Prosperity Organic Foods, the private company behind vegan butter brand Melt Organic, has announced its acquisition of dairy alternatives brand Miyoko’s Creamery.

Prosperity Organic Foods, based in Idaho, US, is a plant-based food group aiming to advance the plant-based dairy industry through providing organic, clean label products designed to deliver on performance and taste.

Following the closing of the deal, the financial terms of which were not disclosed, Prosperity said it will continue to honour Miyoko’s Creamery's ‘brand roots and community,’ as well as its standards of quality, taste and sustainability.

Scott Fischer, CEO of Prosperity Organic Foods, commented: “We are excited to have the opportunity to grow the Miyoko's brand as it aligns perfectly with our mission to provide consumers with delicious, sustainable and functional plant-based food options that embody innovation and high-quality craft”.

Miyoko’s Creamery was founded in 2014 in California, US, and produces a range of artisan vegan cheese, butter and cream products.

The company was founded by Miyoko Schinner, who recently put forward an unsuccessful bid to take back ownership of the brand after learning it was up for sale following initiation of an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors (ABC) process.

Founder Schinner previously served as CEO at Miyoko’s Creamery and was removed from the business in 2022 amid a dispute with the company’s board. The company filed a lawsuit accusing Schinner of stealing confidential information, following which Schinner filed a countersuit alleging she had been forced out after filing HR complaints about male executives who “openly denigrated women”.

The dispute was settled in 2023, with Schinner and the company confirming the legal claims against each other had been withdrawn and that they wished each other well.

Following the ABC process, made public earlier this month, Schinner had announced her intention to bid for ownership and shared a crowdfunding page on LinkedIn to help her support the costs.

However, she revealed last week that she had been unsuccessful and that the company “went to someone with a higher bid,” though this bidder was unidentified at the time. Schinner said she had begun initiating the refund process with crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to refund donors.

Yesterday, she shared a post on social media platform Instagram, appearing to show a dispute via text with a bidder – who she referred to as “the CEO of a vegan butter brand,” but did not name – in which the bidder asked Schinner to become a brand ambassador. The texts shown to be from the bidder refer to Schinner as “cagey” and a “failed businessperson,” adding: “You don’t belong with our team”.

In her Instagram post, Schinner wrote: “I’m not going to be a brand ambassador for the brand I started without control or a voice in the direction of the brand and quality of products… I’ll add that I have worked with some absolutely wonderful, supportive men, but the more successful I became, the more creepy characters appeared. I sure hope his wasn’t the winning bid.”

Schinner has spoken openly on LinkedIn about how she wants no association with the brand under new ownership.

“Whoever owns the trademark ‘Miyoko's’ cannot infer association with me in any way. I will continue to repeat this,” she stated this week.