our roots

French-born Marie-Anne's family comes from great cheese-producing regions: her father's family settled in the mountainous Jura region where cows graze lush pastures to produce the tangy hard cheese Comte; her mother's family is from rural South-Western Aveyron, the home of the famous blue cheese produced from ewe's milk in the caves of Roquefort.

When Marie-Anne became vegan after a career as a veterinary surgeon and scientist, she soon realised none of the cheese options available suited her, and she turned to making her own cheese. She was looking for recipes that would create a great taste reminiscent of traditional cheese, but also result in a perfect mouth feel. The intention was to eat the cheese on its own and also to use it in cooking and melting.

She began selling the cheeses from her street food stall on the Meadows in Edinburgh, the Beetroot Cafe police box. After launching a vegan cheeseboard in December 2017,  she received great feedback and decided to sell the cheeses at the Beetroot box every Saturday.