Daiya


Daiya Foods Inc. is a Canada-based dairy alternative food company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was established in 2008 by Andre Kroecher and Greg Blake. Daiya is made from cassava and arrowroot and is known for its cheese-like consistency and melting properties. It contains no animal products or soy, lactose, wheat, barley, gluten or nuts.
Daiya is sold in natural and conventional food stores within Canada and the United States. Daiya products are also available in the UK, Australia, Mexico, Hong Kong and more, and are featured on restaurant menus and in packaged food products made by Amy's Kitchen and Turtle Island Foods. Daiya has won many awards for its products, including the 2009 Veggie Award for Product of the Year. In 2011, BC Business magazine named Daiya one of the 20 most innovative companies in British Columbia.
In July 2017, Otsuka Pharmaceutical agreed to acquire 100 percent of Daiya Foods Inc. for US $325.97M.

Products

Daiya also partners with other companies that make products with Daiya:
Daiya can be used as an alternative to cheese in various vegan dishes.

History

Andre Kroecher first began developing Daiya in 2005. Greg Blake partnered with Kroecher in 2007 and the two spent 1 year developing the Mozzarella and Cheddar Style Shreds now in stores based on Kroecher's early innovations. Food Scientist Paul Wong was brought on in early 2008 to help with scaleup and refining the formulations. Daiya Foods Inc's alternatives were first introduced at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California in 2009 and were an instant success. In late 2009, Daiya Foods moved to a dedicated facility to ensure the highest level of food safety After Daiya's acquisition by Otsuka, some retailers have discontinued carrying Daiya products; this is due to Otsuka's practice of using animal testing.

Awards

Daiya won first place in the BC Innovation Council 2009 Commercialization of Agricultural Technology Competition. Also in 2009, Daiya was the awarded the PETA Libby Award for best vegan cheese. Daiya Foods won the VegNews Veggie Award at the Natural Products ExpoWest Show in Anaheim, CA in March 2009, 2011 and 2012. In 2010, it won the best vegan cheese award from VegNews and the 2010 Proggy Award for Company of the Year from PETA. 2012 awards in Canada include the British Columbia Food Processors award for Product of the Year and the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology Gordon Royal Maybee award, in recognition of outstanding applied development by a Canadian company or institution in the fields of food production, processing, transportation, storage or quality control.