What Treeline Treenut Cheese does

Treeline Cheesemakers (legally The Gardener Cheese Company, Inc.) is a US-based producer of vegan, cashew-based cheese and dairy-alternative products, founded in 2011 by former intellectual property lawyer Michael Schwarz in Kingston, New York's Hudson Valley. The company manufactures its full product line in a dedicated 100% dairy-free facility, using proprietary fermentation techniques that culture premium whole cashews with probiotics to produce authentic cheese textures and flavors without palm or coconut oil. Its portfolio spans soft French-style spreads, goat-style cheeses, aged artisanal wheels (cheddar, smoked gouda, classic, cracked pepper), cream cheeses, sour cream, ricotta, mozzarella, cottage cheese, and a four-flavor dips line, all of which are 100% vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, lactose-free, Non-GMO, and Kosher Parve certified. The company also curates a vegan charcuterie collection integrating complementary third-party brands (vegan salamis, charcuterie, jams, crackers, olives).

Treeline operates a hybrid distribution model combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce (Shopify storefront, free shipping at $59+, minimum 4-item orders, seasonal closures) with wholesale distribution through four major natural/organic food distributors — UNFI, KeHE, Seacrest, and Four Seasons — reaching approximately 3,000 stores nationwide. Retail customers include Whole Foods, Sprouts, Wegmans, Giant Foods, Fred Meyer, Natural Grocers, Ralphs, and Erewhon. The company also serves food service operators via wholesale inquiry. Target end consumers include vegans, plant-based dieters, lactose-intolerant individuals, and health-conscious shoppers seeking lower saturated fat and higher protein dairy alternatives. Marketing is driven by organic social (Facebook, Instagram), founder newsletters, content marketing (recipes, opinions), earned media in publications including Bloomberg and The Guardian, in-store trial coupons, and a strong portfolio of #1 product rankings from Tasting Table, The Daily Meal, Good Housekeeping, USA Today, and Women's Health.

Treeline is privately held by founder and CEO Michael Schwarz and a small group of committed investors, with no private equity, venture capital, or strategic acquirer backing disclosed. Revenue, funding totals, and ownership structure beyond the small investor group are not publicly disclosed. The company has received product innovation recognition including back-to-back Mindful Awards (2024 for sour cream, 2025 for ricotta) and operates with a 11-50 employee headcount band.

Name

Treeline Treenut Cheese

Legal name

The Gardener Cheese Company, Inc.

Website

https://treelinecheese.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Treeline Cheesemakers produces vegan cashew-based cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta, mozzarella, and dips in a dedicated dairy-free facility in Kingston, NY, distributed through ~3,000 US retail stores and DTC e-commerce to health-conscious, vegan, and lactose-intolerant consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant-Based Cheese Analogues Processing (Slices, Shreds, Blocks, Meltables) (AFAHAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cheese (Natural & Processed) (CRADACAC), Plant-Based Dairy-Alternative Ingredients & Bases Manufacturing (Emulsions, Fat Systems, Protein/Starch Bases for B2B) (AFAHAJAI), Plant-Based & Alternative Dairy Cultures (Vegan Yogurt/Cheese, Fermented Plant Beverages) (AFAJAJAG)

Keywords

• Vegan cheese
• Dairy-free cheese
• Cashew cheese
• Plant-based dairy
• Cultured nut cheese

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Treeline sells products directly to consumers through their Shopify-powered e-commerce website. Orders are shipped with eco-friendly insulation and cold packs to maintain freshness. Minimum 4 items per order.
2. Wholesale to Retailers: Treeline distributes to major retailers nationwide including Whole Foods, Sprouts, Wegmans, and others through distributors like UNFI and KeHE. Products available in approximately 3,000 stores.
3. Wholesale to Food Service: Treeline offers wholesale and bulk purchasing options for food service businesses including restaurants and caterers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Treeline Cheesemakers produces and sells a full line of vegan, cashew-based non-dairy cheese and dairy alternative products. The catalog includes soft French-style spreads, goat-style cheeses, aged artisanal cheese wheels, cream cheese, sour cream, ricotta, mozzarella, cottage cheese, and dairy-free dips. Products are made from premium cashews cultured with probiotics using traditional fermentation, with no palm or coconut oil added.

Product overview

Treeline Cheesemakers is a vegan cheese company offering a comprehensive portfolio of non-dairy cashew-based cheese products. The core product line consists of Soft Cheeses (French-Style spreads in Herb Garlic, Scallion, and Caramelized Onion varieties, plus Pimento Cheese), Goat-Style Cheeses (Original, Garlic & Basil, and Blueberry flavors), Aged Artisanal Cheese Wheels (Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, Classic, and Cracked Pepper), Cream Cheeses (Plain and Chive & Onion, including Snack Packs), Sour Cream, Cottage Cheese, Ricotta, and Mozzarella. The company also curates a Vegan Charcuterie collection featuring complementary products including vegan salamis (Renegade Salami, Fig Salami), condiments (Fig Jam, Apple Chutney, Cranberry Mustard), olives, grilled artichokes, vegan jerky, pesto, maple syrup, flatbreads, and crackers. The product line is unified by a commitment to cultured cashew-base with probiotics, no palm or coconut oil, and non-GMO ingredients. All products are 100% vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, lactose-free, and kosher parve.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Herb Garlic French-Style Cashew Cheese
• Creamy Scallion French-Style Cashew Cheese
• Caramelized Onion French-Style Cashew Cheese
• Non-Dairy Cashew Pimento Cheese
• Original Vegan Goat-Style Cashew Cheese
• Garlic & Basil Vegan Goat-Style Cashew Cheese
• Blueberry Vegan Goat-Style Cashew Cheese
• Cheddar Aged Artisanal Cashew Cheese
• Smoked Gouda Aged Artisanal Cashew Cheese
• Classic Aged Artisanal Cashew Cheese
• Cracked Pepper Aged Artisanal Cashew Cheese
• Plain Non-Dairy Cashew Cream Cheese
• Chive & Onion Non-Dairy Cashew Cream Cheese
• Non-Dairy Cashew Sour Cream
• Non-Dairy Cashew Cottage Cheese
• Non-Dairy Cashew Ricotta
• Non-Dairy Cashew Mozzarella Block
• Sour Cream & Onion Dairy-Free Dip
• Tzatziki Dairy-Free Dip
• Ranch Dairy-Free Dip
• Blue Cheese Dairy-Free Dip
• Curated Vegan Charcuterie Collection

Quantifiable outcome

• Highest rate of repeat customers amongst all plant-based cheeses
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNFIcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUNFI is one of Treeline's distribution partners for getting products to retail stores nationwide.
• KeHE DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKeHE is a major natural and organic food distributor serving as one of Treeline's distribution partners.
• SeacrestminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distribution partner for Treeline products.
• Four SeasonsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distribution partner for Treeline products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kite Hill: Plant-based cheese and dairy brand (almond-based originally, expanded) selling soft cheeses, aged wheels, cream cheese, and ricotta into natural and mainstream retailers. Comparable premium positioning and product line overlap with Treeline's aged and soft cheese categories.
• Violife (Upfield): Plant-based cheese brand owned by Upfield, offering slices, shreds, blocks, and cream cheese across major US grocery retailers. Directly competes for the same shelf space and dairy occasions as Treeline, with a broader multi-format product range.
• Follow Your Heart: Long-established plant-based dairy brand offering vegan cheese slices, shreds, cream cheese, and dressings. Comparable on product portfolio breadth, natural foods channel distribution, and dairy-alternative positioning.
• Daiya Foods: Plant-based cheese specialist (owned by Otsuka) offering shreds, slices, blocks, cream cheese, and cheezecake. Direct competitor across mainstream grocery and foodservice channels with particular strength in meltable formats that complement Treeline's aged offerings.
• Parmela Creamery: Small-batch cashew-based vegan cheese brand offering aged and soft styles into natural retailers. Highly comparable on cashew culturing technology, premium positioning, and direct overlap with Treeline's aged wheel category.
• Miyoko's Creamery: Direct competitor producing cultured plant-based cheeses and butter from cashews and other nuts, sold in natural and mainstream grocery channels. Highly comparable on technology (culturing), product form factor (aged wheels, soft, cream cheese), and premium positioning.

Emerging players

• Forager Project: Plant-based dairy brand offering cashew yogurt, cheese, and milk with focus on clean-label ingredients. Overlaps with Treeline on cashew-based formulation philosophy and natural foods channel, though with a broader dairy-alternative portfolio beyond cheese.
• Renegade Foods: Plant-based cured meats brand whose vegan salami is sold through Treeline's curated charcuterie collection. Represents an emerging plant-based charcuterie peer and a partner co-distributed via Treeline's site.

Broad incumbents

• Bel Brands (The Laughing Cow / Babybel plant-based): Major dairy/cheese incumbent expanding into plant-based formats (e.g., The Laughing Cow Plant Based). Represents the kind of large CPG entrant that increasingly competes for plant-based cheese shelf space alongside Treeline.
• So Delicious Dairy Free (Danone): Plant-based dairy brand owned by Danone offering yogurt, creamers, and frozen desserts across mainstream grocery. Competes for the same plant-based shopper and natural foods shelf sets, with a much larger CPG parent backing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/treelinecheese
• Instagraminstagram.com/treeline_cheese
• Xx.com/RealVeganCheese

Compliance2 records

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 Treeline Treenut Cheese