Plonts has debuted its first product, an aged plant-based cheddar, at select restaurants in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area.

This launch comes after raising a $12 million seed round and opening a pilot plant in Oakland, Calif.

Plonts is hoping to make a new category of plant-based foods using an ancient biotechnology: fermentation. It uses the same process that turns milk into cheese to turn plants into cheese, but it starts with soy milk instead of cow's milk. A specially developed blend of cultures and enzymes create tangy, cheesy flavors as the cheese ages. The result is a bold cheddar that slices, shreds, and melts, the company stated.

Plonts was founded in 2019 by Nathaniel Chu and Josh Moser. After completing his Ph.D. at MIT studying the human gut microbiome, Chu wanted to apply his love for microbes to creating fermented foods from sustainable, nutritious, and affordable plants. Plonts was born in the corner of a pizza restaurant, where he began experimenting with making his own plant-based cheeses. Moser has spent his career as an operator and investor in early-stage climate and sustainability startups.