Bel

The Laughing Cow garlic & herb

© Bel Group USA
Cheese Alternatives

Bel Group Announces Three-Year Collaborative Project to Develop Fermented Cheese Alternatives

Bel Group has partnered with agro-industrial group Avril, probiotic manufacturer Lallemand, and agri-food service provider Protial for a three-year project that aims to drive forward the development of fermented and aged plant-based cheese alternatives. The €9 million Cocagne Project will focus on developing minimally processed, nutritious, and environmentally friendly plant-based products that deliver on taste. Through the use of advanced fermentation and aging processes, Bel hopes to significantly improve on the taste and texture of existing plant-based cheeses, meeting consumer demand for healthier and tastier products. The initiative has received support from Bpifrance under the France 2030 program. The Cocagne Project will take place at Bel’s global RID center in Vendôme, France, which the company has announced will be expanded with the help of a …

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Bel UK launches Boursin Plant-Based

© Bel UK
Cheese Alternatives

Bel UK Launches Improved Plant-Based Boursin Cheese

The UK subsidiary of multinational cheese producer Bel Group has launched a new plant-based version of its popular Boursin soft cheese. Available in the flavour Garlic & Herbs, the cheese alternative is said to replicate the taste and texture of dairy Boursin. It is suitable for a range of applications such as spreading on bread or adding to cooking. Bel previously launched a plant-based Boursin product in 2021, available in both the UK and the US. However, the new version is said to have an improved taste and texture, along with updated packaging. While the original plant-based Boursin was sold in a plastic tub, the new version comes in the same foil-wrapped format as conventional Boursin. “We’ve worked to ensure the flavour, texture, and packaging …

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The Laughing Cow garlic&herb

© Bel Brands USA
Products & Launches

The Laughing Cow’s Plant-Based Garlic & Herb Cheese Alternative Launches at Whole Foods

The Laughing Cow has announced the much-anticipated launch of its dairy-free cheese alternative, The Laughing Cow Plant-Based in Garlic & Herb flavor, now available at Whole Foods Markets across the United States. The launch of The Laughing Cow Plant-Based has experienced multiple delays, with the company holding off the initial release “in order to spend more time perfecting the recipe,” according to the website. Following a launch announcement in December of 2022, the company further delayed the rollout due to unforeseen production challenges. However, at the end of last year, The Laughing Cow Plant-Based Spreadable Cheese debuted in the UK and is now finally available to US consumers. Mirroring the familiar packaging and presentation of the original Laughing Cow products, the vegan-certified cheese alternative is …

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Bel France goat's cheese

© Bel France
Cheese Alternatives

Bel France Launches Nurishh Vegan Feta Cubes & Goat’s Cheese

Bel France has launched two new plant-based cheeses under its Nurishh brand, as it works towards the goal of making half of its portfolio dairy-free by 2030. Nurishh dés Végétaux à la Grecque is an alternative to feta cubes, made in France at the company’s Saint-Nazaire factory. Another new product is the Palet Végétal Saveur Chèvre, a wheel-shaped plant-based alternative to goat’s cheese. Both are made from coconut oil and are available for retail and food service. Nurishh first launched in 2021 in the US, offering a variety of sliced and shredded vegan cheeses; it was Bel’s first fully dairy-free brand. At around the same time, the company announced it would be developing plant-based versions of its conventional cheese brands, including Babybel, Boursin, and The …

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The Laughing Cow Plant Based

©Bel Brands USA
Products & Launches

Update: Bel Brands USA Unveils First Animal-Free Dairy with Nurishh Incredible Dairy and Laughing Cow Plant-Based

Update Jan 4th: Comment from Bel USA as follows. Due to unforeseen production challenges of The Laughing Cow Plant-Based, rollout in the US has been delayed. We remain excited and eager for The Laughing Cow fans to try it when it’s available on shelves. Following the successful launches of Babybel Plant Based and Boursin Dairy-Free, Bel Brands USA announces the launch of The Laughing Cow Plant Based and Nurishh Incredible Dairy Animal Free Cream Cheese – its first animal-free product created in partnership with Perfect Day.  Debuting at select retailers, including Kroger and Whole Foods, the new offerings include:  The Laughing Cow Plant Based – Certified plant-based and vegan, The Laughing Cow Plant Based delivers the same taste and creamy spreadability people know and love. …

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© Standing Ovation

Cheese Alternatives

Babybel Parent Company Bel Group and Standing Ovation Partner for Animal-Free Cheese

Following its acquisition of an equity stake in Standing Ovation this September, multinational cheese leader Bel Group, famous for iconic brands The Laughing Cow, Babybel, and Boursin, announces an exclusive partnership with the food tech startup to produce animal-free cheese. Based in Paris, Standing Ovation is a precision fermentation specialist that produces animal-free caseins – proteins necessary in cheesemaking – using microbes instead of cows. Microbial caseins are identical to those found in dairy milk, and Bel Group will use them to develop its alternative cheese offerings. Standing Ovation raised €12 million to produce its animal-free casein, in this September’s Series A round where Bel Group was the “undisclosed leading player in the food industry” at the time of our reporting. “Committed to future of …

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Bel Brands Interview

©Bel Brands
Interviews

Bel Brands USA: “There is a Tremendous Opportunity in the Plant-Based Cheese Space”

Bel Brands USA is the US subsidiary of Bel Group, the world’s third-largest branded cheese company and a leader in single-serve cheese products. In 2020, Bel Group announced bold plans to create plant-based versions for each of its core brands, including Boursin, Babybel and The Laughing Cow. Soon after, Boursin Dairy-Free debuted to great fanfare on the US market, followed by the launch of Babybel Plant Based and Bel’s first plant-based cheese line, Nurishh.  According to the company, its 150 years of cheesemaking experience sets it far above the competition, and it intends to continue leveraging this knowledge to transform the plant-based cheese market. We spoke to Shannon Maher, Chief Marketing Officer of Bel Brands USA, about the company’s exciting cheese innovations, the upcoming launch …

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Babybel Dairy-Free Canada

©Bel Group Canada
Products & Launches

Bel Canada Launches Babybel Plant-Based in Canada as it Aims for 50% Dairy-Free Portfolio

Bel Canada Group announces it has launched Babybel Plant-Based into Canadian retail stores this week. A dairy-free version of the company’s famous snacking cheese, the debut is part of Bel’s strategy to become a global leader in cheese alternatives and make half its offerings plant-based by 2030. Babybel Plant-Based, which rolled out in the US and UK earlier this year, is made to look and taste like the company’s popular Mini Babybel cheese wheels. Made from coconut oil, the green wax-coated cheeses offer a mozzarella flavor while being fully lactose-free. The company states Babybel Plant-Based joins its other dairy-free products, Nurishh and Boursin, that have already launched in Canadian retail. “We are always attentive to the needs and expectations of consumers,” said Marie–Ève Robert, Vice-President …

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Bandit_FreshMozz_Peaches Bandit

©Bandit
Investments & Finance

Conscious Cultures Raises $1.5M & Rebrands to ‘Bandit’ as it Pushes Boundaries for Vegan Cheese

Plant-based foods company Conscious Cultures announces it has raised $1.5M in seed funding as it officially rebrands to Bandit. The round was led by venture capital firm Prime Movers Lab, and the funds will be used to continue scaling production and expand Bandit’s fan base. Bandit produces artisan dairy-free cheeses made primarily from cashews and coconut, including Fresh Mozz (mozzarella), Philly Spread (cream cheese), and Fruit ‘n Nut (cranberry goat cheese.) It also produces a line of signature varieties such as Maverick (a cave-aged double cream bloomy rind) and Barn Cat (a cave-aged, vegetable ash ripened cheese with an ash inlay.) Best tasting “The Bandit team is pushing the boundaries of cultured, plant-based milks, producing the most compelling vegan cheeses on the market. We have …

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Bel Brands USA Dairy-Free Products

©Bel Brands USA
Company News

Bel Group and Superbrewed Food Enter Partnership to Develop Cheeses with Postbiotic Cultured Protein

Multinational cheese leader Bel Group, which owns iconic snacking brands Babybel and Boursin, announces a strategic collaboration with fermentation startup Superbrewed Food to develop a line of cheeses with Superbrewed’s Postbiotic Cultured Protein. According to Bel, the company intends to develop a full range of cheeses, both dairy and plant-based, that incorporate Superbrewed’s Protein, a nutrient-rich ingredient made from microflora that convert plant fibers. The protein will be ready to ship from Superbrewed’s Delaware facility in the first half of 2023, and Bel says it plans to propose the newly formulated products to consumers “very soon”.  Based in New Castle, Delaware, Superbrewed uses traditional anaerobic fermentation processes to create a high-quality protein with all 9 essential amino acids. According to Superbrewed, this minimally processed ingredient delivers …

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Babybel Plant-Based Cheese Snack

©Bel Brands USA
Food & Beverage

Bel Brands USA Announces Babybel Plant-Based Cheese is Now Available Nationwide in US

Bel Brands USA announces its highly anticipated Babybel Plant-Based cheese is now available at US retailers nationwide. The creamy dairy-free snack can be found in Whole Foods, Sam’s Club, and Fresh Thyme locations, as well as select Costco stores in the Southeast US. Availability will continue to expand throughout 2022.  Made to taste like Mozzarella cheese, Babybel Plant-Based is a vegan version of the company’s popular Mini Babybel cheese wheels, and offers a good source of dairy-free calcium and B12.  Bel Brands says it leveraged the company’s 150 years of cheesemaking experience to create the new snack, which comes wrapped in Babybel’s signature wax coating, now colored bright green. The company also notes its packaging is made from 80% paper with inside wrappers that are certified …

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babybel plant-based cheese

© Bel Brands USA
Products & Launches

Bel Brands USA to Launch Babybel Plant-Based As Part of Dairy-Free Expansion

Bel Brands USA, the producer of popular Babybel, Boursin and The Laughing Cow cheeses, announces new plans to significantly expand its plant-based cheese line. Babybel Plant-Based will debut nationwide across the US next month, with additional product launches planned for the company’s  Nurishh and Laughing Cow brands. A dairy-free take on the iconic snack-size cheese, Babybel Plant-Based will soon join Bel Brand’s other recent dairy-free innovations, such as Boursin Dairy-Free and Nurishh, the company’s first 100% plant-based cheese line.  Noting that more than half of Americans are now incorporating plant-based foods into their diets, Bel Brands says the company is seizing the opportunity to create dairy-free cheeses that offer the flavor and quality consumers are demanding.  The new products will include:  Babybel Plant-Based – A …

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Boursin Dairy-Free Cheese

©Bel Group
Products & Launches

Boursin Dairy-Free Now Available in US Retail 

As we reported last October, Bel Group launched Boursin’s Dairy-Free Cheese Spread Alternative Garlic & Herbs into Amazon following the announcement that it would release a vegan version of its core brands including Babybel, The Laughing Cow, Babybel, Kiri, and Leerdammer. Boursin now reveals that the garlic spread is available nationally across the US in retailers. Bel Group reports that the product was developed using the knowledge and expertise of plant-based food brand, Follow Your Heart, recently acquired by Danone. The company says that the expansion into plantbased helps Bel further its mission to become a major player in the healthy snack market. In March of this year, Bel introduced Nurishh, its own line of vegan cheeses, which debuted with three types of slices and …

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Nurishh Portfolio

©Bel Group
Products & Launches

Dairy Giant Bel Brands, Owner of Babybel & Boursin, Debuts Plant-Based Cheese Brand Nurishh

Following last autumn’s news from Bel Group that the multinational dairy corporation was to launch vegan-friendly versions of its core brands including The Laughing Cow, Babybel, Kiri, Leerdammer and Boursin, and that it was to launch a “new international brand fully dedicated to plant-based products” – Bel Brands USA this week introduces Nurishh, a line of vegan cheeses debuting with three types of slices and three of shreds.

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Boursin Dairy Free Cheese

©Boursin

Products & Launches

Vegan Boursin Cheese is Here (Well, in the US, For Now)

We reported yesterday that French multinational cheese producer Bel Group had revealed that its core brands including The Laughing Cow, Babybel, Kiri, Leerdammer and Boursin are set to offer a vegan cheese option. Bel Group said it is developing a “plant-based Mini Babybel project” and  that it will  launch an international brand fully dedicated to plant-based cheese products. We have further informaton as below on the Boursin which is the first to launch. The company states that the dairy-free version has the same Garlic & Herbs flavor you expect from Boursin, is suitable for a festive cheese board or for use in recipes. Its Plant-Based certified and non-GMO project verified recipe made with organic coconut oil and organic expeller-pressed canola oil make it a spreadable, …

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Bel Group

©Bel Group
Company News

Multinational Cheese Company Bel Group Acquires ‘All in Foods’ as Part of “Plant-Based Strategy”

Paris-based Bel Group, a subsidiary of Unibell and owner of household cheese brands such as Babybel, Laughing Cow, and Boursin; is to acquire All in Foods, a French startup that produces the Nature & Moi brand. Bel Group states this is part of a mission to become a major player in the healthy snack market.   In the deal, Bel will become the majority shareholder with an 80% stake, while All in Foods, a French startup founded in 2013 by the Jouault family, will retain 20%. Its products sold primarily in hypermarkets and supermarkets, food service and B2B in France and internationally, include slices, blocks, grated, and spreads, as well as plant-based sauces, under the Nature & Moi brand. Bel has also recently acquired dairy producers …

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