Good Culture, the makers of re-imagined cottage cheese and elevated cultured dairy who aim to make real food for consumers without hurting the planet or the animals, announced today the closing of an $8 million funding round. The round was led by CAVU Venture Partners, with significant investment from 301 INC, General Mills’ new business development and venturing unit, and Almanac Insights, an early stage investment firm founded by David Barber, co-owner of Blue Hill. This funding will advance Good Culture in the company’s next chapter through expanded distribution and product development to grow in the overall dairy category.

“When we entered the market with our disruptive cottage cheese range, it was our aim to responsibly make real food, simple ingredient, superfood products that tasted amazing and worked toward a larger goal of creating a material change to the food system,” said Good Culture CEO and co-founder Jesse Merrill. “We have found incredible partners in CAVU, 301 INC, and Almanac and this round is a testament that the better dairy, and more broadly, the real food space  is one with exponential potential.”

“We are always seeking to find and support brands with a mission to change our environment and the way consumers eat for the better,” said Clayton Christopher, CAVU Venture Partners Co-Founder. “We believed in them in 2016 and are excited to invest again with the brand as a part of their continued growth and progress, as Good Culture is at the helm of this dormant category's reinvention.”

“Good Culture is a trailblazing company with an incredible passion for disrupting an entire category,” said John Haugen, 301 INC Founder and Managing Director. “We are excited to partner with Good Culture to give consumers high quality, delicious dairy products.”

Good Culture was co-founded in 2015 by Jesse Merrill and Anders Eisner, who saw a gap in the market for high-quality cottage cheese which had the potential to lead the real food movement. The pair sought to create a brand that not only tasted delicious but was healthy for both the consumer and the environment. With this mission at the forefront of product development Good Culture delivers high protein, organic and non-GMO ingredients, pasture-raised milk from free-roaming cows on sustainable family farms, live and active cultures, and no additives such as stabilizers, thickeners, or artificial preservatives.

The brand has created a unique product that brings cottage cheese back to what it used to taste like, when it was made with real simple ingredients. As a result, Good Culture has experienced over 500% growth since its inception and is sold nationally in over 11,000 stores. Due to this impressive growth, Good Culture has generated an overwhelming interest since its launch and closed previous rounds of funding led by 301 INC and CAVU Venture Partners, respectively.

Source: Good Culture