The origins of vegan cheese start-up Hello Friend Food

The Australian-based start-up Hello Friend Food started from humble beginnings in 2015.

The idea to create a vegan cheese company began when co-founder Bree Gaudette saw that vegan-friendly cheese options in her local supermarket were few and far between.

After a chance encounter with Matthew Ronalds, who picked Bree up as a passenger while he was an Uber driver, the pair teamed up to tap into the niche market of vegan cheese.

After more than two years of planning and creating the then-unnamed business’s backend, Ronalds had a watershed moment.

“It was now 2018, and Matthew and I were taking a walk, brainstorming about possible business names,” Bree said.

“There was a dog on a lead up ahead, and as we approached I said ‘Hello, friend!’, which was my standard greeting for any creature I came across. Matthew looked at me and said ‘That’s it! That’s the name!’ It was exactly what we’d been looking for.”

The name formed the start-up’s philosophy — everyone should be treated as a friend, regardless of race, gender or species.

Bree said they did not have access to large machines or factory equipment at the beginning, so the team made each batch by hand.

“Pulling all-nighters became a regular occurrence. The two of us would make cheese from 4 pm until 2 am or 3 am, get in a few hours of sleep, and then make deliveries and take care of the administrative duties for the business during the day,” she said.

After moving to their commercial kitchen in 2019, production increased tenfold, enabling the business to expand interstate.

At the time of writing, 49 businesses across four states stock Hello Friend Food.

Bree said dairy-free cheese is gaining immense traction in Australia and around the world.

“We’re looking forward to expanding our range into more stores and cafes around the country and internationally,” she said.

Top image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Kira