Philadelphia Launches Its Vegan Cream Cheese Line Nationwide

Dairy-free shoppers, your day is here, as you finally get to experience the joy of Philadelphia's first plant-based cream cheese. Philadelphia had been testing its new product in a few markets in the southeastern United States since last winter, and now shoppers nationwide can indulge. The company spent two years developing the recipe, with the goal of creating a vegan cream cheese that people would return to again and again, as previous attempts at vegan spreads had failed to create repeat customers. Well, it sounds like Philadelphia was successful, as it claims in a press release that these new cream cheeses doubled the amount of returning customers and are now being rolled out across the country.

With the traditional flavor performing so well, Philadelphia will also introduce two new flavors as part of the launch: chive and onion, and strawberry. The plant-based product is free of dairy, lactose, and gluten, and, according to its ingredient list, is made primarily from coconut oil, potato starch, and faba beans. Per the press release, the company's senior brand manager Keenan White said, "To be the first mainstream cream cheese brand launching a plant-based spread option with widespread accessibility across the U.S. is an important milestone for Philadelphia and our fans." While the company has not given a specific release date, it says the spreads will be available starting in July 2023, so vegans with a blank bagel should be able to grab them soon.

Even though the number of quality dairy-free products has grown each year, vegan cheese has long remained one of the last bastions that plant-based alternatives hadn't truly figured out. But now Philadelphia seemingly has the makings of a successful launch, with 70% of people who tried it saying the product was better than expected. This plant-based cream cheese is joining a number of new vegan spreads on the market. Oatly recently launched an oat-based cream cheese alternative in plain as well as onion and chive flavors. Nurrissh Incredible Dairy is another option coming from the makers of Laughing Cow and Boursin.

Kraft Heinz, parent company of the Philadelphia brand, has also recently announced another vegan foray into a dairy classic with its Kraft "Not Cheese" Singles. The iconic American singles will also be available in cheddar and provolone flavors, and like its cream cheese, the vegan singles got a highly positive reception from customers during its test market run. Kraft Heinz has noted that it's not only aiming its dairy-free products at vegans, but at flexitarians who just want to add more plant-based meals to their diet. Given that growing demand, and the new wave of competition in the market, vegans, dairy-free consumers, or anyone who wants to cut back on animal products can expect a lot more launches like this in the future.