😎 How Cottage Cheese Is Keeping Its Cool

How did cottage cheese go from grandma grub to a trendy ingredient? 

The popularity of the high-protein, low-sugar, probiotic soft dairy cheese has been on the rise since spring 2023, according to Good Culture founder and CEO Jesse Merrill. But now, over a year later, the ingredient is still trending upward, finding its way into product formulations and potentially signaling that its new widespread appeal won’t be just another flash in the pan. 

Data Dive: According to SPINS, between 2022 and 2023 – also known as the era of peak post-pandemic inflation – cottage cheese sales grew 10% y/y but saw units drop 1.9%, indicating that the majority of the sales growth was driven by price increases. 

• However, from June 2023 to June 2024, the category has seen sales rise 19% while unit sales ticked up right alongside – increasing 14.9%.

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Morgan Zanotti has traversed the near entirety of the CPG landscape – going from various marketing stints to co-founding Primal Kitchen and later heading up new ventures as an executive at Kraft Heinz after the conglomerate acquired her brand in 2018. 

Now as Summit Partners’ Executive-In-Residence, Zanotti is harnessing many of those experiences and bringing her expertise to a different side of the equation.

We recently caught up with Morgan to learn more about the new role, how she assesses “profitable, high-growth, founder-owned businesses” and glean business-building tips, tricks and exclusive insights that can stand the test of time.

Check out the full interview to learn how Zanotti is translating her experience from startup to investor and access insights from the lessons she intends to share along the way.

Amy Guittard, the CMO and fifth-generation owner of Guittard Chocolate, speaks about the duality of her role as both a steward and agent of change, the challenge of competing with both small brands and large conglomerates and how she helped the company navigate a major threat to its core business.

Listen to the episode now.

• Funding updates from the frozen waffle set
• News of a sweet and savory summer brand collab
• Details on Amazon's renewed grocery goals
• A recap of the latest eGrocery sales numbers

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