Dairy-Free Brand Swees Launches 'World-First' Vegan Cheese Sticks

Dairy-free cheese company Swees has launched what it says is the world’s first vegan cheese sticks.

The Thailand-based brand introduced its “Cheddar Plant-Based Cheese Sticks” in July. The new snackables join existing vegan cheese products from Swees like cheddar, mozzarella, mozzarella-chili, and Swiss-style blocks and slices.

The main ingredients in Swees cheeses are nutritional yeast and soy protein isolate, while the new cheese sticks also include rice protein. This ingredient adds nutritional value, but crucially also makes the product eligible for a government grant supporting national innovation.

“This is the first time this has been done in the world for any sort of vegan cheese and has simultaneously positioned rice as the outstanding ingredient for this product which is likely to greatly benefit Thailand due to rice being a major crop in this country,” Sirinapa Thasak, Head of R&D at Swees, told FoodNavigator Asia at the ThaiFex-Anuga Asia 2024 show.

“In addition, the cost of rice is also cheaper than many other novel but rare ingredients so this can help to bring down the price of the cheese sticks as well as to position the rice as a higher-value ingredient,” explained Thasak.

The growing dairy-free snack cheese market

Photo shows the new Swees Cheddar Plant-Based Cheese Sticks including a breakdown of their benefits — Swees Swees launched the dairy-free cheese sticks in July of this year

The global vegan cheese market was approximately USD $2.43 billion in 2021 and is predicted to grow by 12.6 percent between 2022 and 2030. Major brands are consistently launching plant-based cheese products, including snackables.

Laughing Cow’s plant-based cheese triangles launched to the Canadian market earlier this year, while Babybel now has both classic and White Cheddar flavored products.

Swees is currently targeting supermarkets and convenience stores throughout Thailand with its vegan cheese sticks, though the brand also exports to Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Singapore. However, expansion is currently limited by refrigeration logistics.

Each box of Swees Cheddar Plant-Based Cheese Sticks contains 10 individual sticks, which the brand says are “high in B vitamins” like B12. You can also purchase them online here.