 The company logo | |
| Formation | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Revenue | €780,000 in 2019[update][1] |
| Employees | 18 as of September 2021[update][2] |
| Website | jay-joy |
Jay&Joy is the first purelyvegan cheese producer ofFrance.[3][1] Most of the company's products contain Spanishalmonds,[4] while others usecashew nuts orsunflower seeds, as well as spices.[3] Its most successful product is acamembert-like almond and cashew cheese called Joséphine.[4][5]
The company makes its products inLa Croix-Saint-Ouen north ofParis and sells them retail and online in several European countries.[6] Jay and Joy also operates a cheese shop in the11th arrondissement of Paris, calledLa crèmerie végétale ("The plant-based creamery"). As of 2020, more of its customers arelactose intolerant thanvegan.[1]
In 2023, all of their products were recalled after severallisteriosis cases were linked to the consumption of Jay and Joy merchandise. They mostly happened amongpregnant women and were suspected of having inducedpreterm births.[7]
The company was started in Paris in 2014[6] by Mary Iriarte Jähnke, a vegan and former fashion employee with a French-Venezuelan background,[8] and her German partner Eric Jähnke, also a vegan[3][2] and an engineer by education.[2] Mary Jähnke took lessons from a master cheesemaker, saying the company defends the craft ofcheesemaking.[3]
Jay&Joy's first retail partner was the French organic chainBiocoop [Wikidata]. In 2018, they started exports, beginning with the Belgian organic chain Bio-Planet (operated by theColruyt Group). They then expanded sales to the Netherlands and Germany. As of September 2021[update], 20% of the company's revenue stems from exports.[2]
They first produced in the 11th arrondissement of Paris but moved out to La Croix north of the capital in 2019, expanding the production floor from 60 to 450 square metres.[3]
In June 2023,[9] César Augier, together with an investment fund, announced the acquisition of Jay&Joy. In 2025, Jay&Joy, is distributed in ten european countries.[10] In January 2025, they announced they double their production capacity with the acquisition of Les Nouveaux Affineurs and a €2M Investment[11]