Rose Hancock hardly imagined she’d be running a food business one day. More likely career avenues included medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, but her deeper interests took her off the beaten track.
“I have always been fascinated by human biology,” Hancock said. “I studied anatomical science at university, which is essentially human biology and neuroscience. I considered medicine and a career in pharmaceuticals, but realised I was more passionate about preventative medicine and how our lifestyle and diet can impact our health.
“Then, having children increased my focus on nutrition because I wanted to make sure that they had a really nutrient-dense diet and as few UPFs as possible.”
Cottage cheese was a product she wanted to integrate into her kids’ diet – but they weren’t quite having it. “I couldn’t blame them, because I’d eat it, but it was always a healthy compromise.”
That’s how the idea of Alterego – because you can ‘have it both ways’, the creamy texture and mildly acidic taste, and the health benefits of protein and live cultures – was born.
Reimagining cottage cheese for a new audience
“The offering in the cottage cheese category was so limited,” she said. “You compare it to beans and tempeh and matcha and you see such innovation in those categories. Cottage cheese was so stale, so traditional and budget-led that there was nothing to get people excited.”
Despite not having ties to the food industry herself, Hancock’s husband, Edward, is the founder of online cheesemonger CheeseGeek; he connected her with Scottish cheese producer Yester Farm Dairies.
“We came up with a new recipe and, for me, it was important that it was completely natural. The milk and cream come from their own herd of dairy cows, so the provenance is really clear. The milk is pumped straight from the dairy to where they make the cottage cheese.
“We use sea salt rather than table salt – again, added health benefits, no nasties – and live cultures were a big one for me. I’ve become really interested in gut health over the years, so it felt like a natural fit for cottage cheese – and it also really helps the flavour.
“The kids were a good sounding board, because like a lot of people they thought cottage cheese was bland and watery. But they liked it. That’s when I thought this could genuinely change how people think about the category.”
Branding healthy indulgence
With a product as traditional as cottage cheese, the branding needs to do a lot of work: and this is where Alterego’s play on healthy indulgence comes into its own.
“It would have been so easy to lean on the health-benefit side – but we wanted to stand out, do something a bit different. I wanted a product which showed cottage cheese can be super healthy but also taste really indulgent. So the ‘alter ego’ is the two sides: the health side but also the rich and creamy one.”
As ever, taste is king – and getting that right makes it possible for everything else to follow. “It’s all very well having a healthy product but if it doesn’t taste great then you know people aren’t going to stick with it – and then the health benefits would be short‑lived.”
Scaling a modern cottage cheese brand
Product formulation and packaging aside, running a dairy business comes with a very distinct set of challenges.
“Forecasting has been the biggest challenge so far,” Hancock said. “We have to plan our production in advance, but also, we’ve got a short-life product so we can’t just keep a huge stock of it.”
The demand is there - UK retailer Tesco reported a 200% increase in cottage cheese sales in the past two years, and in 2025, volumes in retail were up 118%, according to NIQ data. More recently, All Things, another UK cottage cheese brand that also partners with Yester Farm Dairies, announced it has sold a million pots of cottage cheese, having only launched in January.
Hancock says the UK category is underpenetrated – particularly among the younger consumers – which creates an opportunity. “The data shows that household penetration is lowest among younger demographics, so our branding is designed to appeal to them. Through things like Instagram and recipe content, we want to show how versatile the product is and encourage people to use it in different ways.”
Trends-wise, protein is a major category accelerator, but taste is increasingly leading buying decisions in the category.
“People are looking for high protein and gut‑health benefits, but there are different types of consumer,” said Hancock.
“Some just want the highest protein possible and don’t care so much about taste. Others want something that tastes really good as well as being healthy – and that’s where Alterego comes in. It’s naturally high protein and low fat, but also indulgent and something people want to stick with.”
The brand landed in UK retailer Sainsbury’s back in September 2025, and the aim is to get more retail listings this year, and introduce new flavours.
“Our ultimate goal is to get more people eating cottage cheese,” Hancock said. “I really believe everyone would be better off if they incorporated it into their diet – and I’d love for Alterego to be the brand catalyst for that growth.”
