Alice Shopland established Angel Food in 2006, with the aim of making it easier for people to eat plants rather than animals.
The first few years of the business were very hard going - but four years ago things started to change quickly.
“Hell Pizza started offering our dairy-free cheese as an option in all their stores, and New World stores started carrying our products - and basically it’s been all go since then. We’re now in 96% of Countdown stores.”
The company focuses on cheese alternatives, because most people love cheese and find it hard to imagine living without it!
“It wasn’t easy, but we’ve developed recipes which emulate the taste and texture and look of dairy cheeses. Our mozzarella and cheddar alternatives are our top sellers at present, but we’re excited about our upcoming launches of feta and smoked cheddar alternatives.”
With plant-based eating being one of the top food trends internationally for the past few years, it’s no surprise that the industry is evolving rapidly.
“It’s pretty mainstream now!” says Shopland. “We were in the UK recently, and there were vegan pubs and vegan ‘fried chicken’ shops and a huge range of vegan ready meals in supermarkets. It’s a great time to be showing the world that Aotearoa can be as innovative with plant-based foods as it has been with animal agriculture in the past.”