56-Year-Old Dairy Brand to Debut Its First Vegan Cheese

Applewood Cheese, a British dairy brand founded in 1962, will launch its first vegan cheeses in stores across the United Kingdom in January 2019. “We have some very exciting news to celebrate [on] this year’s #WorldVeganDay,” the brand posted to Instagram on November 1. “The delicious taste of Applewood will soon be available as a vegan, plant-based cheese-alternative.” The new cheese will be coconut oil-based, fortified with B12 and calcium, and will feature the same smoky flavor of Applewood’s dairy-based offerings. Since 2016, the vegan population in the UK has grown by 600 percent, and many businesses have developed new products to meet the growing demand for plant-based foods. These include Walmart-owned supermarket chain Asda, which is gearing up to launch a vegan holiday cheese board (beginning November 22) featuring three flavors: a Mature Cheddar Alternative, Garlic & Chive Mature Cheddar Alternative, and Wensleydale & Cranberry Alternative.