UAE's Freakin' Healthy adds clean-label vegan cheese spread to its line of HEALTHY products.
Freakin’ Healthy, a UAE-based snack company, is expanding its line of healthy products with the introduction of plant-based cheese spread. The firm was founded in 2018 and is best known for its clean-label vegan, and healthy chocolate bars, superfood bars, and protein balls. The introduction of the cheese spread, which comes in four flavors, marks the company's decision to broaden its customer base and product portfolio in the ready-to-eat category.
"Our goal is to introduce more people to clean plant-based foods because many consumers still don't understand the difference between clean plant-based and junk plant-based foods. "The perception now is that going vegan or plant-based automatically makes you healthier, which is incorrect because these products can make you worse," says Roy Koyess, founder and CEO of Freakin' Healthy.
clean-label vegan cheese spread
Its cheese spread is said to be the UAE's second clean-label vegan cheese. Despite being the second largest in the region, Koyess admits it can be difficult to enter the market because there are already plant-based cheese spreads available, just not clean-label ones. Unlike most products, which are coconut-based, the cheese is made with cashews. "We found that cashews provide the creaminess and smoothness that is essential for spreadable cheese." "We also don't use any palm oil, starch, coconut oil, or emulsifiers, and our cheese is sugar, preservative, gluten, dairy, and lactose-free." Other plant-based cheese producers include these additives for texture or as a preservative.
Freakin' Healthy utilizes the latest packaging technology to prevent microbial growth and spoilage. This is in contrast to pasteurization, which involves the use of heat. Probiotics are used to ferment the cheese. According to Koyess, the spread can be eaten on toast, included in cooking, or topped as a topping. The product's R&D took six months.
Who does it target? According to Koyess, the goal is to target not only plant-based or vegan consumers but also those who are not. "We want to cater to non-vegetarians and non-vegans as well, and the only way to convince them to try or even switch to our plant-based cheeses is to meet a certain standard in terms of texture, flavor, look, and feel." Says Koyess. He also stated that ongoing research and development are underway to create healthier products. "We won't be the first to enter any category, such as plant-based eggs, but we want to be cleaner than what's already available." "The majority of our growth came from expanding our reach in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE, as well as from various product launches. "We had 15 SKUs a few years ago, but now we have over 60," Koyess said.
Source: UAE-based snack company Freakin’ Healthy is further expanding its better-for-you product range with the launch of a new plant-based cheese spread.