Italian start-up, Dreamfarm, based in Parma, known for its cheese production, is launching a plant-based cheese alternative to rival cow’s milk cheese. The start-up has spent almost two years in research and development before launching its first line of plant-based cheese alternatives, which includes vegan alternatives to mozzarella and spreadable cheese, both of which are based on almond paste. What sets Dreamfarm apart is its proprietary, patent-pending process method which can develop its mozzarella alternative in a liquid form, which has not been achieved before.
Dreamfarm aims to revolutionize the plant-based cheese segment by using a limited number of ingredients, having excellent nutritional characteristics, and using sustainable packaging. Co-founder Mattia Sandei says, “After two years of testing, we are very satisfied with the first two products we are bringing to the market. It wasn’t easy to create healthy plant-based alternatives to two iconic Italian products while maintaining a similar texture.”
Dreamfarm’s plant-based mozzarella alternative achieves Nutri-Score A, thanks to its fermented almonds that eliminate coconut oil from production and thus reduce the products’ saturated fat content compared to oil and starch-based alternatives. Dreamfarm’s plant-based mozzarella alternative contains 0.9g saturated fat, 0.4g salt, and 0.1g sugar. Although the protein content is lower compared to conventional products, it is still much higher than almost all other plant-based alternatives.
Using almonds as the key ingredient raises questions around sustainability, as almond production requires more water than any other dairy alternative. However, Dreamfarm sources its almonds from the Mediterranean, where they mainly grow with rainwater, not from the intensive Californian production. Dreamfarm also invests in recyclable or biodegradable packaging to pursue sustainability.
Dreamfarm is launching onto the Italian market and wants to make itself available from day one to European consumers who are more used to plant-based alternatives, targeting early adopters who follow a plant-based diet, but wants its products to become mainstream, especially when applied to specific recipes, such as pizza or sandwiches. The start-up is currently in talks with some big chains to discuss potential partnerships, to provide a better alternative to the ‘mediocre’ plant-based cheese alternatives that are currently available.
