Miyoko’s Creamery is known for its innovative approach to plant dairy and its newest product pushes the envelope even further. The company’s new Cinnamon Raisin Cream Cheese is the first vegan version of this classic flavor and is rolling out at retailers such as Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Safeway, and more.
Miyoko’s Creamery
Visionary chef Miyoko Schinner founded Miyoko’s Creamery in 2014 and has since been redefining what plant-based cheeses and butters can be. Based in Northern California, Miyoko’s combines old-world creamery traditions with new, innovative technologies to revolutionize the cheese and butter categories, with an overarching mission of making vegan dairy the norm.
“It’s always been important for Miyoko’s as a brand to lead with innovation, and that’s what we’ve done with our first-of-its-kind Cinnamon Raisin Cream Cheese,” Rusti Porter, CMO of Miyoko’s Creamery, tells VegNews. “There is a growing appetite from our fans—vegans and flexitarians alike—for sweet treats they can feel good about.”
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First vegan cinnamon raisin cream cheese
Made with cashew milk and coconut cream—and without added flavors, oils, or gums—the new Miyoko’s Cinnamon Raisin Cream Cheese flavor features new proprietary cultures that deliver a more dairy-like experience.
Miyoko’s Creamery
Porter explains that the new flavor was created to target an opportunity in the cream cheese category, where 72 percent of growth is coming from sweet flavors. “Creating delicious flavors with simple ingredients ensures we address the demand and satisfy consumers’ cravings, while enticing even more plant curious consumers to switch to plant milk dairy,” Porter says.
“In addition to the new flavor, we are enhancing our entire cream cheese line with the use of proprietary new cultures, creating a reduced level of tang, while delivering richer dairy notes, and an even creamier texture,” Porter says.
It also serves as a vehicle to unveil a new packaging look for Miyoko’s Creamery, which features high-contrast colors (making it easier to spot on store shelves) and a call-out to its simple and organic ingredients.
Outside of its retail launch, a similar product made a brief appearance in 2020 as part of a single-store test at Starbucks. At its Issaquah, WA location, the coffee chain giant offered Miyoko’s vegan cream cheese in Everything and Cinnamon Raisin flavors for $1 for a limited time.
Vegan caramels with Miyoko’s butter
Outside of the new launch under its own line of dairy-free products, Miyoko’s is also partnering with other brands to help them deliver next-level products. Oakland, CA-based company OCHO Candy just launched a line of dark chocolate-coated vegan caramels in Classic, Cinnamon, Coffee, and Chocolate flavors.
OCHO Candy
What’s unique about these confections is their caramel center is made with Miyoko’s European Cultured Style Butter, which imparts a luscious buttery flavor often masked by more common coconut milk-based vegan caramels. The unique formulation also delivers that same gooey pull and chew of traditional caramel but without any animal products.
“I’m incredibly excited to announce this partnership between OCHO Candy and Miyoko’s Creamery,” Scott Kucirek, CEO of OCHO Candy, said in a statement.
“Vegan and dairy-free consumers deserve dessert options with great textures and bold flavors, and we believe our plant-based caramel line delivers on both fronts. We’re also proud to provide a certified organic and Fair Trade option for caramel lovers,” Kucirek said.
OCHO Candy’s new vegan caramel line—which is available through the company website—is the latest collaboration featuring Miyoko’s vegan butter. Previous collaborations included an upcycled vegan chocolate chip cookie by Renewal Mill and a Miyoko’s Butter Toffee & Chocolate ice cream flavor at Seattle-based brand Frankie & Jo’s—which returned to the ice cream shop for a second year in December.
Making better dairy with plants
Since its launch, Miyoko’s has become a household favorite but its mission to perfect vegan dairy products is ongoing, fueled by a desire to give consumers delicious vegan choices for every occasion.
Miyoko’s Creamery
In addition to butter and cream cheese, Miyoko’s produces vegan cheeses in a variety of formats, including liquid mozzarella (which browns perfectly on pizzas); artisan wheels (that pair well with wines); and Roadhouse Cheddar (a dippable cheese that goes marvelously with pretzels).
“With plant-based milks in nearly half of households across the country, Miyoko’s believes there is just as much opportunity for plant-based cheeses to become a household staple,” Porter says.
“We will continue to push boundaries with innovation that appeals to vegans and flexitarians alike who are seeking delicious and healthy food, and our Cinnamon Raisin Cream Cheese innovation does just that,” Porter says.
The forward-thinking company is also working on the world’s first vegan cottage cheese—made in part with watermelon seed milk—a prototype of which it unveiled last year.
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Anna Starostinetskaya is the Senior News Editor at VegNews and is always keeping an eye on all things vegan in her home city of San Francisco, CA and everywhere else.
