💥 #13 - Meet the Brands: Willicroft’s 4-Year Impact Journey: From Cashew Removal to Top B Corp Plant-Based Cheese Company
Featuring Brad Vanstone, Co-founder and Head of Impact at Willicroft.
While Willicroft today is known for its pioneering efforts in creating delicious plant-based butter and cheeses, the company’s origins are deeply rooted in dairy production. Co-founder, Brad Vanstone, drew inspiration from his grandparents, who moved to Devon post-World War II to set up a farm which made cheese, and supplied milk and meat to the local community.
Established in Amsterdam in 2018, Willicroft’s mission transcends merely producing plant-based cheese and butter; it’s about crafting products that are delicious and driven by what’s best for the planet. In fact, as they’ve put it, they’ve got “Mother Nature calling the shots”. No, actually, in 2020 they made her their CEO! Since then, they’ve made decisions based on what’s best for the planet - including undergoing their B Corp certification and (most recently) an emissions audit of their entire product line.
Willicroft’s latest addition to their product range is Original Better, a plant-based butter that rivals not only dairy products but also other plant-based alternatives, with lower emissions across the board. With high profile restaurants like RIJKs, Wils, and Triptyque - all Michelin Star establishments - now using the product, it’s clear what they’re doing is working.
In Issue #13 of Meet the Brands, FTF team member Katherine Hartzenberg-Aeroe caught up with Brad to learn more about Willicroft’s approach to measuring their impact, how this has influenced product development, and the 5 resources Brad recommends.
“I think that’s something which is not always communicated with measuring emissions - it shouldn't have finality to it, the more detail the better.”
👉 You’ve recently released your product emissions report, detailing the carbon impact of all your products. Can you tell us more about this process and your key learnings?
This exercise spanned four years to assess the carbon impact of all our products, evolving through multiple iterations. Initially, our products were cashew-based, chosen for their nutritional profile and versatility in creating alternative milk and; therefore, alternative cheeses. However, we realized that it was a large proportion of the products’ total emissions; and to make a significant reduction in emissions, we needed to explore other protein bases. Originally, we assumed that being plant-based would be better for the environment, but that's not always the case across all indicators. Our goal isn't just to be better; it's to drive dramatic change.
Willicroft’s products all had markedly lower emissions than their dairy-based comparisons, with their Greek White having the largest difference at 1.26 kgCO2-eq/kg compared to 34.1 kgCO2-eq/kg of feta cheese.
Now a key requirement for any product development that we do is to set an emissions goal before we actually go into a project. With the impact report we can identify clear next steps for each product to further improve. And the beautiful thing about a report is that it’s a data set that we can look at and improve internally but also cross compare to demonstrate the actual impact that a consumer makes when they buy Willicroft compared to alternative products.
👉 With so many different types of assessments available, how did you know where to start and what you wanted to measure?
I think just starting is the most important point. Many companies delay this step, waiting for the ideal moment, but the reality is that understanding your environmental impact is one of the most important things any company can do today. For us, reducing the emissions from dairy was our biggest objective, but in the future we’d also want to measure water and land usage, and biodiversity impacts if possible.
The question you have to ask is “What is the purpose of the business and what's best to measure?”.
We opted for a detailed lifecycle assessment (LCA), using the ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards, to see the specific impacts of changes in production, transportation, and energy use. While simpler LCAs are a good starting point, we found that delving deeper allowed us to make more informed decisions. And to me an LCA is not the end of a project, it's the start of a continual process to improve and hopefully one day get to a position where net carbon positivity can be achieved.
I think that’s something which is not always communicated with measuring emissions - it shouldn't have finality to it, the more detail the better.
👉 To put so much detail into the assessment process, was this something you did in collaboration with a partner or in-house?
So, the model that we've used is one that actually we're really pleased with and would love to share. We used an independent consultant to guide us through best practices and industry norms, while an internal team member compiled the data. This setup allows us to benefit from expert advice without incurring the high costs of full-time consultancy.
We've also collaborated with universities, employing students who are well-versed in sustainability through their studies, which has evolved into a part-time role for one of the graduates. This model provides mutual benefits, giving students hands-on experience and our startup the expertise and passion needed in-house.
👉 With data collection often being a bottleneck for impact measurements, how did you collaborate with your suppliers and manufacturers to overcome this challenge?
Collecting all the data for our assessment was a comprehensive process that involved collaboration with multiple co-manufacturers. While we outsource all production, we found our partners generally willing to provide necessary data, though it wasn't always readily available. Where direct data was missing, we used Ecochain, which offers country-specific information to fill gaps. If Ecochain data was insufficient, we turned to Carbon Cloud or relevant university research papers. We aimed for thoroughness, starting with supplier data and moving through these resources systematically. Additionally, we included a margin of error, typically 3-4%, to account for potential data adjustments over time.
We have always been pretty fortunate with our producers because we did a lot of this upfront and whilst they own the production we’ve always had a pretty good relationship in terms of introducing preferred suppliers and setting the supply chain up when we created a product. But this was the first time we could actually go in and suggest changes within their facilities, and I was very encouraged by their willingness.
👉 You mentioned achieving net carbon positivity, is that the end goal from this and future assessments?
For sure! Reduction is the starting point but net positivity has to be the end goal. I think this is achievable through localised production using regenerative practices of both our protein and fat bases used across all our products. As a long term goal, we also want to offset from within our supply chain the historic emissions of my grandparents’ dairy farm, which had around 1000 cows over a 50 year period. But first, we're looking to get on top of our supply chain more.
👉 Have you found that measuring your impact has had any impact on consumer or buyer interest?
Quantifying our impact has definitely helped increase consumer interest in our products. For our Original Better, which was our first product launch with data, showing it had seven times lower emissions than dairy butter while matching in taste and texture was a compelling argument for customers. Now, with growing consumer attention on sustainability, retailers and food service providers setting ambitious goals, like the Dutch supermarkets' commitment to 60% plant-based offerings by 2030, there is more attention on this topic.
For context, Willicroft’s Original Better is a butter-alternative produced using precise fermentation. Soy extract is fermented to emulate the taste of dairy butter by producing butyric acid, the key flavour component of dairy butter, whilst keeping the same melting temperature - meaning it lives up to the full functionality of butter making it very well suited to bakeries, restaurants and caterers.
These goals are approaching fast, and we can help them meet these targets while significantly reducing emissions. I think a lot of businesses still perceive emissions measurements as a good moral thing to do, but not necessarily something that makes business sense. While the business case is not why we did it, we’re very encouraged by how much sustainability is being talked about more generally within the space. And that's when it gets really interesting - when business and sustainability collide. We haven't valued nature at all over the past couple of 100 years. So to see this being considered as a key value point is really exciting.
👉 What do you think needs to change for a greater shift towards a sustainability-focus amongst consumers and retailers in this space?
Relying solely on market forces won’t work unless measures like a carbon tax or the removal of dairy subsidies are implemented to reflect the true environmental cost of products. Currently, we don’t properly value the environment or nature, making sustainable options appear more expensive for consumers. Traditional industries are supported by subsidies, catering to a broader market, while sustainable products often only reach those who can afford to prioritise environmental impact. We need big actors to lead the way before the market fully catches up to the sustainable mindset.
👉 Your business is centered in Europe - have you found any differences when selling your products in countries which are more conscious of product’s impact?
Selling our products in Europe has highlighted some interesting differences in consumer behaviour regarding sustainability. In Germany, for example, price is the primary concern. Even with high-quality or impactful products, if the price isn't right, they won't sell, except within the strong but niche organic market. We've found that across other European markets, the emphasis on sustainability isn't markedly different. Surveys show that while many consumers like to believe they choose products for sustainable reasons, the reality is that taste and price are the main factors, followed by nutrition, with sustainability trailing behind. Only a small segment of consumers consistently choose based on sustainability.
👉 We’ve seen that you are B Corp’s highest rated plant-based cheese company! How was this process, and what were the largest contributors to this score? Any tips you can share for other brands?
The B Corp assessment evaluates the entire business, including supply chain, governance, and employee treatment. So, it was consistently scoring well across all of those areas really. Being a younger company allowed us to implement a mission lock, demonstrating our commitment to all stakeholders, not just profit.
Taking time with the process was crucial, as it helped us frame policy changes within our organization and learn what it means to be a holistic company. For instance, we developed maternity and paternity policies during this time. We approached the assessment methodically, categorizing questions by ease of answer and tackling the simpler ones first. For more challenging questions, we sought advice from other B Corps and our LCA consultant, who had extensive experience with the process. Collaborating with other startups and drawing inspiration from companies doing things right was invaluable. Reaching out and asking for help rather than trying to build everything from scratch is really important.
👉 Are there things you haven’t got to yet, that you still want to achieve?
Right now our focus is more on improving our existing products, and only expand to a couple more products in the coming years. From an emissions perspective we want to further reduce and look at setting up regeneratively grown parts of our supply chain. Beyond that we also want to measure the water impact of our products as that was a key consideration during product development. In fact, our main fat, shea butter, has quite a low water impact.
Next year we’re looking to fully upscale the growth of our white beans in the Netherlands, which will be the first ingredient we source directly from farmers at scale. But shorter term it’s about getting to a point of self-sufficiency when we can really think longer term across the board with all these projects.
💥 Recommended Resources From Brad 💥
Yvon Chouinard’s Let my people go surfing - the most wonderful and holistic blueprint for a company that I’ve read.
Oatly for their powerful and engaging way of showing the impact individuals can have when buying their products.
EcoChain's weekly newsletter is a great resource for anyone working on or considering completing an LCA.
Mediamatic are doing some great work on implementing regenerative farming initiatives.
Commonland are making regenerative agricultural and systems change accessible at scale.
💡 Want more?
Check out Willicroft’s full product emissions report.
See how Willicroft have embedded nature throughout their practices from their Nature Governance Toolkit.
Learn more about Willicroft on their website, and keep up with their progress on their LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Recap on our 12 previous Meet the Brands interviews here!
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