What New School American Cheese does

New School American Cheese is a privately held Los Angeles-based food company founded in 2019 by Alan Leavitt (CEO) and Chef Eric Greenspan (Head of Culinary) that produces premium American cheese in loaf, sliced, and shredded formats. The core product is positioned as a clean-label alternative to ultra-processed American cheese, built on a formula of seven to eight simple ingredients — aged cheddar, real cream, butter, water, sodium citrate, salt, paprika, and turmeric — developed over five years of process R&D. The company sells three core cheese SKUs (5LB loaf cases of six, 15OZ sliced cases of sixteen, and 4x5LB shredded cases) targeted at professional kitchens seeking better melt and flavor.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model combining wholesale foodservice distribution with direct-to-consumer e-commerce. National reach is achieved through distribution partnerships with Sysco, US Foods, GFI (Gordon Food Service), Heritage Foods, and Baldor Specialty Foods, putting the product on menus at restaurants such as Hattie B's, The Benjamin, Tanner's Prime Burgers, Daybird, and Ggiata. The DTC channel is operated through a Shopify storefront at eatnewschool.com, which also carries branded apparel (t-shirts at $35, trucker caps and fisherman beanies at $30) manufactured on a made-to-order basis.

The company is bootstrapped with no reported external funding, employs 1-10 people, and relies on earned media (Eater, Food & Wine), social channels (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn), and the founder's culinary credentials (Iron Chef America winner, James Beard finalist) as primary demand-generation assets. Operating geographies are limited to the United States.

Name

New School American Cheese

Legal name

New School American Cheese

Website

https://eatnewschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New School American Cheese produces clean-label American cheese (loaves, slices, shreds) from aged cheddar for foodservice restaurants and home cooks, sold wholesale through Sysco and US Foods nationwide and direct via its Shopify e-commerce site.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cheese Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer and wholesale sales of American cheese products including loaves, sliced cheese, and shredded cheese in various pack sizes for home and professional use.
2. Merchandise/Apparel Sales: Branded merchandise including t-shirts, trucker caps, and fisherman beanies sold through e-commerce at $30-$35 price points. Made-to-order products to reduce overproduction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

New School American Cheese manufactures and sells premium American cheese in three formats — 5LB loaves (case of 6), 15OZ sliced packs of 20 slices (case of 16), and 4x5LB shredded packs — made with aged cheddar, real cream, real butter, and a short list of recognizable ingredients. The company sells these products wholesale to restaurants through major foodservice distributors (Sysco, US Foods, GFI, Heritage Foods, Baldor) and direct to home cooks via its e-commerce store, alongside branded apparel merchandise.

Product overview

New School American Cheese is a food products company offering a portfolio of premium American cheese products and branded merchandise. The core product line consists of three cheese formats (loaf, sliced, shredded) made with simple, recognizable ingredients (aged cheddar, cream, butter, salt) positioned as a higher-quality alternative to conventional American cheese. The company also sells apparel merchandise including t-shirts and headwear featuring the New School brand. The cheese products are sold through wholesale/foodservice channels nationwide and through the e-commerce store for retail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• American Cheese Loaf (Wholesale) Premium American cheese sold in bulk 5LB loaves for wholesale/restaurant use. Case contains 6 x 5LB loaves. Made with aged cheddar, real cream, butter, and simple ingredients.
• Sliced American Cheese Pre-sliced American cheese, 20 slices per 15OZ pack, case of 16 packs. Designed for foodservice and retail use.
• Shredded American Cheese Shredded American cheese format, case contains 4 x 5LB packs. Ideal for foodservice operators.
• American Cheese: Unisex T-Shirt Gold-colored unisex t-shirt with New School branding. 100% combed and ring-spun cotton, 4.2 oz/yd² fabric weight, sized XS-5XL.
• Make It New School: Unisex T-Shirt Black unisex t-shirt with 'Make It New School' branding. 100% combed and ring-spun cotton, pre-shrunk fabric, side-seamed construction.
• Melty/Cheese Freak: Unisex T-Shirt White unisex t-shirt with 'Melty/Cheese Freak' branding. 100% combed and ring-spun cotton.
• New School: Trucker Cap Black six-panel trucker cap with mesh back. 60% cotton, 40% polyester, mid-profile, Permacurv visor, plastic adjustable closure.
• New School: White Trucker Cap White six-panel trucker cap with mesh back. Same 60% cotton, 40% polyester specification as the black variant.
• New School Flag: Fisherman Beanie Gold fisherman-style beanie with thick ribbed knit. 100% acrylic, one size fits most.

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SyscocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational foodservice distributor partnership making New School American Cheese available to restaurant customers nationwide through Sysco's distribution network.
• US FoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational foodservice distributor partnership providing access to US Foods' restaurant customer base across the United States.
• GFI (Gordon Food Service)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoodservice distributor partnership offering New School products to restaurants and foodservice operators.
• Heritage FoodsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoodservice distributor carrying New School American Cheese for restaurant customers.
• Baldor Specialty FoodsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialty foods distributor providing access to New York area restaurants and foodservice operators.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cabot Creamery: Farmer-owned Vermont dairy cooperative producing premium cheddar, sliced cheese, and other dairy products for retail and foodservice. Directly comparable as a clean-ingredient, chef-friendly cheese brand with national distribution.
• Beecher's Handmade Cheese: Chef-founded premium cheese brand (Flagship, Marco Polo) sold through retail, mail order, and select foodservice. Closely comparable as a chef-led, premium American-style cheese brand with a clean-ingredient positioning.
• Sargento: Leading U.S. packaged sliced and shredded natural cheese brand sold through grocery and foodservice. Directly comparable as a major branded cheese maker competing in sliced/shredded formats where New School also plays.

Broad incumbents

• Tillamook: Farmer-owned dairy cooperative known for premium cheese, ice cream, and yogurt with strong national retail and foodservice presence. Comparable as a clean-label, premium-positioned U.S. dairy brand built on real ingredients and broad distribution.
• Boar's Head: Established premium deli meat and cheese brand with broad foodservice and retail distribution across the U.S. Comparable as a broader premium cheese incumbent that competes for the same foodservice specification slots as New School.
• Kerrygold: Premium Irish dairy brand (butter, cheese) sold widely in U.S. specialty and grocery channels with a clean-label, grass-fed positioning. Comparable as a clean-label premium dairy brand riding similar consumer trends to New School.
• Organic Valley: Farmer-owned cooperative producing organic, clean-label dairy products including cheese across U.S. retail and foodservice. Comparable as a clean-label premium dairy cooperative with comparable distribution depth.
• Lactalis (Président, Galbani): World's largest dairy company, with Président and Galbani as major U.S.-relevant cheese brands spanning retail and foodservice. Comparable as a broad dairy incumbent and likely strategic acquirer of premium cheese brands.
• Kraft Heinz (Kraft Singles): Owner of Kraft Singles, the dominant processed American cheese brand with ubiquitous retail and foodservice distribution. Comparable as the category incumbent New School directly positions against on the clean-label axis.

Emerging players

• Jasper Hill Farm: Independent Vermont creamery producing premium aged and specialty cheeses with strong chef following. Comparable as a small, chef-driven premium American cheese maker, though operating at higher price points.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eatnewschool
• Instagraminstagram.com/eatnewschool
• TikToktiktok.com/@eatnewschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 New School American Cheese