Willicroft unveils fermented plant-based butter

Dutch plant-based dairy start-up Willicroft is launching its first non-cheese product in September 2023, a plant-based fermented butter.

In a statement announcing the launch, Willicroft emphasised that the product is not a margarine and tastes, spreads, cooks and bakes exactly like dairy butter.

The company developed the product using precision fermentation, enabling it to recreate the taste of “high-end” dairy butter without any artificial flavourings.

Willicroft co-founder Brad Vanstone wrote in a LinkedIn post: “Through precise fermentation, we have replicated the most critical flavour component in butter – butyric acid”.

He added: “We also felt the category was missing a highly functional product that had the multi-use nature of butter. The Willicroft Original Better melts at the same temp as dairy butter making it so much more than just a spread and the perfect companion to cook or bake with.”

In line with its cheese portfolio, the new butter product also uses a base ingredient of beans as well as other natural ingredients. It is created using European soybeans sourced in Austria.

According to Willicroft, its butter contains less saturated fats than other plant-based butters available while being “just as spreadable and meltable”.

The fermented plant-based butter will be available in retail and foodservice this September, initially in the Netherlands and Germany, following two years of development and over €350,000 investment. It was supported by a grant from the Provincie Noord Holland.

The company secured €2 million in a seed investment round last year to expand its cheese into new markets including the UK, the Nordics and Germany.