Armored Fresh, a South Korean food tech startup, wants to be the cheese alternative everyone asks for.

The company was the first in the world to create vegan cheese from plant-based milk using fermentation technology and patented processes it says creates a product nearly indistinguishable from dairy-based cheese.

Using a unique plant-based fermentation technology developed for a combination of plant-based lactic acid and almond milk, Armored Fresh can replicate the aroma, texture and flavor of traditional cheese.

“From the beginning we didn’t want to compete with other plant-based cheeses. We wanted to compete with the Krafts, the Sargentos – the traditional dairy manufacturers,” said Andrew Yu, vice president of American operations at Armored Fresh. “We have not only have scientists, but also have chefs that we’ve hired from Michelin-rated restaurants so that it becomes a collaboration between art and science. So that what comes out is a great-tasting product, not only just an exercise in being able to formulate different compounds to make cheese.”

Armored Fresh makes its plant-based cheese the same way as natural cheese. However, unlike cow’s milk, plant-based milk does not contain ingredients like lactose, making it challenging to grow lactic acid bacteria. Armored Fresh’s proprietary technology produces aroma compounds such as lactic acid, peptone and peptides through the fermentation of almond milk.

Armored Fresh holds several patents, including “Method For Making Vegetable Cheese Using Almonds'' and “Method for Manufacturing Vegetable Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermented Almond Milk” which are integral to its production process.

“These patents are also the first manufacturing technology of vegan cheese made with almond milk patents that have been officially recognized, making us the first and only company in Korea to hold these patents after being in the market for only a year,” said founder and CEO Rudy Yoo.

Launched in mid-2022, following about three years of development, Armored Fresh produces slices and cubed cheeses available in retail locations in several states and offers a foodservice line with slices in bulk, cheese spread and mozzarella shreds. These products also are available with an oatmilk base as an allergy-free product line. 

The company has raised about $29 million from investors and is headquartered in South Korea, alongside its research and development team and co-manufacturing partner. 

“Two key points set our products apart which are taste and price. We produce our cheese through the same process as dairy cheese, which makes a big difference in the result. Compared to animal-based protein, plant-based protein does not combine well with lactic acid bacteria, which makes it harder to manufacture plant-based cheese in the same manner as dairy cheese,” Yoo said. “To solve this problem, we experimented with thousands of combinations and were able to discover a technique that could produce enough lactobacillus bonds to manufacture cheese from plant-based proteins alone. Since our plant-based cheese is made through this process, we were able to deliver a similar savory taste that people found in dairy cheese. As not many vegan cheeses can grasp the similar taste of dairy cheese as we do, people who had the chance to taste our cheese were truly surprised and testified that they couldn’t tell the difference between our plant-based cheese and dairy cheese.”

“The second key difference is our price,” Yoo said. “We are able to sell our products in a similar price range as dairy cheese due to our Key Mix technology. Our Key Mix is the mixture of plant-based protein and lactic acid bacteria, which is a fundamental component in our cheese production process. With this technology, we only need to send our Key Mix to a cheese factory to produce our products in the same manner as dairy cheese.”

With capacity to produce up to 7,000 tons of plant-based cheese annually per SKU, Armored Fresh is looking for new markets and perfecting new flavors, including cheddar, provolone and pepper jack slices, expected to soon be available. The company also has its sights set on European expansion in 2024.

“As the plant-based cheese industry grows each year, our goal is not to force people to convert to a full-on plant-based diet but rather to provide an alternative to dairy cheese and hopefully become a gateway into the plant-based world for many people,” Yoo said.