Veronica Fil: Global Domination Through Novel Plant-Based Cheese

The Modern Health Nerd Podcast, Episode #26

Is making a sustainable alternative to dairy cheese out of cauliflower and hemp crazy?

Veronica Fil of Grounded Foods doesn't think so.

Driven by the innovation of her husband and business partner (who just so happens to be a chef of some renown in Australia) and their collective love of good food (including cheese), Grounded is on a mission to fix dairy.

Including the often dissatisfactory experience of non-dairy diary.

In this episode, you'll hear about...

• The origins of Grounded
• Shortcomings (and triumphs) of vegan cheese in the past and now
• How the stunning—yet amusing—generation gap between Millennials and Gen Z affects product marketing
• The power Gen Z holds to educate older consumers and transform the food system
• Why plant-based brands should avoid pigeonholing themselves with aggressively vegan brand messaging
• The logistical challenges involved in sourcing upcycled produce and creating sustainable products
• The plight of farmers within the factory farming system and why they need help to be able to benefit from the plant-based movement

About Veronica & Grounded Foods

Grounded was built on a love of dairy—but a dissatisfaction with both Big Food and existing dairy-free cheese options.

In 2019, Veronica and her husband, fine dining chef Shaun Quade, decided to leave behind their lives, careers, and restaurant in Australia, and launch a different kind of plant-based cheese company.

For the next 6 months, they lived in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in NYC while closing a fundraising round and simultaneously launching a product line.

Today, they're continuing to challenge and question tradition by making plant-based cheeses from natural ingredients that come from the ground, using traditional fermentation techniques, without cutting costs by using unnecessary additives, flavor enhancers or cheap fillers.

They decided to fix dairy using cauliflower and hemp: two of nature's superfoods, reimagined as cheese.

Find Grounded on the Web (and try the cheese)!

• https://www.groundedfoods.com
• Instagram: @grounded_foods
• Facebook: GroundedFood
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grounded-foods/

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