As part of its rapid growth and retail expansion, Grounded Foods is launching its groundbreaking plant-based cheese products in Sprouts Farmers Market, landing in hundreds of Sprouts Farmers Market stores across the United States. 

Founded in late 2019, by Australian duo Veronica Fil and award-winning chef Shaun Quade, the company has rapidly gained the attention of larger grocery retailers due to its unique ingredients and novel fermentation process, which harnesses the functional proteins and fats contained in hemp and enables Grounded Foods to achieve textures that closely replicate that of dairy cheese. 

Unlike nut- or coconut oil-based alternatives, Grounded Foods cheeses are primarily made from hemp seed and imperfect cauliflower and are designed to recreate the sensory experience of eating traditional dairy cheese — appealing to the growing number of flexitarian consumers who want healthier, more sustainable plant-based options without compromising on taste. 

"It's the taste for us," said co-founder and CEO Veronica Fil. "That comes first with everything we do. We firmly believe that it's possible to satisfy people's craving for dairy cheese using existing, natural, and underutilized plant resources — stuff that comes from the ground."

Grounded currently offers three cheeses: a Hemp Seed Cream Cheese, Hemp Seed GOAT Cheese, and a CHEESE FREE CHEESE squeeze-on sauce, all of which are available online and at a number of retail locations nationwide, including Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, Gelson's, Harmon's, Festival Foods and Pete's Fresh Market.