Dairy Cheese Brand Creates Plant-Based Department

Thirty-year-old dairy cheese producer Whitehall Specialties recently created a new division of its company that focuses specifically on plant-based products. The Newfields division—which debuted at trade show SupplySide West Show in Las Vegas, NV—specializes in a range of high-protein, plant-based cheese alternatives made from natural plant protein sources. The products include plant-based cheddar, Gouda, mozzarella, and Parmesan that are shreddable and meltable. Newfields aims to produce its own cheese portfolio as well as co-manufacture with other growing brands to create its own formulas. “The whole industry sees this trend,” Whitehall Specialties CEO Steve Snyder told media outlet DairyReporter, “but the reason we’re better suited to address this trend is because our history and our capabilities as a company have to do with formulating cheese from various ingredients, including plant-based ingredients.” Snyder believes the high demand for these products will allow the new division to deliver opportunities across all channels of the business, including reaching new customers. “It points to this being an ongoing trend and not just a fad,” Snyder said. “Because of that, we’re willing to make a significant capital investment to expand our capacity and our facility. Companies either don’t have the capacity or they don’t want to dedicate the capacity, and we’re just the opposite.”