The article about Petit Veganne is the first part of a series of blog articles that was created during my trip with Anke Heines in a camper through France, Spain and Portugal in the first half of 2022.

After the start was delayed a bit due to a Corona case in Anke’s family, we started our tour on February 18, 2022 from Heidelberg. We were looking for the food of the future. Plant-based and also otherwise sustainably produced. We made our first stop at this vegan cheese factory in Lorraine. Production is in Sarralbe, roughly 20 kilometers from the German border.

Vor Petit Veganne in Sarralbe

About the company

Petit Veganne mainly produces high-quality organic cashew-based cheese alternatives, but also vegan foie gras-style pâté. More on that in a moment. The company was founded in 2017 by Anne Guth and Yannick Fosse. They started with a smoothie maker in a garage. The family business has now grown to 12 employees (as of February 2022) and sells its products throughout Europe.

The cashew nuts, the basis of the products, are organic and fair trade. They are sourced exclusively from producers in Vietnam who ensure good working conditions and protection of the forests. The peeling is done by machine.

Where can you find Petit Veganne products?

Petit Veganne im Laden
Customers are mainly vegan shops and organic shops. The company mainly works with small independent dealers, who often approach the company themselves. Much of this is done by word of mouth. However, there is also an active search for potential customers via the Internet or apps such as Happy Cow.

In Germany, for example, you can find Petit Veganne in Stuttgart’s purely vegan shop “Die Kichererbse” (the chickpea) (https://www.die-kichererbse.com/) or the gluten-free pâtisserie “Isabella” (https://shop.isabella-patisserie.de /locations/) with locations in Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Aachen, Stuttgart and Cologne.

If you know a shop that should definitely have Petit Veganne cheese, write to them! You can find the contact details below.

Our visit to Petit Veganne

Petit Lorrain mit Verpackung - Petit Veganne
We were warmly welcomed by Lauriane Porté, the communications manager, and her colleagues. In the meeting room, we first found out about the company and then proceeded to a tasting.

Petit bleu mit Verpackung
We tasted the Petit Lorrain, the Camembert alternative from Petit Veganne. By the way, this is our favorite from their range. Then we were given the Petit Bleu, a blue mold, for tasting. I also found it very good, Anke is less enthusiastic about mold cheese and only tried very little.

In conversation we also came across Veganz and their Camembert alternative called Cashewbert. We happened to have one in the car. The tasting thus became a comparative test. And we have to say that the Petit Lorrain clearly comes out on top. Not only the taste but also the consistency is just perfect.

Petit Lorrain und Cashewbert im optischen Vergleich

Incidentally, the production is the same as with traditional cheese, including the maturing process. See photos! By the way, the Petit Lorrain matures for 2-3 weeks before it is sold. For the maturing process, the products are placed in cooling chambers with a very specific humidity level.

Let yourself be surprised how the Camembert alternatives of the other two cheese factories we visited in France performed.

What else is available at Petit Veganne?

Marie Sophiel - La bonne foi
In addition to cashew-based cheese alternatives, vegan foie gras called Marie Sophiel is also made in Sarralbe (see picture). We got a glass to take with us. However, the tasting is still pending. We’ll report as soon as we open the jar. But I’m sure the quality is right here too.

Conclusion

Visiting Petit Veganne was an excellent start to our tour. We are amazed at how delicious vegan cheese alternatives can be. This is a far cry from the semi-hard cheese alternatives, which are often based on coconut oil or almonds and are found on many German supermarket shelves. France is a master of cheese production, even when it comes to vegan alternatives.

Info – Petit Veganne

Address: 3, rue du Colonel Blondel, 57430 Sarralbe, France
Phone: +33 (0)3 87 97 28 61
E-mail: contact@petit-veganne.com

Website

Write to Petit Veganne if you are looking for a retailer near you or want to make connection to a retailer! There are also employees who understand German and English.

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