Amsterdam Gets Its First Vegan Cheese Shop

This month, Willicroft opened as the first all-vegan cheese shop in Amsterdam. The retailer sells its own brand of cashew and tofu-based cheeses in flavors such as parmesan, cream cheese, truffle sauce, cheese sauce, and cheese fondue—a popular dish in the Netherlands. The store also offers other types of vegan cheeses, locally baked bread, and home-made wine. Founder Brad Vanstone transitioned to a mostly plant-based diet in 2017 and began experimenting with making vegan cheese. Vanstone—who spent his youth helping his grandparents on Willicroft dairy farm in Devon, United Kingdom—opened Willicroft to offer customers a traditional cheese-shop experience, but without the negative environmental impacts of dairy farming with a mission to “[address] the greatest issues facing humanity today—the warming of our planet” by “reimagining how we consume cheese.” Vanstone plans to develop additional cheese flavors (such as gorgonzola, ricotta, and goat cheese), open an in-store café, and expand his business to the UK and US in coming years.