IT started around a kitchen table on a small Scottish island and has grown to dominate a growing sector of the UK food market – vegan cheese.

Produce from Bute Island Foods is a world away from the haggis, salmon and shortbread normally associated with Scotland.

However, the family-owned firm supplies two of the UK’s biggest supermarkets and also sells its dairy-free range to consumers and trade clients at home and abroad, including a 250-strong Finnish pizza chain.

Tesco has sold a string of the company’s “cheeses” under its own-brand label for years, with a second seven-strong product line launching in Sainsbury’s this week.

Sold as part of the retailer’s Deliciously Freefrom brand, the range is geared towards vegans, who do not eat any meat, fish or dairy, as well as allergy and health-conscious eaters.

Made from coconut rather than cow’s milk, it includes Greek, Wensleydale and Cheddar-style cheeses and has caused excitement among the UK’s growing vegan community.

Many of the items – some flavoured with onion, cranberries or herbs – are the first of their kind on the market.

According to the Vegan Society, at least 542,000 people in the UK aged 15 and over have adopted the lifestyle, with the use of plant-based diets thought to have risen by 360 per cent in a decade.

Edinburgh and Glasgow have both been given the title of UK’s most vegan-friendly city by campaign group Peta and there are an estimated 1.14 million vegetarians aged 15 and over across the British Isles.

Vegans on Twitter said they were “overwhelmed with happiness” at the new offering, while others offered wine pairings for the dairy-free cheeseboard.

Bute Island Foods spent 18 months developing the line and director Mark Crichton says commitment to further innovation will help the company stay ahead as more mainstream firms seek to cash-in on the market.

Crichton told The National: “The market has changed hugely since the company started in 1988.

“This is one of the real exciting, innovative areas in food production – very few companies are not looking to develop for that market. We have got a really passionate team and we really do focus on research and development.

“Sainsbury’s approached us looking to develop a new range and we’ve been working on it for about 18 months. Tesco also came and worked with us and were really patient.

“It’s about what you are capable of doing and what you are prepared to do, how much commitment you have.”

With a workforce of more than 30 people, the firm is one of the largest employers on Bute and is run out of a premises formerly occupied by a dairy firm.

Crichton said: “Bute is a beautiful place to live and work but it’s not always the easiest from a business point of view. It makes up for it by simply being stunning.

“We are pretty unique in terms of Scottish food. It helps put Scotland on the map for a completely new product.

“It has grown from a little artisan, cottage company to one that can work with major retailers. We hope the Sainsbury’s range will be successful, we know people have been looking for it.”



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