Bandit

What Bandit does

Bandit (legal entity: Yes, It's Vegan), founded in 2019 and headquartered in South Philadelphia, is a privately held plant-based cheese producer that makes vegan cheeses using cashews and coconut oil as the primary base. The company operates a single production facility at 1901 South 9th Street that doubles as a cave-aging environment, employing traditional cheesemaking techniques — including controlled cave aging with Penicillium Candidum cultures — adapted to plant-based inputs. The product portfolio spans three categories: cave-aged bloomy-rind cheeses (Barn Cat, Maverick), flavored cheese logs (Fruit'n Nut, Sharp Pimento, Garlic Za'atar, Jalapeno Paprika, and seasonal Down The Shore), and dairy-swap staples (Fresh Mozz, Philly Spread). Bandit was founded by Bo Babaki, who developed the original recipes in his basement before scaling into a team of dedicated cheesemakers and affineurs self-styled as 'curd nerds.' In July 2022 the company rebranded from Conscious Cultures Creamery to Bandit and closed a $1.5 million seed round led by Prime Movers Lab to fund production scaling and multi-state expansion.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market: direct-to-consumer e-commerce via eatlikeabandit.com (with a separate direct-shipping retail portal at welovebandit.com) alongside a B2B wholesale program that ships nationwide Monday through Wednesday to natural food stores, gourmet grocers, and specialty cheese shops. Wholesale pricing is quote-based behind a login, with a 2-case minimum order and free shipping on orders of $400 or more. The company targets two primary customer segments: health-conscious consumers seeking premium dairy alternatives (including flexitarians and dairy-averse buyers, not exclusively vegans), and B2B wholesale accounts seeking differentiated, premium plant-based SKUs for their cheese assortments. Retail pricing is not publicly disclosed, and revenue figures are not available in the source data.

Bandit is a small, seed-stage CPG company — only $1.5 million has been raised to date, headcount sits in the 11–50 range, and there is no public revenue disclosure. Its defensibility rests on craft expertise, brand positioning, and a specialized cave-aging production process rather than technology or scale advantages. The single most material near-term catalyst is the execution of the multi-state wholesale expansion funded by the 2022 seed round; the single most material risk is the limited capital base relative to capital-intensive scaling requirements typical of plant-based dairy competitors.

Name

Bandit

Legal name

Yes, It's Vegan

Website

https://eatlikeabandit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bandit is a Philadelphia-based, privately held plant-based cheese producer founded in 2019 that makes vegan cheeses from cashews and coconut using traditional cave-aging methods, selling direct-to-consumer and through a nationwide wholesale program to natural food and gourmet retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue) (AFAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fresh/Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Unripened & Soft) (AFAHABAA)

Keywords

• Plant-based cheese
• Vegan cashew cheese
• Artisanal cheese alternatives
• Dairy-free cheese
• Cave-aged vegan cheese

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer Product Sales: E-commerce sales of plant-based cheeses directly to consumers through their website. Products include cave-aged cheeses, cheese logs, spreads, and fresh mozzarella alternatives.
2. Wholesale Distribution: B2B wholesale sales to grocery stores, retailers, and food service establishments. Minimum order quantity of 2 cases with free shipping on orders $400+. Ships nationwide Monday-Wednesday.
3. Seed Funding: Raised $1.5 million in seed funding led by Prime Movers Lab to expand production and distribution capabilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bandit hand-crafts vegan cheese using cashews and traditional cheesemaking techniques, including cave aging with Penicillium Candidum cultures. Its product line spans bloomy-rind wheels (Barn Cat, Maverick), flavored logs (Fruit'n Nut, Sharp Pimento, Garlic Za'atar, Down The Shore), and staples (Philly Spread, Fresh Mozz) sold direct-to-consumer online and through wholesale to retailers nationwide.

Product overview

Bandit is a plant-based cheese company offering a portfolio of cashew-based vegan cheeses organized into three main categories: Cave Aged cheeses (Barn Cat and Maverick), Cheese Logs (Garlic Za'atar, Sharp Pimento, Fruit'n Nut, and seasonal Down The Shore), and Spreads & Staples (Philly Spread and Fresh Mozz). All products are handmade using a traditional cheesemaking process with real ingredients including cashews, coconut oil, and various cultures and enzymes. The company positions its cheeses as direct alternatives to dairy products with comparable taste, texture, and functionality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Barn Cat Cave-aged vegan cheese with a bloomy rind, citrus hint, and vegetable ash inlay. Modeled after Bleu Cheese and Humboldt Fog.
• Maverick Double-cream style bloomy rind cheese in 4oz dome containers, described as decadent, luscious, and earthy. Modeled after Brie and Camembert.
• Fruit'n Nut Sweet and savory log with Port wine infused dried cranberries and golden raisins, crusted with toasted pecans. Modeled after Cranberry Goat Cheese Log.
• Sharp Pimento Wine infused, savory and sharp cheese log with zippy, buttery, and nutty notes. Modeled after Sharp Pimento Cheddar and Pub Cheese.
• Garlic Za'atar Earthy, luscious cheese with garlic, nutty sesame notes, and herbal za'atar seasoning. Suitable for spreads, dressings, and cheese boards.
• Down The Shore Seasonal specialty cheese featuring smoked lion's mane mushrooms, chipotle meco and morita chili paste, and old bay seasoning. Features oak and pecan wood smoked mushrooms.
• Philly Spread Smooth, creamy, spreadable cheese alternative with a slightly tangy flavor, designed as a cream cheese substitute for bagels and sandwiches.
• Fresh Mozz Delicate, light, and bright cheese that slices, crumbles, and melts like fresh cow's milk mozzarella. Designed as a 1:1 swap for dairy mozzarella.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Treeline Cheese: Treeline produces aged and fresh plant-based cheeses from cashews, mirroring Bandit's primary ingredient base and aged-cheese product format. It is a direct competitor in the artisan vegan cheese niche.
• Kite Hill: Kite Hill makes plant-based cheeses (and other dairy alternatives) targeted at premium retail and foodservice, with similar positioning around taste parity with dairy cheese. It overlaps directly with Bandit's artisan plant-based cheese line.
• Dr. Cow: Dr. Cow produces aged, rind-developed tree-nut cheeses using traditional techniques, occupying the same craft/artisan vegan cheese niche as Bandit. Comparable in scale and craft-led approach.
• Miyoko's Creamery: Miyoko's is one of the leading premium plant-based cheese brands in the US, using traditional artisan techniques (including culturing and aging) with plant-based ingredients. It is the most direct competitor to Bandit given comparable positioning around craft, quality, and dairy parity.

Emerging players

• Punk Rawk Labs: Punk Rawk Labs is a smaller craft cashew-based cheese brand focused on artisan aged wheels. Comparable to Bandit in production philosophy but at a smaller commercial scale.

Broad incumbents

• Violife: Violife (owned by Upfield) is a mass-market plant-based cheese brand with extensive retail distribution across the US. Comparable product category but operates at far greater scale and with a much broader portfolio.
• Daiya Foods: Daiya is a large plant-based foods company offering vegan cheese, pizza, and other dairy alternatives with wide retail penetration. Overlaps with Bandit in vegan cheese but operates across multiple plant-based categories.
• Follow Your Heart: Follow Your Heart is an established plant-based brand offering vegan cheese along with dairy and egg alternatives. It is comparable as a competitor in the plant-based cheese category but with a broader portfolio and longer retail history.
• Field Roast (Maple Leaf Foods): Field Roast produces plant-based meats and cheeses under Maple Leaf Foods, with comparable craft positioning to Bandit. Comparable in target consumer (plant-based/vegan shoppers) but broader in product range.
• Melt Organic: Melt Organic produces plant-based butter and cheese products sold in grocery retail. Comparable in plant-based dairy category overlap with Bandit, though it primarily leads with butter rather than aged cheese.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/the_conscious_cultures
• Facebookfacebook.com/eatlikeabandit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bandit