Miyoko Schinner Is Trying To Buy Back Miyoko’s As It Enters Liquidation

Written by The VEGPRENEUR Team

In a dramatic turn for one of the most iconic names in plant-based dairy, Miyoko Schinner, founder of Miyoko’s Creamery, is assembling a team to buy back the brand she created after it entered liquidation earlier this month.

The company, which pioneered artisanal plant-based cheese and butter, filed an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC) on October 6 — a bankruptcy alternative that transfers assets such as trademarks, recipes, and IP to a trustee responsible for selling them to repay creditors. The process is being handled by Resolution Financial Advisors, with bids reportedly due by Friday, November 7. Among other potential bidders is animal-welfare investor Satish Karandikar, though no public statements have been made regarding his involvement.

A Decade of Innovation and Turbulence

Founded in 2014, Miyoko’s became one of the first brands to make vegan cheese aspirational — blending culinary craftsmanship with mission-driven activism. Over the years, the company raised more than $70 million from investors, including GroundForce Capital and Obvious Ventures, expanding from cashew-based cheese wheels into butters, spreads, and shreds stocked in major retailers nationwide. But behind the success, tensions brewed. In 2022, Schinner was removed as CEO following board disputes over the company’s direction. What followed was a high-profile legal battle, with both sides filing suits before eventually reaching a mediated settlement in 2023. Former Coca-Cola executive Stuart Kronauge stepped in as CEO, signaling a shift toward operational efficiency and third-party manufacturing. Yet by late 2025, the once-celebrated company was insolvent, unable to pay its debts in full.

Miyoko’s Next Move: “Doing Things Differently”

Now, Schinner — known for her outspoken advocacy for ethics, transparency, and sustainability — is working to reclaim control. “I’m putting together a team of people to make a bid as I believe I am the best person to be the face of the brand,” she told AgFunderNews. “I don’t want to be CEO again, but I want to ensure the products and principles stay true to their roots,” Schinner says. Her new vision would prioritize quality, nutrition, and values-driven governance over traditional investor-controlled structures. “We’re talking about a company that’s not top down but more lateral — built on mutual support. I want to do things differently.”

Rethinking the Plant-Based Cheese Market

The timing is challenging. According to SPINS data, U.S. retail sales of refrigerated plant-based cheese fell 8.5% to $220 million in the year ending September 7, 2025, while plant-based butter sales declined nearly 15% to $157 million. Despite these headwinds, Schinner remains optimistic. “We can’t chase the mass consumer right now,” she explained. “We have to focus on early adopters who care about clean-label, nutritious, premium products. People aren’t interested in white-washed, middle-of-the-road brands. They want authenticity and purpose.” She also hinted at new technology that would naturally concentrate plant proteins without using isolates — signaling her continued commitment to food innovation.

Why This Matters for the Plant-Based Industry

Miyoko’s story is more than a tale of one brand’s rise and fall — it’s a mirror for the broader plant-based sector, now navigating maturity, market correction, and mission drift. Schinner’s potential comeback underscores a growing industry theme: the need to recenter around values, craftsmanship, and consumer trust rather than rapid scale alone. Her emphasis on clean ingredients, integrity, and niche community building could mark a return to what originally fueled the plant-based movement. For founders and investors alike, the lesson is clear:

Authenticity outlasts hype. Consumers reward brands that lead with transparency and heart.
Smaller can be stronger. Boutique, premium positioning often delivers more loyalty than mass compromise.
Innovation must stay rooted in mission. The next wave of plant-based success will come from brands that balance taste, nutrition, and principle — not just category expansion.

Whether or not Miyoko Schinner succeeds in reclaiming her brand, her renewed vision reminds the industry why she became one of its most beloved figures: a founder who believes plant-based food should nourish both people and principles. As the category faces consolidation and change, the revival of Miyoko’s — if it happens — could become one of the defining comeback stories in conscious CPG.