To celebrate the launch of vegconomist France, we’re taking on one of the symbols of French gastronomy: cheese. But in its vegetable form. According to Statista, the French consume an average of 30 kg of cheese per year and the favourite cheeses of the French are camembert, goat’s cheese, comté and Roquefort.
The study Le fromage en France, published in 2020, even states that 90% of French people eat cheese on a regular basis, 40% eat it every day and 10% cannot imagine a meal without cheese.
Moreover, when vegans or lactose-intolerant people talk to other consumers, we often hear the phrase “I could never live without cheese”. But who said anything about living without cheese? In this article, we present seven brands of faux-mage made in France, so you don’t have to.
Petit Veganne
Petit Veganne was created in 2017 in Moselle in order to offer quality plant-based alternatives to vegans, lactose intolerants and other curious people. All the cheeses in the range, called “plant specialities”, are organic, gluten-free and made from cashew nuts. The “Petit Lorrain”, a plant-based Camembert that made the company a success, was quickly joined by other equally good specialities, such as the Petit Bleu or the Petit Frais.
Sojami
Sojami is a French brand that offers plant-based cheese spreads, the “Lacto-fermented specialities”. Indeed, the founder of the company discovered and patented the process of lacto-fermentation of soya milk in 1995. Two years later, he created Sojami, which has since developed well. From Garlic & Herbs to Walnut, there’s something for everyone in the spreadable range.
Nature & Moi
Nature & Moi, a brand owned by French company All In Foods established in 2014, offers sliced or grated cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Recently, Nature & Moi also offers a Camembert-type faux-mage as well as a spreadable faux-mage. All In Foods was acquired in 2020 by the Bel Group, which owns the brands Boursin, Babybel and The Laughing Cow. The Bel Group is also in the process of changing the brand identity of Nature & Moi to Nurishh, already available in North America and Europe, in order to have a more international brand image.
Jay & Joy
Jay & Joy was founded in 2015 by two vegans with a real need for cheese. The company relies on artisanal manufacturing for its organic almond milk and cashew nut alternatives. It has a wide range of faux-mages prepared and matured in the Oise region, available in small and large sizes, to the delight of individuals and restaurateurs alike.
TyK Affinage
A Breton company created in 2019, TyK Affinage offers alternatives to ripened cheeses, all 100% vegetable, organic and made from cashew nuts. As the company is relatively young, only two ripened cheeses are currently available – Petit Boucan with a bloomy rind and Pébéyec with a blue-veined rind – but the explosion of flavours on the palate is such that we can’t not mention them here.
Les Nouveaux Affineurs
The company, born in 2017, aims to create 100% plant-based, 100% natural faux-mages without making any concessions on taste compared to traditional cheeses. The products are made mainly from organic and fair trade cashew nuts, sometimes a little 100% French organic soy, ferments, water and a pinch of Camargue salt. The brand offers traditionally matured faux-mages as well as fresh faux-mages for spreading.
Tomm’Pousse
Since 2016, Tomm’Pousse has been offering 100% vegan faux-mages that allow responsible consumption “without sacrificing everything that makes French gastronomy so rich”. The range, which is constantly expanding, currently includes around ten organic cashew specialities, including CamemVert.
Here you can find something for cheese lovers, whether vegan, flexitarian, lactose intolerant, concerned about their health, their environmental impact, or simply curious. All this without compromising on taste and with products 100% made in France.
