UK-based vegan pizzeria and cheese producer Purezza has announced that its plant-based ‘Stracciazza’ cheese is set to launch at Everyman Cinemas.
The cheese, which is an alternative to stracciatella, will be available at all 38 of the cinema chain’s locations across the UK, served on hand-stretched vegan pizzas.
“If you’re a fan of burrata, stracciatella is the stringy cheese inside,” said Mitch Lee, head of sales at Purezza. “Our vegan Stracciazza is equally as creamy, moreish, and delicious, so order up a slice and enjoy your movie!”
Aquafaba-based cheeses
When Purezza opened its first location in 2015, it claimed to be Europe’s first fully vegan pizzeria. The founders quickly discovered that existing vegan cheeses didn’t live up to their expectations, and began developing their own mozzarella alternative. Initially, the cheese was made from rice milk, but the recipe has now been updated to use a less resource-intensive alternative — aquafaba. The Stracciazza is a recent addition to the range.
“We realised that aquafaba has some incredible properties which assist with the melt and mouthfeel of the cheese, so we made the switch,” said Purezza co-founder Stefania Evangelesti. “This swap also reduces our impact on the planet, so it was a win-win.”
“Very impressed”
Demand for Purezza’s cheeses ultimately became so high that the company opened its own manufacturing facility in 2021. The mozzarella has now been served on over 1.2 million pizzas by Purezza alone, and the cheeses are also used by other food service providers — most recently Everyman.
“As a huge movie fan, I love the experience Everyman Cinemas provides,” said Mitch Lee. “Their focus on providing an amazing customer experience along with a delicious food and drink offering is pretty special.
“Receiving an email from Purchasing Manager Abi Foster in my first week at Purezza, stating Everyman wanted to sample our cheeses, was a very exciting way to kick things off! Safe to say they were very impressed and within just a couple of months, it’s being launched into all 38 venues across the UK from Monday [July 31].”
