Violife has unveiled a cheesy new sponsorship deal with Cheddar AFC to help consumers take the leap and consider going plant-based.
The new partnership aims at ‘Cheesemen’ and ‘Cheesewomen’, and is promoted by ex-Lioness and committed vegan Karen Carney, to help Cheddar AFC’s football players embrace a more plant-based diet.
Developed by PR & social agency Good Relations, the campaign follows the plant-based cheese brand‘s new product alternative, Cheddarton, which will feature Cheddar AFC’s new football shirt as a sponsor. The shirt itself will see a new upgraded plant-based version of the Club’s historic crest.
The new sponsorship campaign follows a survey by Violife that found two-fifths (41%) of Brits say they would miss cheese too much to go plant-based or vegan.
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It also found a further quarter (23%) of all plant-based diets end due to the ‘irresistibility’ of cheese, while three-fifths (60%) of Brits polled before the campaign still believe that sportspeople need meat and dairy as part of their diet. 
“If the people of Cheddar can embrace Cheddarton and still stay cheesy, anyone can,” said Violife senior brand manager Jess Millner.
“We know that the idea of switching to a plant-based diet can seem like a big leap, and clearly many are worried about how they would feel without some of their favourite foods.
So we’ve set out to demonstrate just how easy it can be while communicating that you can make simple switches without having to sacrifice taste or texture,” Millner added.
Good Relations deputy executive creative director Ollie Edwards said: “When Violife challenged us to show how plant-based cheddar has upped its game, we knew exactly who to turn to,”
“If even ‘The Cheesemen’ could be tempted into adopting a plant-based lifestyle then we knew we had a chance of beating the world’s most famous cheese on home turf.
Edwards added: “Thankfully, both club and players had an appetite for change, and we hope it pays off for them on the pitch this season.”
