Cheese for all? Make it plant-based!
Meet Freundeskreis, an EIT Food startup based in Vienna. This startup has introduced the first plant based cheese alternative made from apricot kernels. They are passionate about ensuring that the alternative cheese closely emulates the taste and texture of traditional dairy cheese.
1) What is your idea?
"We have developed the first plant-based cheese alternative made from apricot kernels. To do this, we have reinterpreted traditional cheese production and use natural fermentation to make our products. We use stone fruit kernels, which are a by-product of the food industry (e.g. juice and jam production), as our raw material. We believe that food creates connections. We want to shape a sustainable future together with plant-based moments of pleasure."
2) Where can we find your products?
"We launched our first product ‘Cam-mmh-berta’ on the market in June 2024. Our product is currently available at several small shops in Vienna, for example at MARAN Vegan, Pepper & Ginny and Markta. However, new shops are being added all the time and all of our partners can be found on our website here."
3) How has EIT Food helped you on your journey?
"We spent the summer of 2022 with EIT Fan in Israel at the Technion. There, we were able to work on our business model, our sales strategy and our product with the support of high-profile experts. After the programme, the valuable contacts from the EIT Food network to international industry partners, research partners and trade fairs also helped us a lot to take our idea to the next level."
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