Legends of New Roots
Some heroes wear capes, some wear cheese maker clothes. Christi, Verena, and Christian let us in on their lives as vegan cheese legends!
By passion
We’re only successful in inventing the traditions of the future because of the extraordinary people who work on changing the world with us.
They are talented, committed, and inspiring, so we wanted to introduce them to you. They tell us about their passion for vegan cheese, and many other things!
What exactly do you do at New Roots?
Christi:
I joined New Roots in 2019, right when we started selling to Coop, it was a big jump and exciting time for the growth and development of our product and overall operations. At this time the facility was in Thun and I worked in all parts of the production process. Since the transition to our new facility, we have become more specialized and now I work primarily in logistics.
Verena:
I develop new products and I am responsible for ensuring that the quality of our products is top. When I started at New Roots about two years ago, I was the only one in charge of this, but now we are a super team of 6 people.
Christian:
My official title is machine engineer and process manager, but I also do a little bit of everything, stand between production, logistics and development and work with all those teams. From helping out in production to planning new plants for new products, I know the production plants and all the machines very well, so I always try to make sure everything runs smoothly. The best thing is that I often don’t know in the morning what’s to come, so you have to spontaneously do even more important things that are pending.
You send vegan products all over Europe, how do you perceive this paradigm shift?
Christi:
It’s a massive shift. I’ve witnessed it directly from personal experience as a vegan since 2007 and also professionally with New Roots for consumer demand. 15 years ago, it was exciting only to find rice milk in the Migros! People would tell me it was a trend and seeing the choice as way too radical and restrictive. In truth, it was the exact opposite. It opened up an entirely new way of living in this world and to never underestimate the power and impact our choices have for the future. On the professional side, it’s clear. Every week, we are producing and delivering more than 20’000 products for our Swiss, German, UK, and French customers. I feel we know what makes our customers very happy because basically, the customer is “us”.
New Roots has a very multicultural team. What does this cultural exchange with others bring to you on a daily basis?
Verena:
I believe that finding good solutions requires the exchange of people with different backgrounds and perspectives. I really appreciate this exchange in the New Roots team.
Christian:
I enjoy working with everyone on our team and I also try my hand at various languages. Communication is certainly not always easy, but the enrichment of different cultures and backgrounds is always exciting.
Japon
Is Ikebana a way for you to keep in touch with your Japanese heritage? What values does this tradition mean to you?
Christi:
Yes, I am “Nissei” – second generation Japanese American and had the opportunity to work and live in many countries and cultures such as the US, Japan, France, India, and now Switzerland. It stems from my Japanese heritage and is an art form that I grew up with. I was taught by my mother who was trained in the Sogetsu school and it’s where these shears come from. Ikebana grew out of Buddhism and Shintoism and reflects the connection and bond between humans and nature. For me, it’s about imbuing nature with the human spirit. The sculptures and installations are always located outside in nature using found materials in the mountains, forests, deserts, lakes and in all seasons.
What does it mean to reinvent the traditions of the future in R&D?
Verena:
For me, it means transferring the tradition of fermentation and cheese production, but also the taste experience associated with cheese, to new, plant-based raw materials. I am convinced that in the future cheese will no longer be defined primarily by the raw material, but by the taste and the use that one associates with it, independently of the raw material. And in concrete terms, it means mixing, heating, fermenting and ripening, discussing findings, researching, gaining insights, and trying again.
What is the achievement you are most proud of at New Roots?
Christi:
I guess if I had to summarize, it would be that I’ve aligned my values with my livelihood. But for me, it’s not really a single achievement. It’s being part of an amazing team, the vision, how and what we need to do to make it happen and taking responsibility to really step up, learn on all levels as we continually grow.
Christian:
Because the focus is always to be as efficient and respectful of the planet as possible, I designed our own energy ecosystem. We generate heat from the refrigeration system using a high-temperature heat pump function. This allows us to both meet our needs in cold (for our cold rooms) and in heat (for production processes, or our heating system in winter) very efficiently and without burning fossil fuels.
Sport
Do you relax through sports? Do you manage to find the time?
Verena:
I used to swim after work in the swimming pool not so far away from New Roots. I like the meditative and weightlessness of swimming. I also like to watch my daughter splash around (who has by the way the same bathrobe in small). I am fascinated by her never-ending joy in the immediate water experience.
Christian:
The focus has certainly shifted a bit lately, at the moment it doesn’t matter where I find fun and challenge. But I still have a lot of fun riding my bike in good trails.
Christi:
I competed on the snowboard World Cup circuit for 3 years in the US, Japan and Europe. Growing up in the rocky mountains is all about powder. It’s unlike anywhere in the world: so much, so light and lasts for weeks. But I really fell in love with the alps and the endless runs.
What does New Roots mean to you?
Christi:
A love of innovation and creativity, never compromising quality and our core ethical values.
Verena:
A place where I can share my passion for plant-based cheese with other idealists and work together on alternatives which are good for the animals, the humans and the environment.
Christian:
Good products, and I know how much is behind it, so that everything always turns out well. There’s a lot that could go wrong every day, and we always manage to bring out the products in good quality. There’s a lot to do every day, I can’t just leave this work lying around =) No, I like contributing to making the world a little better with our products, with a super motivated team you hardly get tired and so it will go on and on.
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