Rebel Cheese
DealGourmet vegan cheese
Best known from its Shark Tank appearance, Rebel Cheese is a gourmet vegan cheese in Season 15, and convinced Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner to invest.
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From the show
The Shark Tank pitch
- $750K
- Asked for
- 5%
- Offered equity
- $15M
- Sought valuation
- $750K
- Deal amount
- 10%
- Deal equity
- $7.5M
- Deal valuation
Kirsten Maitland and Fred Zwar walked into the Tank in Season 15, Episode 9 in the episode that aired December 15, 2023. Rebel Cheese, the gourmet vegan cheese, pitched in the Food & Drink category, one of 318 food & drink businesses to brave the Tank across all 17 seasons.
On the carpet, the number was $750,000 for a 5% stake, which valued the company at $15M.
Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner teamed up at $750,000 for 10% equity. That priced the company at $7.5M, a haircut from the $15M the founders walked in asking for, which is how negotiations in the Tank usually go.
Rebel Cheese was one of 87 businesses to pitch in Season 15, where 59 deals got done. In the Food & Drink category overall, roughly 61% of pitches have landed a shark across the show's history.
The full story
Everything to know about Rebel Cheese
Rebel Cheese makes artisan-style vegan cheeses using traditional methods like culturing and cave aging, but with plant-based ingredients instead of dairy. The Texas-based company was founded by Kirsten Maitland and Fred Zwar, who approached vegan cheese as a craft product rather than a meltable substitute, building a range meant to satisfy people who actually miss real cheese boards. Their cheeses aim for the texture, tang, and complexity that most plant-based options never reach.
Maitland and Zwar walked into Season 15 asking for 750,000 dollars for 5 percent, a valuation near 15 million that reflected their premium positioning. Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner saw the upside in high-end plant-based food and teamed up, ultimately closing at 750,000 dollars for 10 percent. The negotiation centered on growth potential and margins in a fast-growing category, and the founders accepted the two-shark offer at the adjusted equity.
Rebel Cheese stood out by treating vegan cheese as a delicacy rather than a diet compromise. The cave-aging and culturing process gave the products a credibility most plant-based brands cannot claim, appealing to food lovers as much as to vegans. Pairing two complementary sharks, Cuban's scaling instincts and Greiner's retail and product muscle, also signaled that the brand had backing to push well beyond its specialty roots.
Where Rebel Cheese is now
The episode drove a clear sales surge, with the company reporting strong overall growth and a large jump in e-commerce orders in the period after airing. The founders used the exposure to widen distribution and raise the brand's profile, including national press coverage that highlighted its rapid growth and mission. That momentum helped move Rebel Cheese from a niche favorite toward broader retail availability.
As of 2026 Rebel Cheese is still operating and selling. Coverage indicates its products are carried in hundreds of physical stores nationwide along with multiple e-commerce outlets, and the brand has added new retail partners over time. It continues to position itself at the premium end of the plant-based aisle, leaning on its craft cheesemaking approach as the thing that separates it from mass-market vegan cheese.
Where to buy Rebel Cheese
Rebel Cheese is sold through its official site, rebelcheese.com, which ships its aged and cultured vegan cheeses nationwide, and its products are stocked in a growing list of physical grocers and specialty stores. You typically buy individual wheels or curated boxes. If you want plant-based cheese that aims for real depth of flavor rather than just a melt, it is one of the more credible options, though the artisan pricing sits above standard supermarket vegan cheese.
Is Rebel Cheese still in business?
Read our 2026 update on where the company is now.
Sold on Rebel Cheese?
Check today's price and availability before it swims away.
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Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy Rebel Cheese?
Check current price and availability on Amazon. Note that some Shark Tank products are discontinued or sold under a new name. The company's official website is another option.
Did Rebel Cheese get a deal on Shark Tank?
Yes. Rebel Cheese closed a deal for $750,000 in exchange for 10% equity, with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner.
Which shark invested in Rebel Cheese?
Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner invested in Rebel Cheese ($750,000 total as aired).
What season of Shark Tank was Rebel Cheese on?
Rebel Cheese appeared in Season 15, Episode 9, which aired December 15, 2023.
How much was Rebel Cheese asking for on Shark Tank?
The founders asked for $750,000 for 5% of the company, a $15M valuation.
What makes Rebel Cheese different from other vegan cheese?
It is made using traditional cheesemaking techniques like culturing and cave aging, applied to plant-based ingredients. That process gives it more complex flavor and texture than typical mass-market vegan cheese.
Who invested in Rebel Cheese on Shark Tank?
Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner teamed up to invest on Season 15, closing at 750,000 dollars for 10 percent equity. The brand reported strong growth after the episode aired.
Where can I buy Rebel Cheese?
Directly from rebelcheese.com with nationwide shipping, and in a growing number of physical grocery and specialty stores plus several e-commerce sites.
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