Rebel Cheese Vegan Gourmet Cheese Update | Shark Tank Season 15

After going vegan themselves, Kirsten Maitland and Fred Zwar struggled to find anything that tasted like real cheese. That’s when they created Rebel Cheese, a company making artisan-style vegan cheeses using traditional cheesemaking methods like culturing and cave aging, but with plant-based ingredients. Will they be able to convince the sharks to give this cheese a try and invest in the company? Find out in our Rebel Cheese update and pitch recap.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to Rebel Cheese after Shark Tank.

Kirsten and Fred pitched their cheese company on Shark Tank Season 15. They sought $750,000 for 5% equity. After their pitch, they landed a deal with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner for $750,000 for 10% equity.

In terms of a Rebel Cheese update, the company experienced a major sales surge after the episode aired, reporting 140% total growth and a 463% jump in e-commerce. In 2025, they expanded into JuiceLand and Eataly, despite facing criticism over employee layoffs.

Shark:	Result:
Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban	Accepted deal for $750,000 for 10% equity
Kevin O’Leary	No offer
Robert Herjavec	No offer
Emma Grede	No offer

Shark Tank Rebel Cheese Pitch

• Entrepreneurs: Kirsten Maitland and Fred Zwar
• Business: Gourmet vegan cheese
• Ask: $750,000 for 5% equity
• Result: $750,000 for 10% equity
• Sharks: Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner

Husband and wife duo, Fred and Kirsten, walked into Shark Tank to change the way people think about vegan cheese.

They opened their pitch by presenting samples of their five best sellers. These included Brie, Honey Pistachio Chèvre, Pimento, Sharp Cheddar, and their Sun-Dried Tomato Fermage.

The cheese that they make is real cheese; however, it’s made only from plants. In terms of the process, they don’t cut any corners.

They use techniques that any artisan cheesemaker would use, which in turn creates products that would fool any cheese lover.

Lori Greiner loved the taste. Robert Herjavec praised the brie. Kevin O’Leary said it was hard to tell the difference from real cheese. Only Emma wasn’t convinced. She said the texture felt the same across all samples, too soft and pasty.

Kevin asked if they used cashews. Kirsten explained they use a mix of ingredients, not just cashews. What sets them apart is how they make the cheese, not just what’s in it.

Robert asked if they were the only ones making vegan cheese. Kirsten said no, but Rebel Cheese is the only company producing artisan-quality vegan cheese at scale.

Further, they just built their own production facility that can make up to 8 million wheels of cheese per year.

The business operates across three main channels: e-commerce with a subscription model accounts for 16% of sales, wholesale to retail stores contributes 17%, and their Austin-based restaurant generates the remaining 67%.

However, during COVID-19, they had to pivot to mostly e-commerce, which helped get their products into over 100 stores. They even got an inquiry from Whole Foods, but weren’t ready to meet that demand yet.

Kevin asked how the pricing compares to regular brie. Fred said it costs them $4.67 to make a wheel. They wholesale it for $9, with an MSRP of $15-$20. That’s nearly identical to high-end dairy brie.

In the year prior to filming, Rebel Cheese brought in $2.5 million in sales. They expect to make $3.5 million in the current year.

They’ve been profitable every year, but with the new facility investment, they expect to break even this year.

With goals in mind to have their products in over 500 stores next year, they’ve come to a turning point where they need help from a shark.

Unfortunately, Kevin didn’t like the valuation and dropped out first.

Immediately following this, Mark Cuban made a quick offer of $750,000 for 10% equity.

However, before the couple could answer, Lori Greiner jumped in and offered to partner with Mark, citing her experience with Boarderie, a cheese board company doing over $30 million in sales.

Just then, Robert and Guest shark Emma dropped out of the negotiations. Robert said he wasn’t a cheese guy, and Emma said the product wasn’t for her.

At this point, Fred countered Mark and Lori with 6% equity, but they declined. Kirsten tried $1 million for 10% equity, then 7.5%, but they wouldn’t budge.

At this point, the couple stepped out to talk. Kevin told them not to lose the deal over a small percentage.

When it appeared that they might lose the offer altogether, they came back and accepted Mark and Lori’s original deal.

What happened to their company following Shark Tank? Keep reading our Rebel Cheese update to find out!

Shark Tank Rebel Cheese Update

According to our Rebel Cheese update, we found that there is no public confirmation that the deal with Mark and Lori officially closed after filming.

Neither the founders nor the sharks have shared follow-up statements confirming that the investment went through.

Nonetheless, in the weeks following the episode, Rebel Cheese saw a big spike in online sales and traffic.

They launched a special Shark Tank Collection Box, featuring six of their top cheeses from the pitch, followed by limited-edition bundles called “Mark’s Box” and “Lori’s Box”.

In early 2024, the company reported 140% total growth, including a 463% jump in e-commerce sales, and projected another 200% overall growth in 2025, with plans to grow their online business by 400%.

Their products expanded into JuiceLand, Eataly, and several food co-ops. They also won Wheatsville Co-op’s 2025 “Cheese Madness” tournament.

In June 2025, Rebel Cheese faced some controversy when five hourly employees were reportedly laid off after requesting wage increases.

Former staff shared their experiences online, but the company has not issued a public response.

Despite the backlash, Rebel Cheese continued promoting seasonal boxes, growing its shipping program, and expanding its presence in retail.

In February 2025, Kirsten featured in Inc. Magazine, highlighting the company’s mission and fast growth.

She’s also spoken about building a supportive culture for working moms and mentoring others in the plant-based food space.

If you are looking for dairy-free cheese, you can order directly from their website. You can also check out their latest product drops on Instagram.

We’ll share more when we have it in our next Rebel Cheese update.

In the meantime, you can check out our other company updates from Season 15 Episode 9 by following the links below!

• The Pocket Panty Update
• FlyWithWine Update
• CAKES body Update

Before you go, be sure to check out our list of all the Shark Tank Season 15 products.