Daiya Foods
Vancouver, BC
The story began with a love of pizza and a family kitchen. Inventor and vegan, Andre Kroecher wanted to create a topping that would satisfy his craving for pizza with a gooey melt, and great flavor!
In 2005 ingredient experiments began! After a few accidents and the odd disaster, Andre began serving his creation to both vegan and non-vegan friends alike, the feedback was motivating. By mid 2007, with the help of friend and co-founder Greg Blake, Daiya was born and the real work started.
Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California is the largest natural products show in the world, a spring board to success for a company with the right product! Unaware at the time of the stir they were going cause; Andre and Greg purchased a 6000-watt commercial pizza oven, 900 Rocky Mountain 12" pizza crusts, 120 litres of Rebellious Tomato Sauce, and shipped it all down to Anaheim.
Within hours Daiya was a hit and they couldn't keep up with the demand! All were astonished by the taste and texture. Consumers phoned, blogged, texted, and tweeted friends raving about Daiya, a revolution in the vegan and allergen market. By the end of the Expo, Daiya had prepared and served over 8000 slices of pizza, and were presented with the 2009 VegNews Magazine Best of Show Award - high tribute indeed for a product that was yet to hit the market. The Daiya fan base had begun.
The phone continues to ring off the hook, and the question remains the same from consumers and retailers alike; "How can I get Daiya deliciously dairy free products?
