Wunderkern introduces cheese alternative made from apricot seeds in supermarkets

Taking a step closer to sustainable food consumption, Austrian startup Wunderkern presents the first plant-based cheese alternative made from rescued fruit seeds, now available nationwide in stores. Starting immediately, Wunderkern Kesä can be found in Billa Plus stores across Austria.

At the core of Wunderkern's mission is reducing the waste of fruit seeds that would otherwise be discarded during juice and jam production. Through unique processes, apricot, plum, and cherry seeds are transformed into sustainable food products that not only taste great but are also beneficial for the planet.

Having already achieved significant success with Wunderkern Drink, a plant-based milk alternative made from apricot seeds, the Niederösterreich-based startup now aims to continue its success with Wunderkern Kesä. It not only features a unique main ingredient but also possesses a special attribute: it melts when grated—a rarity among plant-based cheese alternatives. Kesä comes in three delicious variations: Berg-Gaudi, Pesto, and Tomato-Olive.

As part of a recent redesign, Wunderkern emphasizes its focus on its core mission of seed rescue. "Instead of cultivating new ingredients, we should first utilize all the existing resources. With Wunderkern, we make this possible for fruit seeds," explained Luca Fichtinger, Founder, Wunderkern. "By preventing seed waste, the company underscores its sustainability ambitions, as using apricot seeds saves significant amounts of water and reduces CO2 emissions compared to conventional ingredients like nuts or animal products.

In addition to Kesä, Wunderkern offers a chocolate cream made from apricot seeds and gourmet oils derived from cherry, plum, and apricot seeds. The product range will soon be expanded to include two new variants of plant-based milk alternatives.

Both drink variations, No M:lk and Barista, will be available at Billa Plus, with the Barista Drink also being sold in an additional 500 Billa stores.