( President of Plant Ahead USA)
Plant Ahead USA is a fast rising co. that provides alternative cheeses made entirely from plants that provide a dairy free solution for retail, food-service and industrial customers.
We spoke with Plant Ahead USA President Jeff Strah about his company.
Q – I guess it almost goes without saying that you must be a vegetarian or a vegan, correct?
A – I am not actually. I’ve learned about it since I’ve been in the plant base space the last 4 or 5 years. I’ve gotten a better understanding. I’ve always been a carnivore/omnivore. I eat healthy. I eat tons of vegetables. In terms of my overall makeup I didn’t really understand . I was aware of but did not understand the culture of veganism, vegetarianism, lactose intolerance ,animal welfare, dairy diet, and religious reasons.
So, I got a plant base space for the last 4 years. I’ve done extensive research into not only what you can find on the Internet but also a lot of interviewing when it comes to talking to people who are in this space everyday as to what gets behind them and what they’re looking for. That’s molded me into where we are now as a co. with Plant Ahead and what we try to approach the business at, different than our competitors.
Do I eat healthy and vegetarian? Yes. Am I a vegan or vegetarian? No. Not to the extent that most people are.
Q – So you and Lauren run Plant Ahead?
A – Technically,Yes. So, here’s the story: The parent co. of Plant Ahead is Wein’s Foods. They operate out of Canada. They’ve been operating out of Canada for 12 years. Their division out of Canada has been very successful. They wanted to get into the United States market for about the last 5 years. So, Sam who is the owner of the co. and I partnered up about 3 years ago ( 2023) and I gave him my pitch on what I believe would be an opportunity for us to expand into the retail food-service and just general space of food in the United States. It took about a year and a half to two years to develop a plan, portfolio, program, marketing idea, and branding .
We launched at the end of 2024. So, we’ve been out for about 20 months now and we’ve had a lot of success.
So, that’s the story in terms of the launch for the United States versus Canada. We’re relatively new in the United States.
Q – Now, who is Lauren to you?
A – She is my daughter and in terms of the co. it’s just me for the co. right now in terms of handling the United States. I do have some brokers that represent me out in the field which is good and then I have a lot of connections through my past. Also, in terms of what we do every day I do have a marketing co. that helps me with web development and creative content.
I’ve hired Lauren , my daughter as of January 1st ( 2026). She’s my Director of Social Media and Events. So, anything that pertains to public stuff. She’s been developing a platform for Instagram, TikTok, and also our food shows. She’s been working with me off and on for the last year and a half on food shows, but she wants to do something more.
It was great opportunity for her. So I’m gradually pulling her more into the business. She’s going to be attending a lot of the events and developing the Social Media part of what we’re doing . We’re going to stand out. And that’s going to put us apart from the rest of our competitors in terms of our product, how it performs, what it tastes like and how we approach our consumer base. We’re looking at it differently than our competitors.
Q – Where did the idea come from to start this co.? Did you see an un-tapped marketplace for Dairy free cheese?
A – That’s a great question. I would say Dairy free cheese really started coming in early in the 00’s. Daiya out of Canada was basically the first co. that got into it in a big way. They basically took over the market because there wasn’t anything else and they established themselves as one. The category started to get more attention and grow toward 2015. 2019 it started to take off. Dairy free in the United States started to be important for many reasons as I mentioned earlier whether it was for animal welfare, lactose intolerance or religious dietary restrictions. It started to get big and what happened in 2018, 2019 whether it was in the cheese business or the plant based protein or anything along those lines everybody got into the category. In my research I found that basically way too many people got in with way too many products that were under performing in an opportunity market that was very small.
So, you had a bunch of people run into it with not a very good payback. Many of them are gone, out of business and you still have a few left over. The category is re-bounding now. It started to come back specifically in cheese. It’s very solid when it comes to plant based milk alternatives. The plant based proteins like the Beyonds and Impossibles have had a little bit of a struggle because of the ingredients. But, when it comes to cheese, cheese has been relatively sound. It’s not gone backwards. It stopped it’s growth for a couple of years but it’s gradually re-bounding now and I believe very strongly. Why it’s coming back is you have companies like ourselves that are making the product palatable for the consumer.
We made it Number One to make it taste good because too many vegans, vegetarians and Dairy restrictive have been forced to eat stuff that tastes like plastic , cardboard or doesn’t melt or doesn’t perform well and nobody cares. They’ll eat anything. We never approached it that way.
I come from a culinary background working for a co. called Lactalis for 28 years. A great co. on the culinary end and all of it was if you make it taste good people will eat it and they’ll tell their friends and they’ll tell people , ‘Hey, this is good!’ regardless of what it is.
So, we’ve approached that in a plant based world.
We said look, let’s make product that’s great whether it’s Dairy free or not Dairy free. Whatever you want to come up with.
If we make it taste good people will eat it. They’ll ask questions about it. It’ll be interesting. We’ll get them involved and we’ve done that.
We have not only great tasting products, award winning products but we have innovative products that no one else has. Each time we hit a food show or anything else we do we get more and more fans, more and more influencers more and more accounts and more people that are getting back into the category saying ‘I would eat this’ or ‘It’s just so good I didn’t know it was plant based ‘or ‘This is a great Dairy free alternative. This will get me back into the category.’ So, we’re very, very pleased in the direction we’re going.
Q – Are you actively involved in developing the products for Plant Ahead or is somebody doing that for you?
A – I would say that’s a great question. Here’s how it’s done: Our cheese makers in the cos. we work with to make our cheese are very, very good. They’re very good on the scientific part. They’re very ahead of the curve when it comes to plant based. They also think like we do. If you make good stuff people will buy it. Their key is to make great cheese regardless if it’s Dairy free or plant based or not. So, when I came to the co. 3 years ago I said, ‘Alright Sam, we got a great opportunity here. Let’s do this. Let me use all my culinary background and many, many friends and contacts I have in the industry and let’s get this feedback.’
So, we spent months out in the field with all my culinary friends, many chefs that I know, many people that are pizza makers that are high end restaurant chefs, that are everyday cooks, friends and family.
We got a lot of input on it. What do you see? What do you find? Do you like it? Is it something that you would use? Too much salt? Whatever.
We gradually tweaked the recipes and we continue to tweak recipes because we find we don’t want to settle. People that settle, people move past them. So, we want to be on the forefront and stay ahead of the curve and say, ‘O.k. What did we find?’
So, we came out with 8 or 9 items. We have a small portfolio this time that we believe are the best in the categories that they’re in.
We also have creative and innovative items that no one else has in the world, at least nobody in the United States and they have won awards.
In fact tonight I’m going to receive an award for the Best Plant Based Cheese Slice in the United States at the Nexty Tasty Awards in San Francisco. It’s a big event in the Plant Based world and we’re very proud to accept that. So, I’m proud to have that for what we do.
Q – Well, Congratulations ! You get that award before you stop into the Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.
A – That’s correct. We’re going to be there. This will be our 3rd year at the Pizza Expo, but our first when we debuted 2 years ago when we didn’t have any distribution. We were just telling people we were coming.
Then last year (2025) we didn’t have any distribution but we were just about ready to get it.
This year we have distribution just about everywhere or the ability to get our product out there.
We also secured over 30 pizza chains and many of the distributors across the country and we are poised to be at this show because we actually walk up to people now and say,’Here’s the code number. Order it’.
So we work very hard. We’re field driven. We’re very customer based in terms of make great product, take care of your customer overcome their objectives and they will come and that’s exactly what we do. We will outwork anyone.
Q – What a great work ethic you have !
A – ( laughs)
Q – You almost have to be out there at events like the Pizza Expo promoting you products don’t you? It’s not enough to just have it placed in stores and restaurants.
A – One hundred percent. That’s one thing that’s great. The other thing is I truly believe in friends and family. If you have a good support team however that support goes and they like what you’re doing they will like you and we have good stuff. We have good friends. I have good partners in the business that say, ‘ Hey ! You have good things Let’s go do it; because they know what our work ethic is and when it comes to being supportive of our customers, finding out what they want, giving them what they need and making a good thing for them the Pizza Expo is essential.
But, on top of that is also to partner with organizations that can get us places and get recognition that we wouldn’t normally get. A plant based space for vegans and vegetarians know where they’re looking. They know what to look for. But, they’re only 20% of the population. If we can capture 10% more of omnivores and carnivores that eat vegan or vegetarian once a week or every once in awhile, the amount of business we can create is great.
We have partnered with some great organizations that have chosen our cheese that have done it before like the World pizza Champions, USA Pizza Team, and Marra Forni Ovens. There are many people I’m partnering now who are going to be promoting our brand and our products because they believe in them. They will use them and they only believe in stuff that they will use not just because somebody is giving them a check.
Q – Price Chopper and Wegman’s have created their own line of cheeses. Are you familiar with those supermarket chains?
A – Very familiar. I’m actually I the process of presenting to Wegmans right now, but I’ve covered the whole United States for 45 years. I’ve been to all of those accounts and yes, they’ve been carrying private label for some time.
In some cases like Wegmans , they actually did come out with a private label,a plant based product line for awhile. But again, I don’t think that category was big enough for the time they did it or maybe other people did it. Private label is just like anything else you have to have a lot of volume to support it and the category of plant based just isn’t like other categories. It’s a sub segment and it really only pertains to about 20% of the population. So, right off the bat you’re selling one fifth of what you would sell for a regular cheese.
Q – And if they decided to get back into the field they would undercut everybody else.
A – Absolutely.
Q – And that has to be difficult to deal with.
A – It is. It’s a necessary thing that’s part of a business.
You look at many of the accounts out there and they want the brand that’s on the front of the store whether it’s Wegmans, a Trader Joe’s or Costco. They want people to believe that what Wegmans, Trader Joe’s or Costco is carrying are good products.
So, rather than just sell a branded product which everybody has a great affinity for they’re going to come out with their own label whether it’s a different recipe or a different pack size or a different price and they know the only place I can get Trader Joe’s x is at Trader Joe’s . So, it gets them loyal going to Trader Joe’s because they like Trader Joe’s mushroom cheese and that’s just the way private label works. They’re cooperative in a way. Trader Joe’s is primarily all private label.
If you look at a Wegmans they’re split. They have a lot of brands obviously which they need and they have their own private label. The same thing with Kirkland Signature and Costco. They have a lot of brands but they have their own brands. So, it’s a necessary function of the grocery business and or food service for that matter.
Q – Are your products in restaurants?
A – We broke loose last year ( 2025) in May and we got our presence. We’re in about 30 pizza chains right now in different spots . That’s where we started. We’re actually focusing on pizza to start out with.
Pizza is the largest category for plant based cheese because it’s pizza and pizza is primarily all cheese. That’s where we’re focusing our efforts , on users of plant based cheese or those flexible customers that are looking to get into plant based cheese or Dairy free cheese to get it on their menu.
So, that’s where are focus is because it drives the volume.
We’re in quite a few pizza chains and we’re going to be getting more and now we’re branching into colleges and universities. That’s our next big venture.
We’re trying to get some of the main stream restaurants. We’re in the process of presenting to people like Panera Bread and Cava to get them on a Dairy free item and get them to promote to their customers or potential customers that are Dairy free.
Q – Are you ever ambitious !
A – You know what Gary? I’m friggin’ crazy ! It’s like I don’t have anything else to do in my life and I love what I do. I love the people and I’ve been doing it for almost 50 years now.
Q – I can almost see your story being told on the History Channels “The Food That Built America”.
A – You know what Gary? If that’s my legacy 15 years from now and my daughter can carry it through I will be fine. I will be fine with that. Hopefully my daughter loves the business as much as me and can carry my torch once we get this thing up and going.
My goal is to have Plant Ahead as the Number One Dairy free brand by 2030.
©Gary James
Official Website: www.plantaheadusa.com