Producer: Nuts for Cheese
Location: London, Ontario, Canada
Found at the Littleton Co-op: plant-based cheeses and spreads
Website: nutsforcheese.com
Pride Month is an annual month-long celebration to recognize and uplift the cultural contributions made by those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other marginalized gender and sexual identities (LGBTQ+). Pride is celebrated in June to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a 1969 anit-LGBTQ police raid of a New York bar recognized as a major turning point in the fight for gay rights. The phrase “gay pride” is said to come from activist Craig Schoonmaker, saying “I authored the word ‘pride’ for gay pride … [my] first thought was ‘Gay Power.’ I didn’t like that, so proposed gay pride. There’s very little chance for people in the world to have power. People did not have power then; even now, we only have some. But anyone can have pride in themselves, and that would make them happier as people, and produce the movement likely to produce change.” As a community-owned co-op championing an ethos of “Everyone Welcome,” the Littleton Food Co-op supports our local LGBTQ+ populations and is happy to recognize relevant producers from our store during Pride Month. Read more about Littleton Co-op’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work here.
Margaret Coons grew up as a vegetarian, but veganism came shortly after. But she found that vegan options were scarcely available, so she took matters into her own hands, crafting foods to meet her own needs. She became a certified vegan chef at a restaurant in Ontario, Canada, her home country, where she was able to devote time to developing recipes and refining products. Customers immediately gravitated to her creations and wanted more, so she eventually moved to a separate farmer’s market stand, and then an independent facility; Nuts for Cheese was born. Unlike other plant-based cheeses that start with potato starch or oils, Margaret has, and always will, make sure Nuts for Cheese is nut-based first. In addition to having to fight to not cut corners and keep the integrity of her products, Margaret also found she faced barriers being a queer-owned business. But, she found that, through community, she could connect and work with inclusive and supportive suppliers and funders.
Nuts for Cheese was the first Canadian artisan vegan cheese producer to launch in the US. However, within all of the company’s growth, Margaret says . I always make time for good meals with my friends and family, because it’s crucial to keep balance between working hard and making time for myself.”
Status of product availability at the Littleton Co-op, and labeling of producers (such as local, Black-Owned Business, NH-made, etc) and product status or ingredients (gluten-free, vegan, etc) is based on available information at time of publication. The food world is an ever-changing landscape and information presented here may not reflect the most up-to-date information available.
