Developing vegaan cheese is a process of trial and error

Annamari Jukkola, CEO of Mö Foods, is refining the spreadability and taste of new flavour variations for a fresh cheese-style product, reports Yle.

Jukkola develops oat-based vegaan cheeses, a process she describes as persistent experimentation, continuous tasting, and occasional lucky accidents. The goal is to match the taste and texture of traditional dairy cheeses, but with entirely different raw materials.

Developing a completely new vegaan cheese can take several years, with multiple trials and extensive tasting. New flavour variations, however, can be found more quickly. Mö Foods currently has around five new products in development at any given time.

Jukkola and her sister, Marjaana Vuorio, Mö Foods’ creative director, chose to focus on vegaan cheeses because cheese is one of the most resource-intensive dairy products. “We thought that if we could make an impact with cheese, we could ultimately achieve the greatest effect,” Jukkola said.

Consumer ideas often drive new product development. Mö Foods has received requests for products like a strongly flavoured, long-matured vegaan cheese, vegaan halloumi, and a chive-flavoured cheese. Jukkola considers new ideas based on taste trends, consumer purchasing behaviour, or gaps in the company’s own range.

In the early stages, a large number of samples are tested. If one clearly stands out, it is a cause for celebration. Feedback like “tastes like spinach soup” or “feels like gummy candy in the mouth” indicates that there is still much work to be done on taste or mouthfeel.

Mö Foods, which focuses solely on vegaan cheeses, exports its products to other Nordic countries, Germany, and Austria. According to the Pro Vege association, sales of plant-based products in Finland grew by 3.6 percent in 2025.

Note: The term “cheese” cannot be used in marketing or commerce for plant-based products under EU legislation. Instead, terms like “vegaan alternative to cheese,” “cheese-style vegaan product,” or “vuusto” are used.