South Korea’s Armored Fresh Debuts Oat Milk Cheese Slices That Rival Conventional

The South Korean food tech pioneer, Armored Fresh, has announced the launch of Oat Milk Cheese slices, marking another milestone in its mission to disrupt the dairy industry.

Armored Fresh says it has successfully crafted the first commercially available oat milk cheese slices. The South Korean company, which raised $23 million last year, says its latest product expands on the brand’s dairy-free cheese offerings, which currently includes its popular American-style slices.

The company says its new oat milk slices replicate the distinct sharp, salty, and nutty flavors commonly associated with dairy cheese. The cheese slices are available for food service partnerships within New York, but there are plans in the pipeline to increase availability across a range of states, retailers, and direct-to-consumer markets.

‘Delicious products everyone can enjoy’

“It’s our mission to prioritize consumers’ well being by creating delicious products that everyone can enjoy, which is why expanding into oat milk to provide a dairy-free option to give consumers a wider variety to choose from was a clear next step,” Armored Fresh’s CEO and Founder, Rudy Yoo said in a statement.

“We’ve worked extensively with our R&D team to create an option that rivals traditional dairy cheese and are excited to expand our food service partnerships with this new offering,” Yoo said.

The product development phase saw Armored Fresh’s R&D team conduct multiple trials to perfect the recipe. The result is a dairy-free cheese that authentically recreates the creamy texture and unique taste of dairy cheese. This oat milk cheese does not include any soy, gluten, dairy, preservatives, or artificial flavors.

Armored Fresh began its roll-out at U.S. Kroger stores last month. Its Almond Milk Cubes and American Slices debuted in select stores.

Building a better cheese

Improving the nutrition profile of plant-based dairy is a core focus, according to Daniel Yang, Armored Fresh’s U.S. sales manager. He told Food Navigator in May that the company is working to increase the plant-based protein per slice from its current 1 gram per serving to as much as 15 to 20 grams of protein, among other benefits.

“Potentially, we could supplement vitamins, probiotics, and even there’s talk about maybe we can get into nutraceuticals where people are eating for medicine rather than taking medicine on the side,” Yang said.