Daiya is a well known plant-based food alternative brand with products sold in Walmart, Target and Whole Foods to name a few. Co-founder’s Andre and Greg were inspired to start Daiya with the shared belief that sustainable, plant-based living is better for the environment, personal health and animal welfare. The first Daiya product, vegan cheddar and mozzarella cheese shreds, made their initial appearance at the Natural Products Expo West in 2009. The dairy-free and plant-based products were a hit with consumers and has since inspired the sustainable plant-based food movement.
The company has been going strong for over ten years and has continued to show its passion for the healing of our planet and humankind. In the summer of 2020, during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, Daiya remained vocal in its support for commitment to social justice. On June 09, 2020, Daiya released a statement via Facebook in support of the movement. The post read, “Daiya is committed to creating positive future change… Daiya is proud to partner with Appetite For Change who uses food as a tool to build health, wealth, and social change in North Minneapolis.” Appetite For Change is a non-profit organization that aims to tackle systemic barriers that prevent fresh food accessibility and distribution in North Minneapolis. The non-profit utilizes social enterprises and policy initiatives to build communities that engage with the food system in a sustainable way. The non-profit has pillared roots with Black Lives Matter and collaborated with Daiya to raise awareness and support for their cause.
In addition to partnering with Appetite For Chance, Daiya matched donations to its Team’s organizations of choice, namely Know Your Rights Camp and Black Lives Matter. Daiya made another statement via its Instagram, which has amassed over 200,000 followers. The post included 5 slides detailing the ways in which the company will continue to be guided by its values. Daiya pledged to: increase donations to communities experiencing food insecurity, match team donations for causes that support for the Black Lives Matter movement and engage in educative dialogue within the team to guide future actions through an informed and socially conscious lens. The final slide reads “Together we are committed to creating positive future change.”
The caption of the Instagram post further details the effort of Daiya’s team to pause and listen with “the intention of proceeding thoughtfully and with clear actions against inequality and discrimination.” The plant-based food company has since been featured on a multitude of lists providing links to sustainable companies that support the Black Lives Matter movement. The company has since continued to work with non-profit organizations tackling food insecurity and has backed their statement of matching donations to causes that support the equality movement.
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