For most of the past 50 years, cottage cheese in America was considered a plain, inexpensive and unremarkable food, mainly consumed by children or dieters trying to avoid overeating. However, the American trend toward healthy lifestyles and longevity has led many seeking protein-rich foods to rediscover this once-overlooked product.
In Israel, cottage cheese has long been a household staple and even symbolized the country’s most significant consumer boycott. Now, it has become one of the most sought-after items on supermarket shelves in the U.S.
According to market research firm Circana, cottage cheese sales in the U.S. have risen by over 50% in the past five years, largely thanks to countless TikTok videos. John Crawford, Vice President of Dairy at Circana, noted that 45% of U.S. households now purchase cottage cheese. In April 2024, sales surged by nearly 24%, prompting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to contact cottage cheese manufacturers to verify there were no data errors.
The secret hit of the American dairy market
Although cottage cheese accounts for less than 3% of total cheese production in the U.S., dairy producers are welcoming the growth in this category. "The impact isn’t massive," said Jane Sebright, CEO of the Pennsylvania Dairy Excellence Center, "but any increase in dairy product consumption is good for producers."
Experts agree on one key factor driving the resurgence of cottage cheese: viral videos on social media, particularly TikTok. The popular platform, known for spawning food and lifestyle trends, has millions of users showcasing creative ways to eat cottage cheese. From sweet to savory combinations, it’s being mixed into smoothies, spread on bread, used for pizza toppings, and even incorporated into ice cream recipes. According to The Wall Street Journal, no food item since Brussels sprouts has undergone such a dramatic turnaround in public perception.
In addition to TikTok, Instagram Reels have also seen a surge in cottage cheese-related content, with over 600,000 videos tagged under #Cottage.
What’s even more interesting is that Americans aren’t just consuming more cottage cheese—they’re enjoying it. "It was a billion-dollar category that faded due to a lack of innovation," said Jesse Merrill, who founded the cottage cheese-focused startup Good Culture in 2015. "When I started the company, my oldest daughter and her friends thought I was crazy. Now, they all think cottage cheese is cool," he explained.
Before founding Good Culture, Merrill conducted research and discovered that cottage cheese consumption began to decline in the 1980s when yogurt consumption soared. "Yogurt stole the spotlight," Merrill said. Bringing cottage cheese back into the limelight took considerable time and investment. Good Culture raised $85 million in funding, including a $64 million round in 2022, which proved to be perfectly timed. The following year, Gen Z discovered the wonders of cottage cheese, causing the category to explode online and surprising nearly everyone in the dairy industry.
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Good Culture's sales grew by 80% in 2023 and 70% in 2024, exceeding even the company’s own growth projections of 35% revenue increases for each of the past two years. "It was a category no one could crack," said Melissa Altobelli, who leads dairy product research at Circana. "Now it’s one of the fastest-growing categories."
Leading the category is dairy producer Daisy Brand, often referred to as the "queen of cottage cheese." Over the past year, the company has expanded its production capacity to meet the unexpected demand. "For a long time, cottage cheese was a secret hit," said Ben Sokolsky, Daisy Brand’s Chief Marketing Officer. "It's no longer a secret."