The Compleat Food Group has purchased organic plant-based cashew cheese producer, Palace Culture, for an undisclosed sum.

With this recent acquisition, the UK manufacturer is expanding its existing plant-based portfolio, which includes the ready-to-eat meat alternatives brand Squeaky Bean and chilled pickles and ferments brand Vadasz.

The Compleat Food Group was formed in 2021 and employes more than 3,500 people across ten sites, with an annual turnover of £700 million.

Palace Culture was established in 2018 by founder Mirko Parmigiani. His mission was to create sustainable plant-based cheeses for dairy intolerant consumers, inspired by his dairy intolerant son. The business has grown from a stall at Crystal Palace farmers’ market to being stocked in independent shops and distributors including Whole Foods and Abel & Cole.

Its portfolio includes a cashew-based semi-soft kimchi cheese, made with the juice of Vadasz kimchi, as well as cashew-based alternatives to goats cheese and brie, blue cheese, and a smoked chipotle cream cheese.

Yvonne Adam, chief marketing officer at The Compleat Food Group, described Palace Culture as a natural choice for the company’s portfolio due to its high-quality, distinctive product offering and potential for growth.

“Plant-based cheese is a fast-growing, but relatively untapped, market and there is plenty of consumer appetite for genuinely delicious vegan cheese,” Adam commented.

“We’re now looking forward to using our expertise and scale to introduce shoppers to Palace Culture’s unique range of incredibly tasty products that we know they will love, and we hope to able to announce additional listings shortly.”

Palace Culture’s founder Parmigiani added: “Born from our family kitchen in Crystal Palace, I combined a love of flavour, and a passion for health and sustainability, to create nut-based cheeses using raw ingredients”.

“Having seen how The Compleat Food Group has worked with the likes of Vadasz to retain its authenticity and incredible quality, we’re excited for the next chapter of Palace Culture’s evolution and to use The Compleat Food Group’s expertise to continue to innovate and introduce even more people to the world of plant-based vegan cheeses.”

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