“Miyoko and the company wish each other well as they go their separate ways.”

Miyoko’s Creamery and its founder, Miyoko Schinner, have decided to bury the hatchet and resolve their differences. The parties have withdrawn all legal claims against each other.

It all started after Schinner was stripped of her role as the company’s CEO over conflicts surrounding the brand’s mission. The company sued Schinner for breach of contract and misappropriation of company intellectual property, as well as violating trade secret laws and breaching loyalty and a promissory note.

After going through a court-mandated mediation process, it seems both parties have relented.

A statement, published on both their social media channels, reads: “Miyoko’s Creamery and Miyoko Schinner are pleased that they have resolved all legal disputes between them and that they have withdrawn all legal claims made against each other.

“Miyoko’s Creamery acknowledges the tremendous creativity, hard work, and integrity of its founder, Miyoko Schinner, a true pioneer in vegan creamery products, and appreciates her many contributions to the company over the years.

“Miyoko Schinner appreciates the dedicated team of people at Miyoko’s Creamery and their commitment to continuing her legacy through sustained and continued excellence in manufacturing, developing and selling vegan creamery products.

“Miyoko and the company wish each other well as they go their separate ways.”

Schinner and Miyoko’s Creamery

Although Schinner launched Miyoko’s Creamery in 2014, she has been active in the vegan community for decades. During the 1990s, she taught classes on plant-based cooking and launched various cookbooks, restaurants, and smaller vegan brands.

Soon after launching her artisan dairy-free cheese business, the company quickly secured a $1 million seed round and achieved a 300% year-over-year growth by 2016.

Schinner became known as the “Queen of Vegan Cheese” and received recognition from celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, both of whom invested in the brand. Miyoko Creamery was also featured in Forbes’ inaugural 50 Over 50 list.

A new beginning

According to legal experts, settling the dispute out of court was a sensible decision, as prolonged litigation would take a huge toll on both sides and could put Miyoko’s Creamery’s strong brand reputation at risk.

The company has already implemented changes under the new leadership.  It recently unveiled a new look with more minimalist branding and an updated logo.

Yesterday, the company also announced an exciting new partnership with North America’s largest food industry redistributor, Dot Foods.

The distribution partnership will allow Miyoko’s Creamery to deliver the highest quality vegan products, crafted for all culinary and baking applications, to over 5,000 foodservice distributors around the country.

“This is a truly exciting and pivotal moment for our company and our team,” said Rebecca Infusino, chief customer officer of Miyoko’s Creamery.

“As we look to help inspire and build a more compassionate and sustainable food system through crafting high-quality, and nourishing plant-milk products, our goal is to be in every household and on every menu, giving consumers the choices they want. We are excited to be on our way with Dot Foods.” 

Rodd Willis, Dot’s director of natural and specialty added:  “Miyoko’s continues to be an innovator in the plant-based space, and we are excited to make their products more accessible through our network of distributors,” “The Miyoko’s brand is highly sought-after, and we hope that our partnership will support their overall growth moving forward.”

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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