Nosh Live 2024 Replay: Making Cottage Cheese Sexy

Over a decade ago, Good Culture co-founder and CEO Jesse Merrill saw an opportunity to reinvigorate the cottage cheese category by positioning it as an alternative to Greek yogurt for younger consumers. When he started digging into the demographics of cottage cheese consumers he found that “most were boomers that were choking it down because they were on a diet and wanted to lose weight,” he said.

“I saw so much opportunity to create disruption” by making “cottage cheese sexy and relevant to other consumer segments,” he told attendees at Nosh Live Winter 2024.

Not only did Good Culture offer a new taste profile and ingredient deck free of emulsifiers, gums, additives and thickeners, but the brand “intentionally” seeded itself among influencers and creators to reach a younger demographic.

The approach paid off when Lainie Kates created a viral moment with a cottage cheese ice cream recipe.

Doubling down on that, Good Culture is creating its own digital content to continue to drive demand and give its consumers more reasons to buy cottage cheese.

“We’ve been building towards that moment, and it continues to grow,” he said.

During a fireside chat, Merrill dished out the details of his journey from a former beverage marketer and first-time food entrepreneur to the so-called Big Cheese, and shared perspective on how to design and market a disruptive product, challenge consumer perceptions and ride the wave of success.