BC Business
Top 20 Innovators in BC, Daiya Foods Inc
Congratulations to Daiya Foods, #16 in 2011's Most Innovative Companies in B.C. In 2005 Daiya Foods founder and longtime vegan Andre Kroecher set out to satisfy his craving for a delicious and gooey vegan pizza. Little did he know that two years later his creation would beget a vegan cheese revolution. ?
In 2005 Daiya Foods founder and longtime vegan Andre Kroecher set out to satisfy his craving for a delicious and gooey vegan pizza. Little did he know that two years later his creation would beget a vegan cheese revolution.
Available in stores across Canada and the U.S., including Whole Foods and IGA, Daiya Foods’ cheddar- and mozzarella-style “shreds” are free of animal products and many common allergens, yet, as one panellist can attest, they maintain much of the flavour and consistency of traditional cheese. Daiya Foods products can be used in cooking in a way that no other vegan cheese is used to date, says another panellist: “That’s the innovation – the taste and texture.” The best proof is what the product has done for the world of pizza, a realm that no other vegan cheese has fully broken into. In B.C., over 20 restaurants and pizzerias (including Vancouver institution The Naam and pizzeria Rebellious Tomato) are serving up vegan-friendly slices courtesy of Daiya Foods.
The recipient of numerous awards, including the Veggie Award for Product of the Year, this Vancouver company is catering to a growing, and increasingly profitable, non-dairy market. According to one of our panellists, it’s “bigger than you may imagine. Much bigger.”