Thailand’s award-winning plant-based vegan cheese producer, Swees Plant Based Foods Co., Ltd (Swees), has recently announced the opening of the first vegan plant-based cheese factory in the country.
The new startup company was established in 2019 and is led by Founder Nicolas Frauenfelder who is hoping for the factory to commence production in early 2023.
Demand for cheese has always been strong and it has been used in many food applications in both retail as well as foodservice settings. Statista estimated the value of the global cheese market at over US$77.6 billion in 2021 and it projected this market to grow to US$113 billion by 2027. Statista also highlighted the emergence of manufacturers of non-dairy products. Indeed, there has been a shift in demand towards plant-based cheese which is perceived to be healthier as compared to its dairy counterpart.
Swees is looking to meet the needs of vegans as well as a sizeable proportion of Asian consumers who are lactose intolerant and health-conscious.
The opening of the vegan plant-based cheese factory in Thailand is a historical moment for the country as it is also designed to be a sustainable production facility to produce vegan cheese for the country. Studies showed that plant-based cheese releases 80% less CO2 emissions compared to dairy cheese. The company will also be exporting its products to countries in the Asia Pacific region.
In a related development, Swees also announced that it is launching its first seed round in November to raise funds.
Swees headquarters is in Chiang Mai, and despite being a new company, has already won several awards that include Chiang Mai’s pitching start-up contest in 2021, winner of Thailand’s plant-based food awards (2021) and innovative product at Thaifex-Anuga 2022.
