Whatever Happened To Just The Cheese From Shark Tank?

While there are several cheese options for a perfectly melty grilled cheese sandwich, many would agree that the most delectable part of this dish isn't really the melted goodness in between the bread slices. It's the cheese drippings that land on the pan and turn crunchy upon direct contact with heat. Former consultant David Scharfman liked them so much that he thought of turning these crunchy bits into a snack. As someone who grew up in a family of cheesemakers in Wisconsin, Scharfman had the resources to pull off the idea. So, with the help of his father, Paul, who bought Heim Cheese in 1991 and rebranded it to Specialty Cheese, David launched an offshoot that focused on making crunchy cheese bars he named Just The Cheese.

Just The Cheese, as explained on the company's website, is made for guilt-free snacking. It's locally sourced cheese that's been grated and baked in a bar-shaped mold. Each bar is sugar- and gluten-free. Hence, Paul originally wanted to market it as a healthy snack sold in the pharmacy sections of stores. However, David had a bigger plan for his brainchild, offering it as a mainstream 75-calorie snack. In 2018, the year the brand was established, David immediately forged connections with distributors, so the company was able to generate $3.5 million in sales. Despite what seemed like a strong start, being self-funded limited the brand's ascent. To remedy this, David decided to take a chance on finding an investor through ABC's "Shark Tank."

David Scharfman entered "Shark Tank" Season 11, seeking $500,000 in exchange for 5% equity. During his presentation, the Just The Cheese founder threw in whimsical yet entertaining puns for cheese, to the delight of the Sharks. Most of the hosts also enjoyed the brand's Grilled Cheese, Aged Cheddar, and Jalapeño Cheese flavor samples. However, they couldn't help but raise their eyebrows when it came to the brand's financials. Although the company generated $3.5 million in its first year and $3.7 million four months before 2019 ended, the margins were somewhat dismal. A two-bar pack cost 95 cents to make, and each pack was selling for $1.27. This meant profit depended largely on the volume of the products sold.

During negotiations, Robert Herjavec bowed out since he did not like the taste. Daniel Lubetzky also didn't make an offer, knowing the competing brands. Meanwhile, Kevin O'Leary was willing to give Scharfman the $500,000. However, he wanted a perpetual 20-cent royalty per bar. Lori Greiner offered Scharfman's asking price in exchange for a 15-cent perpetual royalty. She would revise this offer to remove the perpetual royalty and instead ask for $0.15 per bar until she could recoup $750,000. Mark Cuban, the last to make an offer, was willing to give the $500,000 in exchange for 15% equity. After weighing all the offers and considering how his family and business team would react to the deals, Scharfman walked out of the tank empty-handed.

Despite not landing a deal with any of the Sharks on the show, Just The Cheese did not end up becoming one of the biggest food flops in "Shark Tank" history. The company immediately experienced the "Shark Tank" effect, witnessing a skyrocketing demand for its products after its episode aired. Before appearing on the show, the brand was shipping around 700 boxes daily through different outlets, including Wegmans, Target, 7-Eleven, and Amazon. After the product made its national television debut, founder David Scharfman and his team found themselves shipping 14,000 boxes in the next 24 hours, which translated to $350,000 in revenue for just one day. In just one weekend, their entire inventory on Amazon sold out.

What's impressive about Just The Cheese's newfound success is that it happened during the coronavirus pandemic. The episode that featured the brand aired in March 2020. Immediately after the lockdowns were announced, the company's sales doubled, according to Scharfman. Beyond the hype, Scharfman leveraged his appearance on ABC's hit reality series to bring his brand to the country's biggest retailer. Just The Cheese became one of the brands from "Shark Tank" available at Walmart. With such a bigger market presence, it did not come as a shock that the company was making $4 million in yearly revenue by September 2022 — around four years after its launch.

Just The Cheese remains operational years after its "Shark Tank" appearance, which is very impressive, considering another cheese brand that was featured earlier on the show, Heidi Ho, failed to thrive despite securing a deal with Lori Greiner. However, David Scharfman is no longer in charge of the company. In December 2022, John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc., a well-established brand in the nuts and dried fruit market, acquired all of Just The Cheese's assets from Specialty Cheese. "The acquisition of Just the Cheese... will provide us a product that expands our portfolio into new snacking categories," John B. Sanfilippo & Son CEO Jeffery T. Sanfilippo said in a news release. Details about the price and terms of the company's acquisition were not disclosed.

After selling the brand, Scharfman joined his family's business, becoming Specialty Cheese's VP of Growth. As for his former business venture, it continues to be sold through the thousands of distributor and retailer outlets Scharfman partnered with during his tenure. The brand has seemingly helped boost John B. Sanfilippo & Son's profits, as the company crossed the $1 billion sales mark in 2024. It's worth noting that despite the change in ownership, the Just The Cheese snack bars have ultimately remained unchanged in terms of packaging, production, and the available flavors. There is a new addition to the product lineup, however. Just The Cheese Minis are smaller bite-sized pieces of the same snack formula, packed in plastic jars and sold for $16.99 each.