The first time Miyoko Schinner sampled vegan cheese, she was tempted to spit it out. This experience occurred in the 1980s after her return to the United States from Japan. At a natural foods expo, she tried a sample, only to realize it was a poor decision. The vegan cheese available at the time was primarily made from oil and starch. “It was the laughingstock of the natural foods world,” Schinner recalled in an interview with Food Dive.
Since that disappointing experience, Schinner has made remarkable progress. Her brand, Miyoko’s Creamery, has become renowned for its delicious plant-based cheeses. The company has seen year-over-year growth in the triple digits, including a staggering 170% increase in 2018, according to her statements to Food Dive. She anticipates that this growth will persist at a similar pace. Miyoko’s Creamery products, including butter and cheeses, are available in approximately 12,000 stores across the nation, such as Whole Foods and Target, with estimated annual revenues ranging between $20 million and $50 million. The company has successfully raised $12 million across two funding rounds, both of which were led by JMK Consumer Growth Partners.
As a seasoned entrepreneur with experience in baking, restaurants, and natural foods, Schinner founded Miyoko’s Creamery amid a growing consumer demand for delicious plant-based alternatives. Her mission is to contribute to a broader movement toward a sustainable plant-based food system. “I think we were all in the dark ages of food for a long time, when we were just eating whatever was available,” Schinner expressed. “Today, we realize we have a choice, and these innovators are crafting the future of food. It’s a very exciting time in human history.”
Years passed before Schinner could shake off the unpleasant memory of her first vegan cheese encounter. By the 2000s, she had grown tired of being without cheese and sought to rediscover its flavors. “I read numerous books on cheese—real cheese books,” she explained. “I even took some dairy cheese classes, where I was the only student who didn’t eat the cheese. But I learned the techniques and thought, how can I apply this to plant-based ingredients? I just started experimenting.”
Schinner has authored several vegan cookbooks, compiling her knowledge in “Artisan Vegan Cheese,” which gained significant traction in vegan culinary communities. She playfully claims it’s the book that inspired a thousand vegan cheese companies. Whenever she travels, she encounters small cheesemakers who view her book as the industry’s guide.
Her experimentation also sparked her business. Schinner identified the key to her success as the ability to commercialize her cheese and gain market traction. The company began with tastings, which provided valuable feedback and increased awareness. While social media amplified the brand’s exposure, Schinner emphasized that her company wouldn’t have succeeded without quality products. Unlike the early vegan cheese made from processed oil and starch, she now focuses on more natural ingredients. Schinner is dedicated to maintaining a clean, vegan-friendly label while striving to replicate the taste of traditional dairy products as closely as possible.
“We’re not kale,” she remarked. “If you want maximum nutrition, you’ve got kale and chia seeds. We’re creating items from whole foods like cashews. Plus, we have a new line of products featuring cheeses made from legumes, potatoes, and grains. We’re still prioritizing relatively whole foods and nutrition, including calcium citrate and vitamin D.”
Achieving these goals requires extensive experimentation. Schinner mentioned that her small team continuously works with ingredients to create non-dairy products that mimic the taste, nutrition, and texture of their dairy counterparts, constantly refining their offerings. New cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, which will be launched later this year, will incorporate hemp protein for both flavor and cost-effectiveness. She also has a cheddar cheese that derives its unique flavor from fruit.
However, due to the non-dairy nature of her ingredients, Schinner faces legal challenges related to her product labeling, which uses traditional dairy terms like “cheese” and “butter.” A New York consumer filed a lawsuit against the company last year, alleging that its vegan butter “basks in dairy’s ‘halo’ by using familiar terms to invoke positive traits.” The packaging clearly states that the butter is vegan and includes the phrase “Made from Plants.” The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed in May, although the terms of the dismissal were not disclosed. Schinner chose to remain tight-lipped about the matter.
“We’re not changing our packaging,” she stated. “It was an unexpected and happy ending.” However, the labeling of her products continues to face scrutiny from state laws that restrict dairy terminology to products made from milk. Schinner remains steadfast in her approach. “We’re just gonna do what we think is right. We don’t believe consumers are confused,” she asserted. “We don’t feel we’re being deceptive or misleading. We think we’re redefining the future of dairy, just like the automobile redefined transportation when it replaced the horse and buggy. Dairy is obsolete.”