Make it Pennsylvania Dutch and make it sexy

My interview with Smearcase founder Joe Rotondo

If you’re toeing the line between food, body, and innuendo in your branding, you’re halfway to viral.

Don’t believe me? Here are Popup Grocer’s top viewed brands —

Smearcase is ice cream made from cottage cheese, and what’s cool about the name is that it sounds a little naughty but you don’t know why.

“Smearcase” is not making a sex joke. It feels messy and punk, yet has a legit cultural reference (from the German word “schmierkäse” for spreadable cheese). That tension is what makes a great name. It’s sneaky sexy.

And if you think cottage cheese is Granny, think again. Thanks to Good Culture and TikTok, cottage cheese isn’t granny anymore.

I caught up with Smearcase founder Joe Rotondo to chat about cottage cheese as an ingredient, and breaking the boundaries of what is ice cream.

This is a young brand that just started selling last year. We talked trend vs fad and if cottage cheese is enough of an ingredient flywheel to carry the brand. Joe wants to do for cottage cheese what others have done for greek yogurt, like Yasso in frozen. It’s FroCo. It’s its own thing. It’s protein ice cream that actually tastes good.

Hello new users. This is Joe, your new protein dealer.

We talked the complexities of producing something no one has ever made before, sourcing and manufacturing — which are both moving to California — and being a winner at the California Milk Advisory Board pitch competition. We discussed the lack of cottage cheese manufacturing capacity (cottage cheese sales grew >12% last yr) and the value of co-man relationships.

Smearcase is currently raising a seed round. For more info, reach out to Joe. You can find Smearcase at a number of east coast retailers, including Whole Foods Northeast and Sprouts Southeast.

This is one I’ll be keeping my eye on.

All my best,

Jennifer