UK-based artisan vegan cheese brand JULIENNE BRUNO has announced an expansion to Switzerland, rolling out at hundreds of Coop stores across the country.
The brand’s burrata alternative, Burrella, will be available at 375 Coop locations, while its stracciatella alternative, Superstraccia, has gained listings at 170 stores. Both products are award-winning — Burrella won the Dairy Alternative Innovation category at last year’s World Dairy Innovation Awards, while Superstraccia has received a Great Taste Award.
This is JULIENNE BRUNO’s first international launch, with further market expansion planned in the coming months. The brand is also developing a new product range called Collection 02.
New packaging
In the meantime, JULIENNE BRUNO has relaunched its Collection 01 (featuring Burrella, Superstraccia, and the cream cheese alternative Crematta) with updated packaging. This will extend the shelf life of the cheeses, keeping them fresher for longer without the use of preservatives. The brand has accomplished this by using gas to limit oxygen and improving its production methods.
“When a product has a 12-month shelf life and it’s on the chilled section of the market, it raises serious questions about how that is possible,” said founder Axel Katalan. “We are proud to say that our products are in the sweet spot of fresh and retail-friendly shelf life through natural methods.”
Rapid expansion
After developing Collection 01, JULIENNE BRUNO raised £5 million in 2022 to fuel its expansion. By January 2023, the plant-based cheeses were available at Holland & Barrett, Whole Foods, Harrods, and pizza chain Pizza Pilgrims, with the brand seeing a huge quarterly growth rate of over 300%.
Two months later, Ocado became the first supermarket to stock JULIENNE BRUNO’s full product range, making the cheeses easily available UK-wide.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to share a warm hello to everyone in Switzerland who is just hearing about us for the first time,” said Katalan. “We create original products with naturally plant-based ingredients that are inspired by dairy cheeses we all grew up loving. We are super excited to bring our Collection 01 to you, and hope to serve you very soon.”
