Dairy Processing - March/April 2024 - 71

Alternative cheese maker
gets start in NY pizzerias
Pizza is always on the menu for New York City residents
Kobi and Abev Regev. However, Kobi Regev was not fond
of the affects traditional cheese had on his diet. After
many formulations and diet changes, he and his wife
produced an alternative, clean label, plant-based cheese
they called Pleese Cheese.
" Pleese is short for plant cheese but it's also because
people told me they think New Yorkers are rude, " he said.
" (And) I thought it was funny to make kids say please
when they order pizza. "
Pleese Cheese takes a plant-based spin on classic
cheese and is formulated from fava bean protein, potato
and coconut oil.
OATLY LAUNCHES
PLANT-BASED
CREAM CHEESE
Oatly Group AB is expanding its plantbased
product lineup with the launch of
Oatly Creamy Oat Spread, a cream cheese
alternative.
Formulated from Oatly's proprietary oat
base, the dairy-free, gluten-free and nonGMO
cream cheese is available in two flavors:
plain, and chive and onion. The product
is sold in 8 oz units and rolled out for a
nationwide retail launch in the latter half of
2023.
" For decades, we've focused on the power
" We're parents, so when you looked at the ingredients
we were trying to make it as clean label as possible, " Kobi
Regev said. " We are constantly improving and seeing
where we can reduce ingredients. There are a lot of ways
other people cut corners and, for us, it's very important
not to cut those corners. "
For health reasons, Regev and his wife changed
their diets and through the effort formulated their next
endeavor.
" We knew we could live without meat and without milk,
but we're both from New York City and we both couldn't
live without pizza, " Regev said. " It became a hobby of ours
to figure out how to make a pizza that was plant-based
and not gross. It took us a lot of different iterations. "
Pleese Cheese's go-to-market strategy is primarily
foodservice but Regev hopes to grow into retail.
" One of the lowest barriers to entry we've found is at
local (New York) pizzerias, " he said. " Pizza is everyone's
favorite food, and just making it accessible, I believe that's
going to be our big victory lap. "
Regev said the company aims to expand into retail in
2024, experimenting locally in New York first and then
pushing more broadly in 2025.
of oats and the magic that happens when
you unlock their potential, " said Leah Hoxie,
senior vice president of innovation for Oatly
North America. " With this new cream cheese,
our US R&D team spent over a year focused
on bringing to market a truly great-tasting
and performing plant-based option that
mimics dairy cream cheese in all the best
ways possible, minus the dairy. "
The cream cheese marks Oatly's first
product launch since the company began
an offensive strategy after resolving the
majority of its supply chain issues earlier in
2023.
" Oatly has always been at the forefront of
providing delicious plant-based alternatives
and this new product is no different, " said
Mike Messersmith, president of Oatly North
America. " We're extremely excited about the
launch of our new cream cheese in the US,
as it not only expands our mission to bring
more plant-based consumption occasions
to consumers, but also continues to prove
the versatility and opportunity for oat-based
products. "
DAIRYPROCESSING.COM | MAR-APR 2024 71
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Dairy Processing - March/April 2024

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