Forager Enters Dairy-Free Cheese Market with Vegan Queso Fresco

This spring, California-based brand Forager Project will launch Cheeseworks, its first line of organic vegan cheeses, at retailers nationwide. Available in two formats (shreds and chunks), the Cheeseworks line will feature four flavors: Mozzarella, Jack, Parmesan, and a unique-to-the-market Queso Fresco. Made from a base of Forager’s own organic cashew milk yogurt, the vegan cheeses are crafted without modified food starches and are made to mimic the meltability and stretch of their dairy-based counterparts. The Cheeseworks line will be available for a suggested retail price of $5.99 at retailers such as Fresh Thyme, Sprouts, Central Markets, Stop & Shop, and more. 

Building a dairy-free creamery

In 2013, juice industry veteran Stephen Williamson founded Forager Project after serving as CEO and chairman of beverage brand Odwalla. While Forager Project started as a juice company, Williamson has since pivoted the brand to produce a variety of dairy alternatives, including yogurts, milks, creamers, butter, and sour cream, along with chips and cereals, using sustainably sourced and organic ingredients. 

“Our goal is to make plant-based foods more accessible for everyone. We thought there was a gap in the market for an organic, plant-based cheese that had the same functional features as dairy cheese, so we found a way to use our incredible probiotic cashewmilk yogurt as the base,” Williamson told VegNews. “Our base allows us to make a variety of cheeses with unique flavor profiles and characteristics. We’ve received a really positive response so far and we look forward to continuing building on this new line of products.”