North Bay Woman

S P R I N G | S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 NORTH BAY WOMAN 19 are cutting edge: very different than anything we have launched before." She said that this growth was "exact- ly what I wanted. I was afraid at the time I launched the company, that I would be dreaming too big and then be disappointed because my idea wouldn't work. "When we started six years ago, there was really no demand," she said. "If you looked at studies and market research, no one had analyzed the potential success of a high-quality vegan cheese product like ours because con- sumers hadn't seen a product like ours. It was hard to gauge the size of the market. We kind of created the category." While there were already commercial vegan cheeses based on oil and starch available predominantly in health food markets for a couple of decades, Schinner's approach to taking a cashew-based cheese, fermenting it and dupli- cating the process by which dairy cheese is made, was unique. "No one had ever done that before," she said. "We had no idea how big the marketplace would be. It's now turning into a much bigger category. Demand for these types of higher-end products are rising exponentially. It's a very exciting time to be in business." Schinner thinks of her initial line of round cheese wheels, with flavors such as Double Cream Chive, Sundried Tomato Garlic, Smoked Farmhouse, Black Ash and Winter Truffle, as higher-end cheeses. She then expand- ed to add cashew-based vegan butters, firm mozzarella wheel and simpler, more accessible "Roadhouse Cheeses" sold in tubs, with slightly lower price points. Now she is debuting a line of what she calls "premium commodity chees- es." These will include flavors such as cheddar and pepper jack. They are designed to be rich, gooey, will melt like their traditional dairy namesakes, and will have even lower price points, to make them competitive with main- stream supermarket dairy products such as Tillamook. In a departure from Miyoko's proven successful formula of a nut base, these new "dairy" items are based on oats and legumes. Miyoko's is also releasing a liquid mozzarella. Initially designed for use in the food industry, it too will melt, and boast a rich and gooey mouth feel. Designed to be used in vegan pizzas and other dishes that feature mozzarella, it will replace traditional cow's milk cheese. She hasn't given up her love of the higher-end cheeses. Schinner said that a vegan brie and a blue cheese are currently in development as is non-dairy cottage cheese and sour cream. Schinner thinks of herself as an educator as much as an entrepreneur. To this end, her company debuted an educational initiative called Wine Country 2.0. "We are working with restaurants and the wine industry in Napa and Sonoma, educating the industry that these vegan products are healthier for people, for the planet, and also pair beautifully with wines" she said. One of the challenges of creating a line of successful vegan products, said Schinner, is that "People want exact replacements. If you are going to swap out their meat and cheese for a plant- based product, they want to still have the same taste experi- ence they have always had. "But these are the kind of solutions we need to provide to people," she continued. "Everyday solutions that make people's lives easier and help them transition more easily to a more sustain- able lifestyle." Part of the reason for her success with Miyoko's Creamery, she believes, is that she understood right away that she couldn't achieve this type of growth without a solid team behind her. In terms of giving advice to others, she put it this way: "Become a visionary and then surround yourself with really smart people who understand your vision and can help you execute it. That's really important. I've met women who are afraid that if they meet people better at one of the jobs than they are, they'll be displaced. You can't possibly do everything and be every- thing. Your job as a business leader is to be a visionary, work on building the culture of the business, set the strategic vision, and find people who will help you execute that." To learn more about Miyoko's Cream- ery and where to find the widest range of products, go to miyokos.com. n Above: "The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples" written by Miyoko Schinner, is a guide to creating vegan versions of staple ingredients to stock the fridge and pantry. – Photo courtesy of Miyoko Schinner

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