients lists and increased health benefits’.
Furthermore, he added, the brand is ‘still only scratching the surface of what is achievable’.
There is still some way to go, he explains: “There is some stretch in the product and we are moving in the right direction, but I’m not going to claim it resembles dairy. When fried, the cheese actually becomes crispy which I personally love.”
But Sorosh is hopeful, revealing the approach is ‘to first launch a product here and to export it to Europe until it warrants setting up local production’.
He added: “We are engaged in a few strategic opportunities for Europe and would love to explore others, to see how we can give the product and IP wings beyond the US.”
You may not be mastering fermentation, but it’s still worth giving your skills a go in the kitchen with these best ever vegan cheese recipes
Featured photo © Stockeld Dreamery
