Finnish start-up brings oat cheese to German Lidl stores
Mö Foods first winner of the competition for cheese alternatives from Lidl and ProVeg
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What does the future of cheese alternatives taste like? One answer comes from Finland and will be available in selected Lidl stores from mid-February. As a winner of the start-up competition for vegan cheese alternatives, which Lidl organized together with the ProVeg Incubator, the Finnish company Mö Foods is celebrating its premiere in German food retail. Once again, Lidl is making food innovations available to all customers at the usual low Lidl price.
Searching for the best alternative to Gouda, Camembert and co.
Together with the ProVeg Incubator, the start-up center of the nutrition organization ProVeg, Lidl searched for the best vegan alternative to cheese in Germany in 2025. The aim of the competition was to bring innovative, plant-based cheese alternatives to the food retail sector and at the same time make it easier for young companies to enter the market. Among the 55 international applicants, the Finnish food tech company Mö Foods convinced the jury. Founded by two sisters who grew up on a dairy farm, the start-up is continuing their family's cheese tradition based on oats. Mö Foods uses a patented technology to produce cheese alternatives from an oat drink specially developed for cheese production, which have the same taste and consistency as conventional dairy products.
"Our goal was to combine our family's artisanal heritage with modern sustainability," explain Annamari Jukkola (CEO) and Marjaana Vuorio (CCO). "At the heart of our innovation is a patented technology that works without side streams. This 'zero-waste technology' enables us to create cheese alternatives from pure oats that are not only climate-friendly, but also impress in terms of creaminess and culinary performance."
"Mö Foods impressed us on the jury with its combination of traditional craftsmanship and technological precision," explains Christoph Graf, Head of Purchasing at Lidl Dienstleistung GmbH & Co. "Our aim is to bring plant-based innovations out of the niche and into the mainstream. The new cheese alternative is a good example of our protein strategy: it combines excellent taste with high quality at an affordable price. As a pioneer, we give such products the stage they deserve - right in the middle of society."
Sensory quality was also a decisive factor for ProVeg: "Mö Foods shows that plant-based cheese today impresses with its texture and taste. For me as a member of the jury, technological maturity was crucial to ensure that the product also proves itself at the kitchen table," says Katleen Haefele, Director of Corporate and Institutional Engagement at ProVeg. "Together with Lidl, we are paving the way for cheese alternatives to become firmly established in retail."
Kick-off for new impulses in the chilled section
The feta alternative "Mö Foods Greek Style" will initially be available in selected Lidl stores from mid-February 2026.
This launch marks the start of further impulses in the product range: as a bridge builder, Lidl supports young start-ups individually on their way to market maturity in order to actively shape the transformation to sustainable nutrition. Lidl is therefore already working intensively with other competition finalists to further develop their promising concepts. The aim is to sustainably and innovatively increase the vegan variety on the refrigerated shelves, including through the award-winning own brand Vemondo.
The project is also part of Lidl's overarching approach of integrating innovative start-ups and local producers, currently also in the area of new wine concepts, into the product range in the long term through strategic partnerships.
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.
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