Food & Beverage Spotlight:
Good Culture

In 2015 Jesse Merrill and Anders Eisner started Good Culture, a small business with a big mission: to make good food that was also good for the planet. They saw an enormous opportunity to disrupt the sleepy cottage cheese category with a range of products that overdelivered in taste, nutrition, and mission. Jesse and Anders saw cottage cheese as an overlooked superfood that lacked innovation since the ’70s, when cottage cheese was bigger than yogurt.

Good Culture hit the shelves with products that only use real food and simple ingredients, never additives or preservatives. These products were also thicker and creamier, with more protein and less sugar than Greek yogurt — all using responsibly sourced ingredients from small family farms. To meet their high-quality standards, the co-founders made a commitment to support farmers that put animal welfare first and only obtained milk from organic and pasture-raised cows. To ensure that Good Culture is doing meaningful work, they pledged proceeds to environmental nonprofit organizations through 1% For The Planet, with a focus on regenerative agriculture.

Image courtesy of Good Culture

Good Culture's Growth Trajectory

Good Culture launched with Whole Foods and Sprouts, quickly developing traction. Soon after, they took an investment from General Mills’ VC arm and CAVU Ventures. Their products are now available in major retailers across the country, including Publix, Target, and Kroger.
Because their products are made to order, Good Culture requires a steady supply of raw materials and packaging updates to keep up with industry changes.
As a 20-person emerging growth brand, covering operating expenses and extending cash flow is critical as Good Culture increases distribution across the US.
We found Dwight through a trusted advisor who worked with other high growth companies in the Consumer industry. We wanted to partner with someone who really understands our type of business. “
Kellie Arnaud
Good Culture
Jesse Merrill - Good Culture
Image courtesy of Good Culture

Onboarding with a new financial services partner can often be painful. Dwight’s Relationship Manager, Todd, made it as easy as possible by guiding Good Culture’s finance team through the remittance process and using a lockbox to pay down their line of credit with incoming proceeds. He simplified teamwork by simplifying the access needs, and continued follow up for those who needed it inside and outside the company in a timely manner.

With Todd’s help, Good Culture was ready to get started in less than two weeks. Whenever Kellie had a question about the account or needed to integrate a new customer, she was able to get a reply quickly via email or a phone call – even if it was outside of business hours.

Good Culture's
Success Metrics

# 3

Brand and fastest growing cottage cheese brand in Natural Channel

0 %

Growth. Fastest growing cottage cheese brand in the category

# 5

Natural cottage cheese brand in Multi Outlet (MULO) markets​

What's Next for
Good Culture

Image courtesy of Good Culture

With a firm commitment to making healthy food and a growing following among a younger demographic, Good Culture has become the number one brand in the natural channel. As it builds brand awareness with newer product lines like sour cream and probiotic smoothies, Good Culture hasn’t forgotten its roots.

The CPG brand partnered with the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) to fund soil health and sustainable farming practices with the goal of transitioning conventional farms to regenerative farms that focus on planned grazing. Good Culture is not only a leader in the cultured dairy space; they are setting an example for all mission driven brands to follow.

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