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Welcome to Fi$H Factor, where multi-generational grit meets visionary hustle. In this episode, Michael Ungaro sits down with Kirsten Maitland, co-founder of Rebel Cheese, the Austin-based company reinventing artisan cheese without dairy. What started as a deeply personal decision to give up cheese overnight turned into a fast-growing brand producing aged, plant-based cheeses designed to rival traditional favorites.

To building a production facility, surviving a total product loss in their aging cave, landing a feature in The New York Times, and striking a deal on Shark Tank, Kirsten shares the rollercoaster of building a mission-driven food company from the ground up.

In this episode, you will learn about:

- Why a personal health decision led Kirsten and her husband to launch Rebel Cheese

- How experimenting with cultured cashews at home evolved into a full artisan cheese operation

- The devastating mold incident that wiped out their entire cave and what it taught them about resilience

- How a New York Times feature and Shark Tank appearance created massive demand and hard lessons in scaling

- Why a clear “why” is essential to surviving the tight margins and emotional rollercoaster of the food business

Find Rebel Cheese Online

- Website: https://rebelcheese.com

- Shop Online: https://rebelcheese.com/collections/all

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebelcheese

- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebelcheese

- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rebelcheese