New Roots wins the Green Business Award
The most important sustainability award in the Swiss economy goes to New Roots. The jury, chaired by former Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, recognized the Bern-based company as a real game changer for Switzerland as a cheese nation. The reason: they produce plant-based cheese and dairy products using traditional Swiss production methods. This reduces CO2 emissions by up to 60% compared to conventional cheese made from cow's milk.
Swiss people eat around 23 kilos of cheese per capita every year. What many people don't know: Cheese is the food with the second largest ecological footprint - right after beef. Its production is resource-intensive and indirectly dependent on state subsidies. In addition, Switzerland is dependent on animal feed from abroad. It is precisely this ecological problem that New Roots is tackling with its plant-based cheese and dairy products, winning the Green Business Award. "New Roots achieves ecological impact with a mixture of innovation and tradition and is therefore also very successful economically," says jury president Doris Leuthard about the decision.
Cheese alternatives with up to 60% less CO₂ emissions than cow's milk products
The story of New Roots begins with a sports accident: to recover from his injury, former professional mountain biker Freddy Hunziker switched to a vegan diet. But he lacked tasty cheese alternatives. So, together with Alice Fauconnet, he began researching alternatives to conventional cheese himself. Since 2016, New Roots has been developing, producing and selling plant-based and protein-rich cheese and dairy alternatives made from cashew, lupin or chickpeas. The products cause around 60% less CO₂ and use 40% less water than cow's milk products, thereby significantly reducing the ecological footprint. New Roots relies on traditional Swiss production methods and works closely with local cheese dairies and farms.
"Our aim is to preserve tradition but enrich it with new impulses. That's why we rely on the centuries-old craft of natural fermentation and maturation - simply using plant-based milk as the basis," says Alice Fauconnet, co-founder of New Roots. The founders sold their first products at the weekly market in Thun - today their plant-based cream cheese, fondue and raclette alternatives are available in Migros and Coop stores, among others, and can be ordered online and delivered to your home by post. The products are also already available in restaurants in the DACH region and New Roots is planning to expand further abroad. The company employs 40 people at its headquarters in Oberdiessbach (BE).
The most coveted sustainability award in the Swiss economy
The Green Business Award was presented today at an event organized by Impact Gstaad. Co-founder and CEO Freddy Hunziker commented on the win: "Believing in something that doesn't yet exist requires courage and willpower. The Green Business Award shows us that our perseverance is paying off and that we are on the right track." The vegan dairy New Roots beat two companies in the final: Algrano, the online marketplace for green coffee, and Selfrag, which recovers valuable raw materials from slag from waste incineration plants.
Since 2019, the Green Business Award has been recognizing companies that combine ecological innovation with economic success. "Together with Impact Gstaad, we give our finalists unique access to growth financing so that role models like New Roots can also have an international impact. We also give our finalists visibility, because change starts with role models," says Cédric Habermacher, Director of Green Business Switzerland. The selection process takes place in a multi-stage procedure. The main jury includes 16 well-known personalities, including Mobiliar CEO Michèle Rodoni, Swiss Post CEO Roberto Cirillo and ETH professor Reto Knutti.
Source: www.greenbusinessaward.ch
