Mö Foods secures € 2.4 million and redefines cheese alternative made from oats
Mö Foods is taking plant-based products out of their niche with its award-winning oat-based cheese alternatives
Advertisement
Finnish food company Mö Foods has secured €2.4 million in financing led by Nordic Foodtech VC. Mö is redefining cheese with its oat-based products and can use the investment to further develop its production technology and drive its international expansion.
At a time when global demand for delicious, sustainable and affordable food is steadily increasing, Mö Foods' approach represents a shift away from plant-based alternatives and towards stand-alone products. The company brings oat-based cheese into everyday life.
Mö Foods was founded in 2017 by sisters Annamari Jukkola and Marjaana Vuorio, who grew up on a Finnish dairy farm. The company combines Nordic design with innovation and sustainability in the food sector to develop completely new cheese alternatives made from oats. Thanks to the specially developed production process, Mö's cheeses are in no way inferior to conventional dairy products in terms of taste, texture and cooking properties. However, they require few ingredients and minimal processing. The product range includes both melting and firm cheeses, all made from Finnish oats, which are among the purest and most sustainable in the world. Currently, the various cheese alternatives can already be found on the shelves of the largest Nordic supermarket chains - and will soon be available throughout Europe. Mö has already received several awards, including Finnish Food Innovation of the Year 2024, Best Greek Style Vegan Cheese 2025 for its Mö Greek Classic and Best No-Goat Vegan Cheese 2025 for its Mö Chavre.
Cheese made from cow's milk is one of the most resource-intensive foods. Mö is convinced that cheese alternatives made from oats can offer a sustainable option here. Thanks to its special process, the company processes the grain completely so that no by-products are produced. In addition, using oats instead of milk as the main ingredient reduces both the carbon footprint and the amount of land required along the entire production chain.
"Our goal at Mö has always been to develop food that fits modern eating habits: good food at a fair price, produced responsibly," says Annamari Jukkola, CEO and co-founder of Mö. "Our childhood and youth on a dairy farm taught us respect for how cheese is made and the value it has for people. We bring that same care and quality to our own process and make something familiar - using oats and far fewer resources. This funding enables us to now do this on a larger scale."
For Mö Food, the investment is far more than just a financial milestone. It sends a clear signal about the direction in which the food industry is heading. In the post-vegan age, consumers want products that are practical and that impress in terms of taste, texture and melting behavior.
"Mö takes the unique Finnish oat and its health-promoting properties to a whole new level," said Mika Kukkurainen, Partner at Nordic Foodtech VC. "Value-added products with unique technology are exactly the kind of food know-how we want to support and scale internationally. Mö sets the standard for the entire industry on how plant-based products should meet expectations for taste and experience - and how this know-how can be transferred to international markets."
Mö's growth has long since overtaken that of the vegan cheese alternatives category, which grew by around 18% in Finland last year. In 2024 alone, retail sales increased by 88% compared to the previous year - not least thanks to newly launched products, expanded distribution and stable sales figures in Finland's largest supermarket chains such as S Group and K Group (Kesko). Beyond retail, the company is currently working on licensing its technology to major European food manufacturers - a model that should further accelerate its adaptation to the category.
"This funding represents a turning point for Mö," says Stefan Lindberg, CEO at Mö Foods. "By combining sound technology with a deep understanding of the market and customers, they have developed a concept that works - at a time when much of the industry is struggling to achieve something similar."
This success highlights how the food industry needs to approach plant-based alternatives in the future: not as a niche segment, but as a natural evolution of traditional products. By combining taste, nutritional value and scalability, Mö is setting new standards for how fast-growing food companies can not only compete in more traditional categories like cheese, but lead the way.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
Other news from the department business & finance
Most read news
More news from our other portals
Something is happening in the food & beverage industry ...
This is what true pioneering spirit looks like: Plenty of innovative start-ups are bringing fresh ideas, lifeblood and entrepreneurial spirit to change tomorrow's world for the better. Immerse yourself in the world of these young companies and take the opportunity to get in touch with the founders.