The reinvention of traditions

Cheese is adored by people the world over. In fact, it might even be the one thing that the whole of humanity can agree on: Cheese is delicious and we love it. Everybody appreciates a beautifully arranged cheese platter, and cheese can be found in or on some of our favourite dishes including pizza, pasta, lasagne and burgers.

Cheese has always been an important part of Freddy and Alice’s cultural and culinary background. One French and the other Swiss, they come from two countries famous for their cheesy heritage. When they became vegan for animal welfare reasons, forfeiting this yummy delight was the hardest part.

Alice and Freddy founded New Roots a vegan creamery – in 2015 when they said goodbye to milk from cows and goats and began making 100% of their products from plant-based ingredients.

How it all began
A chance meeting in the south of France in 2012 triggered a wave of personal changes for the two. Veganism became the focal point of their conscious activities at a time when the movement was just beginning to gain momentum. Many alternative-to-meat companies, such as “Beyond Meat” from the USA, were already expanding rapidly.

It is estimated that the global population will reach 10 billion by 2050. This is the point in history where we need to rethink how food is produced and discover what other sustainable solutions are to be found.
Alice and Freddy’s plan to offer an alternative to cheese soon took on spectacular dimensions. They experimented day and night in their farmhouse kitchen and fermented their cheeses in the farm’s cellar. Highly motivated and full of ideas, the two surrounded themselves with all kinds of paraphernalia that would enable them to continue their research.
They experimented with making milk from various nuts and seeds, such as walnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds – all sources of protein that require far less water and emit significantly less CO2 during production than animal-based foods. And, because traditions must be mastered before they can be redefined, their experimenting also took them into the realm of conventional cheesemaking.

They were not intent on reproducing the taste of cheese using a series of additives. Their aim was to create an improved and modernised version of this universally adored comestible using the same fermentation and aging techniques as can be found in traditional cheesemaking, but with a plant-based raw material.

After just a few short months of tinkering, Alice and Freddy were ready to deliver their first varieties of fresh cheese directly from their kitchen to the organic stores and markets of Thun.

“For me, the whole process has been more an emotional development than a professional one because I have now also chosen Switzerland, a country and its traditions that I have come to love, to be my permanent home. Being able to combine my passion for animal rights with my love for cheese has always been a source of satisfaction, joy and pride." - Alice

Cashew nuts
We chose cashew nuts as our primary source of milk for several reasons. They are both neutral in flavour and a very efficient ingredient: 100% of the nut is used, which means zero waste. Cashew trees grow wild so don’t require additional watering or care, and they also absorb CO2, which makes them highly sustainable.

From farmhouse kitchen to factory
New Roots left behind its farmhouse kitchen in 2016 and moved into a 40 m2 former bakery in Steffisburg near Thun. This location soon proved too small and, just one year later in January 2017, production moved again, this time to a 400 m2 erstwhile supermarket in the centre of Thun. The company’s most recent move was in 2021 to a fossil-fuel-free production facility in Oberdiessbach.

There are now some 16 products on offer ranging from camembert to ricotta, from various fresh and spreadable cheeses to fondue, crème fraîche and yoghurt.

“Fondue is our most recent product; we had great fun reinventing this Swiss national dish.” - Alice

Their products are sold in thousands of stores across Switzerland and abroad in Germany, France, England, the Netherlands and Poland. The well-coordinated team is made up of 31 people who share the founders’ vision and passion.

It doesn’t matter if you enjoy the New Roots products with family or friends, it feels like the circle is complete and the pieces of the puzzle fit together perfectly: When justice and tradition come together, it tastes simply delicious.” - Alice

New Roots is now focused on growing and expanding with the aim of making vegan food available to a broader public and sensitising people to the rights of animals. The New Roots DNA, however, remains clear: Sustainability, the protection of animals and humans and the preservation of Swiss traditions.

The rapidly growing market shows that the traditions of the future are only just beginning to gain momentum!

A huge thanks goes out to Alice and New Roots!

Click here for the recipes.