In November 2021, Prairie Capital VII, LP partnered with industry executives Tyler Hawes and Eric Vorchheimer, alongside co-founders Michele Buster and Pierluigi Sini, to recapitalize Forever Cheese (the “Company”). Headquartered in Long Island City, NY, Forever Cheese is an importer and distributor of specialty foods including cheeses, nuts, cured meats and other gourmet products to retail and foodservice customers across the U.S. The Company sources products from over 120 niche food producers with whom the Company has built relationships over two decades. Forever Cheese has established a complex temperature-controlled supply chain, enabling the Company to import a unique assortment of gourmet products from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Croatia. Its portfolio of products includes products under its flagship Mitica® brand, which includes Drunken Goat®, Manchego, Fig and Date Cakes, and Mostardas from Mantova. The Company has built a best-in-class reputation for importing the highest quality products and has multiple avenues for future growth.
Forever Cheese operates within the broader $6 billion European imported “charcuterie board” market that includes cheese, crackers, chocolates, cured meats, honey and nuts. Forever Cheese focuses on the rapidly growing specialty premium cheese market which is outpacing the broader market. Several market tailwinds support ongoing volume growth, including growing category awareness, expanding retail shelf space among premium and upscale retailers and increasing demand for finer and specialty foods.
The shared objective is to continue the Company’s growth trajectory through company-building investments in human capital, sales and marketing, technology and add-on acquisitions.
