Pioneering plant-based brand Follow Your Heart has changed the dairy-free cheese market with the introduction of its Dairy-Free Feta Crumbles Cheese Alternative, the first-to-market crumbled feta cheese alternative to hit retail shelves on June 30. Coconut oil-based, this product is allergen-free, non-GMO and vegan. It is also free of dairy, soy, casein, gluten, lactose and preservatives. The 6 oz. package, which has a four-month shelf life, is now available at Albertsons and Vons stores in Southern California, and Sprouts stores nationally. Additional retailers across the U.S. will continue to be added. This first-of-its-kind cheese alternative tastes as creamy and tangy as the real thing and is right at home in salads and Greek favorites like spanakopita. The fact that it’s already crumbled adds ease to cooking and meal prepping.
Alternative Cheese Please
Already a key player in the plant-based cheese space, Follow Your Heart worked on its latest product at its Los Angeles-based solar-powered, zero waste facility called Earth Island. The Dairy-Free Feta Crumbles Cheese Alternative joins an already robust line of cheese alternative offerings, from slices to shreds to blocks. The feta crumbles have just ten ingredients and are coconut-oil based, using a proprietary blend of ingredients to give the product the unique tang of actual feta.
50 Years of Follow Your Heart
A pioneer in the plant-based community, Follow Your Heart’s latest product launch comes in tandem with its 50th anniversary. Throughout the decades, the company has shown no signs of slowing down its growth or commitment to sustainability and innovation.
“When we founded the company in the 1970s, I was unaware of what we would accomplish and how much the plant-based market would grow. We were just following our hearts and doing what we thought would make the world a better place,” says CEO and co-founder Bob Goldberg. “We’re excited whenever we launch a new product, but to be able to be the first to introduce a crumbled feta cheese alternative is a direct result of our team’s commitment to innovation in the plant-based space. Cheese alternatives are a major focus for us, and we will continue to grow in this category.”
According to recent data released by the Plant Based Foods Association and SPINS, the leading provider of wellness-focused data and market analytics, U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods have considerably outpaced total food sales during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During a 16-week period ending April 19, 2020, plant-based food sales were up 90% when compared to last year’ sales, telling us that plant-based purchases continue to be on the rise.
About Follow Your Heart
For 50 years, Follow Your Heart has established itself as a leader in the dairy-free, plant-based food market. Committed to environmentally sustainable practices, Follow Your Heart manufactures its products in its Los Angeles-based solar-powered facility called Earth Island. A leader in environmentally sustainable practices, Earth Island has been distinguished as Platinum status, the highest possible status, under the TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) certification system administered by Green Business Certification Inc. Follow Your Heart’s signature products include Vegenaise, Dairy-Free Cheeses, VeganEgg, Salad Dressings, Dairy-Free Yogurt, Cream Cheese, and Sour Cream, all of which are naturally dairy, gluten- and cholesterol-free and made with all-natural, non-GMO ingredients.