Based in Irvine, California, Good Culture is a clean-label cultured foods brand founded in 2015, by Jesse Merrill and Anders Eisner, who recognized cottage cheese as a superfood. As the CEO, Merrill oversees all business operations for the brand, including product development and innovation, sales and distribution, marketing strategy and sustainability efforts.

Today, Good Culture makes cottage cheese, sour cream and cream cheese with milk from cows raised on family farms, with no artificial ingredients, gums, stabilizers, or additives. The brand partners with 1% for the Planet, and Path to Pasture, a program with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) to get more cows out of feedlots and onto pastures. 

The brand this fall launched its first seasonal flavor exclusively at Whole Foods Market, where Good Culture is the No. 1 branded cottage cheese.

How did Good Culture get started? 

I saw a major disruption opportunity in the cottage cheese space. Cottage cheese was an overlooked fermented superfood with more protein and less sugar than yogurt, but it lacked relevant innovation and brand appeal. The majority of the products on shelf were loaded with additives, like gums and preservatives, sourced their milk from confined animals, and mostly came in large, outdated tubs with little to no flavor options and the product experience was lacking from a texture and flavor standpoint. I saw an opportunity to reimagine a very sleepy $1.1 billion category that was larger than yogurt in the 1970s.

During this time, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune gut disease caused by chronic inflammation. When my traditional doctor said there was no cure, and that I’d need to take harsh prescription medications for the rest of my life to manage the symptoms, I decided to explore alternative healing practices. I shifted to eating an extremely clean and selective diet that only included cultured dairy and other fermented foods, grass-fed animal protein, cooked vegetables and fruit. After living this way for three years, I completely cured myself of the disease and my symptoms disappeared after the first four weeks. This experience validated my belief that food is medicine and informs our values at Good Culture. 

Through Good Culture’s founding, I learned that most U.S. dairy cows are confined, creating both an animal welfare and an environmental problem. I knew there had to be a better way and vouched to be part of the solution to create a regenerative and pasture-raised milk supply. Good Culture’s mission is to reinvent the food system from the (actual) ground up, to create a healthier planet, people, and animals, and we’re well on our way! We are a Certified B Corporation and 1% for the Planet brand. 

As you approach your 10-year anniversary, what is your advice to other startups looking to disrupt the refrigerated and frozen food scene?

Listen to the consumer and solve a real need, as this will de-risk a lackluster product-market fit. Refrigerated cultured foods check several boxes that today’s consumer is looking for: including high protein, low sugar, gut health, real food, simple ingredients, nutrient-dense, etc., so you must ensure that you are executing effectively and quickly optimizing your offerings based on the market response. 

In recent years, Good Culture has expanded its product line beyond cottage cheese; how do you see the dairy case continuing to evolve over the next few years?

The same mega trends that led to the success of Good Culture Cottage Cheese can be applied to other dairy and refrigerated categories. Consumers, especially millennials and Gen-Z, are looking for real food products with simple ingredients; that have nothing artificial; are nutrient-dense and taste delicious, so the full dairy case has a load of potential to continue innovating and experiencing explosive growth as it increasingly aligns with consumer needs and macro trends. 

How do changing consumer tastes and things like viral TikTok trends influence product development at Good Culture?

In 2023, TikTokers began obsessively touting a love of cottage cheese and Good Culture, sharing unique recipes including cottage cheese ice cream, pancakes, eggs, mustard dip combos, flatbreads, smoothies and more. As influencers, tastemakers and consumers shared their recipes featuring Good Culture on TikTok, the creativity seemed endless, accelerating the popularity even more. Not only is cottage cheese a versatile ingredient for recipes but it is also a high protein, low sugar, nutrient-dense snack that can be consumed straight from the cup or tub. 

The TikTok trend has endured, as additional usage occasions for cottage cheese have flourished, paving the way for a substantial increase in demand. Good Culture will continue to lead the innovation charge in cottage cheese and provide its consumers with best-in-class superfood products that align with key dietary trends. 

In recent years, Good Culture has expanded its product line beyond cottage cheese; how do you see the dairy case continuing to evolve over the next few years?

The same mega trends that led to the success of Good Culture Cottage Cheese can be applied to other dairy and refrigerated categories. Consumers, especially millennials and Gen-Z, are looking for real food products with simple ingredients; that have nothing artificial; are nutrient-dense and taste delicious, so the full dairy case has a load of potential to continue innovating and experiencing explosive growth as it increasingly aligns with consumer needs and macro trends.

With your first LTO flavor offering dropping this fall, what’s on the horizon for Good Culture?

We are dedicated to continued innovation in cottage cheese, as our consumers are clamoring for new flavors and snacking occasions for this highly versatile superfood. Our thick and creamy organic sour cream and pasture-raised cream cheese continue to grow in popularity and we expect to keep building those adjacent opportunities. 

Good Culture has changed the way consumers think about and consume cottage cheese and we plan to keep listening to their feedback, creating more disruption and delivering products that our consumers obsess over.