Plant-based cheese manufacturer Plonts has launched an aged plant-based cheddar, now available at select restaurants across New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area in the US.  

The development follows a successful $12m seed funding round and the establishment of a pilot plant in Oakland, California.  

The round was led by Lowercarbon Capital, a Climate Tech venture capital fund, along with contributions from Litani Ventures, Pillar, Accelr8, Ponderosa Ventures and several angel investors. 

Plonts is introducing a new category of plant-based foods utilising the process of fermentation, an ancient biotechnology, to transform soy milk into a cheese that has the same slicing, shredding and melting qualities as traditional cheddar. 

The plant-based cheddar from Plonts now features in tailor-made dishes at partner restaurants in New York City and San Francisco. 

Collaborating closely with chefs, Plonts ensures that each dish showcases the unique qualities of their cheddar.  

Court Street Grocers in New York has crafted a Veggie Classic Sandwich incorporating the plant-based cheddar, while S&P Lunch presents a Classic Grilled Cheese.  

In San Francisco, Shuggie's has introduced Pizza Puffs stuffed with the plant-based cheddar, mushrooms and pesto. 

Moongate Lounge and Mister Jiu’s founder and executive chef Brandon Jew said: “As a chef, I believe it is increasingly important to understand how and when meat and dairy alternatives can supplement your menu. 

“There is already a rich history in Chinese cuisine that leans heavily into the creativity of using soy milk.  

“Plonts is a new product with old-world sensibilities, providing yet another way to enjoy soy milk. It maintains the cheesy, melty properties of a cheddar and compels you to consider it in place of dairy cheese. I believe in the product and now serve it on our Moongate Lounge menu.” 

Plonts was founded in 2019 by Nathaniel Chu and Josh Moser.  

After completing his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chu was inspired to apply his knowledge of microbiomes to the creation of sustainable fermented foods.