METRO Germany is now offering Frischain, an animal-free cream cheese produced by the German startup Formo. The wholesaler claims to be the first in the world to stock the product.
Frischain is made using microfermentation, which produces functional proteins that can be processed using traditional dairy cheese production methods. These proteins are derived from koji, a fungus traditionally used in soy sauce, miso, and sake to break down complex molecules and enhance flavours. The resulting cheese alternative is said to be almost indistinguishable from dairy cream cheese.
METRO is offering the product on its refrigerated shelves in a 1.5 kilogram catering container. The wholesaler operates 102 stores and 11 delivery depots across Germany, boasting around three million customers.
“With Frischhain, we are pleased to be expanding our constantly growing range of vegan alternative products and thus meeting the ever-increasing demand in this area,” said Bianca Hirsch of METRO Germany. “Formo’s vegan cream cheese is ideal for our target group of restaurateurs and hoteliers to implement trends in their kitchens and better serve the diets of their guests.”
“Cheese that tastes good, without compromise”
In March, Formo announced a strategic R&D alliance with Belgian precision fermentation company Those Vegan Cowboys to accelerate the production of animal-free casein. The companies said they would combine their manufacturing outputs to achieve economies of scale, with the aim of reaching price parity with milk proteins.
Two months later, Formo food technologist Dr Monika Brückner-Gühmann discussed the efficiency of the company’s fermentation process at the Bremerhaven Food Forum. She explained that only around ten percent of the nutrients absorbed by a cow end up in the milk, whereas this figure can reach 80% for microorganisms. Additionally, she clarified that there were no legal obstacles to the production of Formo’s cream cheese, since the product is not subject to the EU’s Novel Food regulations.
“Our mission is simple: we make cheese that tastes good, without compromise and with a positive contribution to the environment,” said Raffael Wohlgensinger, founder and CEO of Formo. “Frischhain offers exactly that: an animal-free cheese experience for the senses — without lactose, without gluten, without hormones, without antibiotics — instead with a large dose of pioneering spirit and lots of flavour. We are proud to bring our animal-free koji protein-based Frischhain to the best restaurants in Germany together with METRO.”
