I love cheese more than most things. So it was with some skepticism that I sat down for a three-course meal filled with nut milk cheese from Kite Hill, a Bay Area startup that sells non-dairy cheese concocted by chefs and a Stanford University biochemist. Not every cheese tasted exactly like the real thing, but some did. The dairy-free ricotta tasted exactly like regular ricotta, and it was all good enough that I cleaned my plate after every course.
There is a reason for this: Kite Hill, like other Silicon Valley-backed food startups (Kite Hill is backed by Khosla Ventures), takes a distinctly high-tech, ultra-precise approach to its products. As I toured around Kite Hill's facility, it became clear that the company's unique approach to cheese-making will be key to its success.
In the growing world of high-tech synthetic meat, eggs, and dairy products, some products are an easier sell than others. Hampton Creek's eggless eggs, for example, can be baked or cooked into products so that no one knows they're even present. Beyond Meat's fake chicken strips are a logical purchase for Tofurkey-loving vegetarians (and perhaps even meat-eaters trying to cut down on their consumption).
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