La Fauxmagerie Ltd[1] (from French faux "false" or "imitation" and fromagerie "cheese shop") is the UK's first vegan cheese shop.[2][3] It sells plant-based substitutes for dairy cheese,[4] operating a retail store in London's Shoreditch area as well as selling online and wholesale.[5] Founded in 2019, the shop's range includes vegan versions of Camembert, Cheddar, goat cheese, blue cheese, and feta.[6] La Fauxmagerie received press attention in 2019 after Dairy UK, a lobby group, threatened to sue them[3] over the use of the phrase "plant-based cheese".[6] It is operated by the Welsh[7][8] siblings Rachel and Charlotte Stevens. Both founders follow a vegan diet and play an active role in the day to day running of their Shoreditch store and product development.[6]

La Fauxmagerie Ltd
FormationJanuary 11, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-01-11)[1]
HeadquartersShoreditch, London
Websitelafauxmagerie.com

History

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Founders Rachel and Charlotte Stevens met some of their future suppliers at Vegfest UK in 2017 while searching for better quality plant-based products. They opened La Fauxmagerie in London's Brixton district in 2019 and quickly gained a loyal customer following, outgrowing their first store within 6 months.[4] They moved to a much larger store in the Brick Lane area in Shoreditch, London, in June 2019 and launched their e-commerce offering in the same month.[9]

La Fauxmagerie grew significantly in its first 3 years, expanding their retail and online offering, launching their own brand of aged plant-based cheeses, and opening London's first dedicated vegan wine and cheese bar - The Cheese Cellar, which is situated beneath their Shoreditch store. In May 2022, the company started supplying Waitrose supermarkets.[10]

In 2023, Purezza acquired a majority stake in the company.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b "La Fauxmagerie Ltd overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Companies House. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  2. ^ "The UK's First Vegan Cheese Shop Isn't Afraid of Controversy". www.vice.com. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b Horton, Helena (11 February 2019). "UK's first vegan 'cheese' monger is misleading customers, dairy industry complains". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  4. ^ a b Clements, Laura (20 March 2019). "The vegan cheese shop that's caused a stink with farmers". WalesOnline. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. ^ "La Fauxmagerie". La Fauxmagerie. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "To brie or not to brie: can vegan 'cheese' taste as good as dairy?". the Guardian. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  7. ^ "LA FAUXMAGERIE LTD - Incorporation Statement of capital on 2019-01-11 (free information from Companies House)". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  8. ^ "LA FAUXMAGERIE LTD filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Vegan Cheesemonger La Fauxmagerie Is Moving To East London This Week". Londonist. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  10. ^ Soule, Alice (31 May 2022). "La Fauxmagerie launches in Waitrose stores". The Vegan Review. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  11. ^ restaurantonline.co.uk (13 November 2023). "Purezza acquires plant-based cheesemonger La Fauxmagerie". restaurantonline.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2023.