Comedian Ellen DeGeneres Invests in Plant-Based Cheese Company

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, have invested in plant-based company Miyoko’s Creamery. Their investment will go toward developing exciting new products rolling out in early 2020.

Since its founding in 2015, Miyoko’s Creamery has raised over $12 million, and its products are sold in more than 12,000 stores, including Target, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Walmart. According to founder and CEO Miyoko Schinner, the company has grown more than 100 percent each year! Schinner stated:

We are changing the trajectory of food. We see ourselves continuing to grow and expand offerings with products at a lower price point while staying true to making premium products.

And Schinner has some big-picture ideas for “changing the trajectory of food.” The company recently announced plans to convert a California dairy farm into a plant-based research and development facility. Miyoko’s will support the selected farm through funding and expertise, helping it transition into a facility that produces delicious vegan cheese and butter. Schinner said:

Farmers are struggling, farms are closing, livelihoods are threatened, and we want to help the American farmer stay true to the land. We can’t truly move to a compassionate food supply without the support and participation of the farming community. They are integral to our ability to eliminate animal agriculture and lead us to a compassionate and sustainable food supply.

The market is definitely changing. Just this month, America’s largest milk producer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy! Dean Foods, owner of familiar brands Dairy Pure, Organic Valley, and Land O’Lakes, blames the “accelerated decline in the conventional white milk category.”

Some dairy companies are adapting, seeking opportunities in the booming plant-based sector. California’s oldest dairy farm recently announced it had sold the last of its cows and was switching to growing almond trees! Dairy manager Dino Giacomazzi said in an interview:

Our facility is very old and inefficient to operate so we had to make a decision about investing in upgrading the facility and doubling the size of the milk cow herd or doing something else, and basically, we decided we were going to invest in our land and plant more almond trees and just continue farming without the cows.

Looks like it’s time for all of us to embrace delicious plant-based foods! For fantastic vegan meal ideas and recipes, order a FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide today.