UK cheese brand Cathedral City has expanded its dairy-free range with the launch of a plant-based alternative to smokey cheddar.
The launch follows the introduction of the dairy version of the cheese in 2023. Cathedral City says it aims to “bring on-trend flavours to all consumers whether they consume dairy or are dairy-free”; figures reportedly indicate that smokey is the leading flavour within the plant-based market.1
The company claims that the product is the first smokey cheese alternative in the UK to be flavoured with natural methods. The taste is created using water infused with natural woodchip smoke.
According to Cathedral City, the plant-based cheese melts well and is ideal as a burger topping. It is also said to have a similar taste and texture to its dairy counterpart. The launch will be supported with in-store and online activity.
“New and exciting territories”
The news comes almost two years after Cathedral City introduced its first plant-based product, a cheddar alternative available in block, sliced, and grated formats. The cheese alternative proved to be extremely popular, and the brand expanded the range with a plant-based soft cheese in 2023.
Later that year, Cathedral City launched two more plant-based products — the Extra Mature Block and the Cheddar Flavour Spread. At the time, Kantar figures indicated that the brand’s cheese alternatives were bringing 68,000 new buyers into the plant-based category per month, and contributing to 44% of the category’s shopper growth.
“Building on the success of Cathedral City Plant-Based, we are taking the range into new and exciting territories, offering consumers more of the flavours they love in dairy-free formats,” said Christopher Owens, Head of Marketing for Plant-Based at Saputo Dairy UK. “For Cathedral City, it is an opportunity to further cement the mass appeal of our brand, providing on-trend flavours in both dairy and dairy-free options.”
The new plant-based smokey cheddar is now available exclusively at Tesco.
1. IRI All outlets 52 w/e 13th July 2023
