• by Steve Ellwanger , February 6, 2023

If you haven’t had enough confidence to try plant-based cheese, do it on Valentine’s Day with someone you trust.

That’s the gist of Babybel’s “First Time” initiative featuring actors and married couple Jenny Mollen and Jason Biggs.

It’s unfolding on social media a year after Bel Brands introduced Babybel plant-based cheese -- a semi-soft product designed to taste like mozzarella -- to the U.S. market.

It comes in the form of a contest whose grand prize is a heart-shaped box of plant-based cheese, a set of wine glasses, a cheese snacking board, two matching robes and a blanket -- all of them colored bright green. 

In this Instagram post by Biggs, who is known for his roles in “American Pie,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Orange Is the New Black,” he tries to explain the “First Time” concept and related giveaway to his father.

“Jenny and I are not having problems, okay?” says Biggs before his dad hands the phone to his wife against Biggs’ wishes.

“The first time refers to the first time we are trying Babybel plant-based together,” he explains.

The he informs his mom, “No, you and dad cannot have the robes.”

In a news release, Babybel Brand Director Melanie Nemoy acknowledges there can be “nervousness and anticipation when trying your first plant-based cheese.”

As previously reported, Bel Brands has deduced from consumer feedback that existing plant-based cheese offerings do not meet expectations to match or exceed popular attributes of traditional dairy-based cheeses.

Contest entries on a dedicated website through Feb. 8 will yield a total of 75 grand prize winners.

Bel Brands recently launched a plant-based, vegan-certified version of Laughing Cow.