In a world first, the Vegan Society Aotearoa has declared July to be Vegan Cheese Month in New Zealand, to celebrate the incredible array of plant-based cheeses now available to Kiwis. These tasty and versatile cheese alternatives are made instead from peas, maize, potato, coconut as well as from nuts such as cashew and macadamia. Products like these are only growing in popularity according to supermarkets and retailers.

Our Prime Minister famously said that she just loves cheese! We decided to offer her the opportunity to try some of the vast choices of vegan cheeses locally made, here in Aotearoa. We sent her a great selection, as you can see in this video. She said the cheeses were enjoyed by all in the office.

In celebration of Vegan Cheese Month, the Vegan Society will run various promotions offering Kiwis chances to sample the huge variety available. Plant-based cheeses are often lower in fat than their dairy counterparts, thus they can be a great alternative for those wishing to reduce their cholesterol. There is no cholesterol in plant-based foods and some plants actively reduce it.

Even our local supermarkets are noticing the difference: Countdown says that its percentage of vegan customers has doubled in the last year. Consequently this additional demand has led to the supermarket increasing its range of products and has seen a 30 per cent growth in demand for vegan and vegetarian chilled foods, with predictions that this is set to increase even more this year.

Then there's the exciting artisan cheeses to be found at delis and vegan specialist shops, made using cultured and soaked nuts. There's even vegans bringing their traditional family dairy cheese making skills into the arena. Such endeavours show that the future of cheese is truly plant-based and here to stay! Check out the list below to see who is who in vegan cheeses.

Not only all these cheeses to buy but easy to follow vegan cheese recipes are available online and you can make your own vegan cheese within an hour! Then there is the Mad Millie Vegan Cheese kit where you can create your own range of nut cheeses within a day. Who can ask for more? And yet vegans continue to experiment and come up with better and tastier products than their animal-based equivalents.
Vegan Cheese Makers of NZ

Alternative Dairy Co

Angel Food

Crescent

Diva

Grater Goods

Kaiaroha

TerraNut

Savour

Veesey

Zenzo International Vegan Cheeses in NZ

Cheezly

Delishu

Green Vie

Sheese

The Green Larder

Tofutti

Vegusto

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