Cheese without milk? It's possible! Formo's animal-free cheese alternative is now available at REWE. It does not require milk and uses koji protein, which the start-up obtains through microfermentation. The "Frischhain" products will initially be available in three varieties in the chiller cabinets.
Koji has been an indispensable ingredient in Japanese cuisine for centuries and is known for its versatile applications. Formo utilises this potential and extracts a functional protein from the koji mushroom through microfermentation. The result not only impresses with its flavour and texture, but also makes a sustainable contribution to food production. The natural process of fermentation enables Formo to develop animal-free cheese that offers the flavour of traditional cheese but greatly reduces the impact on animals and the environment.
"We are constantly on the lookout for new, innovative products that allow us to offer our customers more sustainable and flavourful alternatives. Formo immediately won us over with its animal-free cheese alternatives - not only in terms of production, but above all in terms of flavour, which is truly outstanding for us. We traditionally support innovative start-ups and are often the first mover among the major German food retailers. This is because start-up products respond to nutritional trends and occupy niches at an earlier stage that large companies cannot fill to the same extent," says Clément Tischer, Head of FoodTech at REWE Group.
"Nature is full of microorganisms - why don't we use them? This question has driven us - and we have found the answer with our first koji protein-based cheeses: They taste animal good, but are completely animal-free." explains Raffael Wohlgensinger, founder and CEO of Formo. "Our goal is to make really good cheese - good for people, animals and the environment. We are delighted that our Frischhain can now be found on Rewe's shelves and on so many dining tables."
About Formo
Formo Bio GmbH is a new food and biotech company founded in 2019 to shape the future of animal-free cheese Through microfermentation and precision fermentation, Formo is creating the next generation of cheese. More information at: www.eatformo.com
Both German and English comments appear here.
It's great that we're adding another plant-based product to our range. I think there are already some very good cream cheese alternatives out there, but I'm really looking forward to Formo. In the video, it looks like there's also a feta alternative and other things like camembert or blue cheese. Hopefully these will be added to the range soon, because I think there's still a lot of room for improvement with feta (or Veta) in particular, especially when it comes to texture.