I tried plant-based ‘cheese’ from a startup that claims it’s the future of dairy

Jessica Orwig/Business Insider

There are a wealth of vegan substitutes on the market for those of us who are either allergic or have ethical issues with the dairy industry. 

Unfortunately, most of them taste terrible.

But what if you didn't have to choose between ethical sourcing and taste?

Kite Hill is a Silicon Valley-based startup that makes plant-based "cheeses" and other products that it claims are healthy, good for the environment, and above all, taste good.

Founded by vegan celebrity chef Tal Ronnen, French cheesemaker Monte Casino, and Stanford biochemist Dr. Pat Brown, the startup is backed by venture capitalist firm Kholsa Ventures — which also invests in "Just Mayo" producer Hampton Creek and the online grocery service Instacart.

There's a growing shift toward plant-based food, but one of the biggest obstacles is the lack of tasty options on the market, says Kite Hill CEO Matthew Sade.

"Kite Hill is trying to really offer, for the first time, great-tasting plant-based dairy products," Sade told Business Insider.

I decided to try Kite Hill's almond-milk-based "cheese" to see if it really is worth the hype. Here's how it went:

Kite Hill makes a variety of products, including a "soft fresh original" and a "soft ripened" cheese-like product, a cream cheese-style spread, and yogurt. (Under FDA regulations, the company can't use the word "cheese" in its products — a problem Hampton Creek encountered with its eggless "Just Mayo" mayonnaise alternative.)

Photo Courtesy of Kite Hill

Source: Kite Hill, Business Insider

Kite Hill isn't alone in their vegan cheese initiative. Lots of other plant-based cheeses exist, like the selection below. But while most vegan cheeses are made by basically blending whole ingredients like nuts or soybeans, Kite Hill's products are made from almond milk, using "traditional techniques" involving microbial cultures and enzymes, Sade said.

Veganbaking.net/Wikimedia Commons

And unlike dairy-based cheeses, which are usually made from cultures fed on dairy-based microbial food, Kite Hill uses all plant-based microbial food, according to Sade.

Photo Courtesy of Kite Hill

Source: Kite Hill, Vegetarian times, One Green Planet

See the rest of the story at Business Insider