UK company Bute Island Foods has announced a complete rebrand and improved recipe for its vegan cheese brand, Sheese. The cheese alternatives are now said to have better taste, meltability, and browning, behaving more like their dairy counterparts.
The new branding is designed to stand out on shelves and communicate the taste and functionality of the products. It features an updated logo and a colour palette tailored to each variant, tied together by the use of orange on all products to evoke the sensory properties of cheese. The Bute Island Foods logo has also been added to the packaging to emphasise the brand’s quality, expertise, and Scottish heritage.
The relaunch will be supported by a shopper campaign, along with further communications activity later in 2024. The updated recipes and packaging are now rolling out at Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Waitrose, and Asda.
“True pioneer”
Founded in 1988, Sheese was one of the UK’s first vegan cheese brands. In recent years, the increasing interest in plant-based foods has helped the brand to grow rapidly; in 2021, Bute Island Foods reported that it had increased production by 400% to meet demand.
The same year, Bute Island was acquired by Canadian dairy producer Saputo, which aimed to expand its dairy-free portfolio due to shifting consumer preferences. The cheese alternatives are now available at major retailers and restaurant chains UK-wide, and are exported to markets such as mainland Europe, Canada, China, and Australia.
“Sheese has a wonderfully loyal consumer base who have bought our products for many years,” said Al Flynn, Brand Lead at Sheese. “We have earned their trust thanks to our heritage as a true pioneer in the category, with a portfolio of great-tasting products. The time is right to invest in the brand and we have worked hard to create a fresh look which is eye-catching on shelf. The message to consumers is the reassurance that there is no compromise with Sheese. It is a range that fully indulges the senses – a vegan alternative to cheese that is as close to the real thing as you can get.”
