Among alternative plant-based proteins, plant-based cheese still faces challenges in terms of functionality and taste.
That's where Plonts comes in. Company founders Nathaniel Chu and Josh Moser say that microbes are key to determining the taste, aroma, flavor, stretch and meltability of their plant-based cheeses — in fact, it's the microbes that give cheese its distinctive smell.
CEO Chu began his career as a biologist studying complex systems from coral disease to waste, making him a literal expert on bad smells. While pursuing a PhD in bioengineering at MIT, he was inspired by an article about how much carbon it takes to transport traditional meat and dairy products from farm to table. Cheese, in particular, is the third most resource-intensive food after beef and lamb, Chu says.
“I remember thinking, how can this be done? I love cheese,” Chu told TechCrunch. While researching alternatives, he discovered that the sharpness of cheddar and the nuttiness of parmesan, for example, come from microbes. If he could find the right microbes, he could make fermented foods, in this case cheese, from a variety of ingredients, including plants.
In 2019, Chu rented a corner of a pizza shop to test his theory and start making cheese. It took a few years to figure out the science, but the first proof of concept finally came in the form of a plant-based cheese that Chu describes as “nutritious, cheap and sustainable.” During that process, Chu met Moser and started Plonts (then called Tezza Foods).
Why microbes? Plant-based cheeses are made from bacteria and fungi. But “the microbial composition of fermented foods plays an important role in shaping their taste.” [cheese alternatives] “The fruit has organoleptic and nutritional properties,” according to the study, conducted by Brazilian and French food scientists and published in a paper in the peer-reviewed literature database ScienceDirect.
This includes flavor and texture development, more nutritious options (i.e. more protein), and greater health benefits in the final product.
Plonts co-founders Josh Moser and Nathanial Chu. (Image courtesy of Plonts) Image courtesy of Plonts / Plonts co-founders Josh Moser and Nathanial Chu. (Image courtesy of Plonts)
How Plonts cheese is made
Pronz cheese is made from soybeans, which is one of the most efficient ways to produce protein, according to Chew. Soybeans don't have much flavor on their own, so fermentation, similar to how beer is made, and aging, similar to how cheese is made, give them flavor rather than using natural flavors, Moser said.
The process starts with “milk” made from plants, which is coagulated to separate the curds and whey, turned into solids and aged, then mixed with microorganisms to create the right flavors.
“Cheese is an amazing product because it's complex,” Chew says. “It's not one flavor, it's hundreds of different flavor molecules.”
That's why he says microbes like molds, bacteria and yeasts are so important in creating those flavors: the microbes themselves are little packets containing hundreds of different enzymes in various combinations.
“Finding a balance is what gives us the diverse flavors we have today,” he said.
Using microbes results in a cheese that's higher in protein, he says, because the microbes thrive on the protein as a food source. Prontz claims its cheeses have about 3 grams of protein per ounce, whereas other plant-based milks often have no protein at all.
Plant-based cheese has come a long way
Plonts isn't the only company working on cheese: Climax Foods, for example, serves cheese in more than a dozen restaurants, and Boermarke, Brown Foods, Better Dairy, Miruku and Perfect Day are also developing cheeses.
Meanwhile, NuMoo has recently been working undercover with its casein protein technology. Even major companies are venturing into plant-based cheese: Multinational dairy company Bell Group has launched a plant-based version of its The Laughing Cow cheese product in Canada.
That said, startups in this space still have a long way to go: Plant-based cheeses account for less than 0.5% of the total cheese market pound sales, according to figures from Circana and the Good Food Institute. On top of that, dollar and pound sales are down 3% and 6%, respectively, from 2022 to 2023.
Plonts has partnered with Shuggie's Trash Pie in San Francisco. (Image courtesy of Plonts) Image courtesy of Plonts /
Moser said that challenge is one of the key factors that keeps Chew and Moser motivated: The GFI report cites the foodservice industry as providing a big opportunity for the plant-based cheese market.
“This indicates that existing products are not meeting consumer expectations in the three most important aspects: taste, cost and nutrition,” Moser said. “There is little reason to think that plant-based cheese will not be as successful as plant-based milk, as both are dairy products and have similar purchasing behaviors, including lactose intolerance, dairy allergies, cholesterol, sustainability and animal welfare concerns.”
Like its peers, Plonts started with cheddar and is now working on making both loaves and slices of cheese. Its first market entry is foodservice, where the company sells loaves directly to restaurant and deli customers in the Bay Area and New York City. Customers include Court Street Grocers and Shuggie's Trash Pie. Chu and Moser say the product will eventually be sold in retail stores.
The company is backed by a $12 million seed round of venture capital that Chu and Moser raised in 2022. Investors include Accelr8, Peter Rahal's Litani Ventures, Pillar, Ponderosa Ventures and Chris Sacca's Lowercarbon Capital, which led the round with investment from a group of angel investors.
Since then, Plonts has been focused on building the pilot plant and preparing to sell the product to the foodservice market.