What Happened To Just The Cheese After Shark Tank?

For Wisconsinite David Scharfman, a love of all things cheese came naturally. Born into a family of cheesemakers, Scharfman knew early on that a career in the cheese industry was his destiny. As a teenager, he worked in his father's cheesemaking factory, but he still dreamed of doing something bigger. After a few failed attempts at taking Wisconsin cheese overseas, Scharfman appeared on Season 11, Episode 19 of "Shark Tank" in 2020. When he walked into the Tank wearing a heavily cheese-inspired hat and necktie (complete with holes), he was ready to pitch his signature product to the Sharks: baked cheese snack bars made with just one ingredient — cheese.

While his father saw success with a similar product at the height of the Atkins diet craze (read this before you try it), the bars fell out of favor when the fad lost steam. Scharfman's product, Just the Cheese, intended to capitalize on the keto diet that started sweeping the nation in 2020 (just don't believe these keto myths). Scharfman offered his keto-friendly treats in three flavors: aged cheddar, grilled cheese, and jalapeño cheese. Standing before the Sharks, he claimed that Just the Cheese raked in $3.5 million in its first year of business. Impressed with the product and its popularity, the investors threw multiple offers at Scharfman, but he declined them all and walked away without a deal.

On his episode of "Shark Tank," Just the Cheese founder David Scharfman requested $500,000 for a 5% stake in his company, which he claimed had already raked in $3.7 million in sales in the first eight months of that year. Most of the Sharks seemed to enjoy both the product and Scharfman's pitch in equal measure. Lori Greiner even confessed to having previously purchased the cheese snack bars from Amazon. Still, the investors had their reservations. A couple of the Sharks pointed out that similar products were already on the market, but Scharfman insisted that Just the Cheese was doing it better.

Unconvinced, all of the Sharks initially declined to make an offer except Kevin O'Leary, who offered $500,000 for a $0.20 royalty per bar sold, forever. Greiner jumped back into the Tank to offer $500,000 for a $0.15 royalty, and Mark Cuban returned to offer $500,000 for a 15% stake. Ultimately, Scharfman walked away from all three.

It's unusual for a "Shark Tank" entrepreneur to receive three deal offers from the Sharks — and even more unusual for the entrepreneur to walk away from all of them. However, David Scharfman knew what was best for his business, and his presence in the grocery world continued, despite the fact that he didn't land a deal in the Tank. During his appearance on the show, Scharfman claimed that his products could be found in 700 stores, as well as 1,300 7-Eleven locations. According to some estimates, Just the Cheese could be purchased in over 2,500 supermarkets and grocery stores across the nation by 2023, including Wegmans, Publix, Target, and Walmart, as well as on Amazon. In fact, while Scharfman told the Sharks that Just the Cheese was ranked in the mid 300s on Amazon Grocery's best-seller list in 2020, it holds the number-two spot on Amazon's list of best-selling cheese products today.

According to Shark Tank Blog's 2022 update, the company comfortably earns around $4 million in total revenue each year, though Mashed could not independently verify that number. Given Just the Cheese's sales before Scharfman's "Shark Tank" appearance, however, $4 million doesn't seem too outlandish.

Today, the cheesy Wisconsin brand very much still exists, and it has some fans. As of this writing, Just the Cheese has over 8,000 Instagram followers, as well as 3,500 Facebook followers and 3,400 Facebook likes, though the brand's online presence has decreased in recent years. According to the Just the Cheese website, the brand has been featured in media outlets such as Food Network, BuzzFeed, Today, and The New York Times. Additionally, its products were approved by the website Snack Safely in 2020, meaning they're free of major allergens and are safe to consume in schools.

With its presence on Amazon and in the media, there's no denying that Just the Cheese is practically a household name. While the brand's website suggests that David Scharfman and his wife Connie still run the company, a press release reports that in late 2022, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. purchased all of the company's assets from Specialty Cheese Co. Inc. As of 2023, Just the Cheese's estimated net worth is $10 million, and it brings in an estimated $4 million annually.

Although it appears that David Scharfman sold Just the Cheese in 2022, he and his parents are still selling Wisconsin-made cheese, though not quite the varieties you might expect. While cheddar was Just the Cheese's bread and butter, Scharfman and his father Paul co-own Specialty Cheese Company, Inc., which focuses on making internationally inspired cheese for minority consumers in the U.S. We're talking paneer, hailing from India; Hispanic cheeses like queso blanco, cojita, and asadero; and Middle Eastern cheeses like ackawi, kenafa, and sweet cheese.

While Scharfman started working at Specialty Cheese Company full-time as the vice president of growth in 2022, his parents have run the company since 1991. At some point along the way, his father recognized the growing demand for international cheeses here in the States and got to work. Between 2018 and 2024, the company's revenue skyrocketed from a not-so-modest $35 million to $90 million. David Scharfman may not have been able to get Wisconsin cheese to take off abroad (fun fact: Wisconsin is the only state that produces Limburger cheese), but in a sort of full-circle moment, he has found massive success making international cheeses with his family.