Ami Tadaa shares the how, what, and why behind Tyne Chease
I heard about Tyne Chease a few months ago and then had the pleasure of tasting it in March, when I attended VegFest in Brighton. What a treat!
You can find out more about Tyne Chease, their range and how the company came about through the interview below, but before that...here's a short clip with Ami Tadaa, the owner of Tyne Chease.
What does Tyne Chease specialise in selling?
Tyne Chease hand makes artisanal cultured, 100% plant based, organic (where possible), gluten free, nut based cheases in the north east of England.
Where is Tyne Chease based?
We are based in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Does Tyne Chease exclusively serve locals or can others who are further away access your products too? If so, how?
We ship our cheases throughout the UK through our online shop. We are also about to start selling to a number of North East Health Food shops and are hoping to expand this throughout the UK too.
What inspired you to create a business that solely focuses on vegan artisan cheeses?
Having grown up living around the world (India, Ethiopia and Afghanistan) I have always made vegan cheeses for myself and my family. After I graduated from York St John University with a 1st class honors degree I decided to take my hobbie and turn it into a career. After months of experimentation I found a recipe that really works and I really wanted to share it with the public! I think cheese is also such an important food to get right as a vegan - it is often the final frontier for people wanting to adopt a vegan lifestyle and I think if there were more good vegan cheeses people might be more open into turning vegan.
How easy is it for you to source cruelty free ingredients for your products?
The majority of our products are easy to source from the UK. However organic cashew and macadamia nuts are often very difficult to source. We try to get organic ingredients where possible.
What's special about the way you make your chease?
We use a traditional cheese making process whereby our cheases are cultured, pressed and aged.
How long do they keep for?
Our cheases keep for 2 weeks in the fridge or for 3 months in the freezer.
For someone who hasn't tasted your range before, and is indecisive about what to buy; which cheases are your most popular?
Our most popular products are the soft macadamia, garlic and herb and smokey paprika cheases.
Is Tyne Chease owned by, or in partnership with, another company that tests on animals or sells non-vegan products?
We are not owned by or in partnership with any other company and we are a 100% plant based, vegan company.
What is your vision for the future of this Tyne Chease?
I hope to supply wholesale to health food shops around the UK and I also hope to start selling around Europe and into the U.S.
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It's now super easy to source things like vegan cheese, yoghurt, milk!
If you would like to order from this amazing range of cheeses; Ami has a present for you! She has been kind enough to offer a discount of 20% to all Plant Shift readers. Just enter the code pstynechease2015 when you check out. This offer is valid up until the end of August 2015.