The company remains laser-focused on its mission of strengthening sustainable organic farming models while producing premium organic dairy products for consumers.
PETALUMA, Calif. (July 17, 2024) – Straus Family Creamery, known for its minimally processed, premium organic dairy products and leadership in sustainable organic farming, today announced that it has secured equity investment from Grounded Capital, a San Francisco-based investment firm focused on deploying capital that supports healthy social, ecological and financial systems. This significant equity investment provides Straus Family Creamery with the necessary capital to grow the business and support its mission of sustaining family farms, revitalizing rural communities, and building a more regenerative food system.
Over the past year, Straus Family Creamery and Grounded Capital have collaborated to navigate a transition in leadership. In January 2024, Mike Scheu was appointed President of Straus Family Creamery, succeeding Bob McGee, who retired after serving 13 years with the company. Albert Straus serves as Executive Chairman. As a result of that successful transition and with the new equity investment, Grounded Capital’s CEO Stephen Hohenrieder and Principal William Culler-Chase will join Straus Family Creamery’s Board of Directors.
“We’re excited to partner with Grounded Capital, who believe in our mission and care deeply about the future of our farming and food system,” said Albert Straus, founder of Straus Family Creamery. “This investment will help us advance our carbon-neutral farming model, creating resilience in organic dairy farming operations, and a sustainable pathway for the next generation of farmers supplying Straus Family Creamery.”
“This is a pivotal moment for Straus Family Creamery, “said Mike Scheu, President. “We’ve built a strong and collaborative team, we are well capitalized, and the business is experiencing consistent growth. I deeply appreciate the collaboration and partnership with Grounded Capital and look forward to working together in service of our mission and pursuing growth opportunities in the marketplace.”
“Working with Albert and the team has provided an opportunity to observe how important Straus Family Creamery is to the future of organic dairy farming,” said Stephen Hohenrieder, founder and CEO of Grounded Capital. “We’re honored to support Albert’s long-term vision and the company’s mission, and we’re excited about the potential to offer the company’s products in new stores and geographic regions over the next several years.”
Aspect Consumer Partners acted as the exclusive investment banking representative to Straus Family Creamery.
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About Straus Family Creamery
Based in Petaluma, CA, Straus Family Creamery is a Northern California-certified organic creamery that crafts premium products with high-quality organic milk and ingredients. Focusing on minimal processing for superior taste and nutritional integrity, Straus Family Creamery offers milk, cream, kefir, yogurt, ice cream, butter, sour cream, and a variety of wholesale and specialty dairy products sold in the Western United States. Its organic yogurt, butter, and ice cream are available across expanded regions of the country.
Straus organic dairy products are made with organic milk supplied by family farms in Marin and Sonoma Counties, including the Straus Dairy Farm, the first certified organic dairy farm west of the Mississippi River. Straus Family Creamery, the first 100 percent certified organic creamery in the United States when it launched in 1994, continues to make business decisions based on its mission. For more than 30 years, Straus Family Creamery has been blazing a trail to forge the transformation of the farming and food system and to create a replicable model while remaining focused on the heart of organic farming. Organic farming is, and always has been, regenerative.
Straus Family Creamery was founded by Albert Straus, a second-generation dairy farmer and climate action pioneer whose Straus Dairy Farm is currently on track to implement a carbon-neutral organic dairy farming model, believed to be the first of its kind. Straus Family Creamery is collaborating and innovating with its supplying dairy farms to reach carbon neutrality by 2030. The family-owned business collaborates with and advocates for local organic dairy farmers; the farms utilize 100 percent organic practices which regenerate soil through carbon farming.
Learn more about the Straus difference at StrausFamilyCreamery.com.
About Grounded Capital
Grounded Capital takes a systems-based and holistic approach to responsibly grow capital through its investment framework, which considers five areas of focus: Places, Energy, People, Food, and Nature. As an SEC-registered investment adviser with approximately $2 billion in assets under management, Grounded Capital develops strategies to pursue ideas and solve problems through direct investments in operating companies, agriculture, forests, and real estate.
About Aspect Consumer Partners
Aspect Consumer Partners is a consumer-focused advisory firm with a rich history of working with leading companies and brands across a number of food, beverage and consumer products categories. Aspect Consumer Partners acted as exclusive investment banking representative to Straus Family Creamery.
Media Contacts:
Straus Family Creamery
Meryl Marr, VP Marketing
media@strausmilk.com
Grounded Capital
media@groundedcapital.com
