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Local vegan cheese business featured on 'Shark Tank'

Rebel Cheese is open every day and ships anywhere in the U.S.

AUSTIN, Texas — A local business is raking in the cheddar after making its big debut on ABC's "Shark Tank" Friday night.

Rebel Cheese, located off Aldrich Street in the Mueller development, opened in 2019. It offers vegan cheeseboards, sandwiches and wines and carries homemade and export cheeses.

The owners say whether they're vegan or not, a lot of people have some sort of sensitivity to dairy.

"We went plant-based ourselves a decade ago, and we couldn't find the cheese that we loved. So we started experimenting at home and realized you can make good vegan cheese. It just takes several weeks," owner Fred Zwar said. "So we offer about 22 different varieties of cheese. We kind of started with our big powerhouse of brie, and then that kind of took us under our sandwich cheeses."

Rebel Cheese is open every day and ships anywhere in the U.S. The business has garnered a lot of success, but its owners are looking forward to a financial boost after their "Shark Tank" appearance.

Owners Zwar and Kirsten Maitland made a pitch to the sharks, and Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner agreed to back the business. As part of the deal, Cuban may be making a trip to Austin.

"I'll go to a grocery store in Austin and hand out samples," Cuban said.

The business held a watch party at Fast Friends Beer Company off Slaughter Lane on Friday night. You can now buy a special "Shark Tank" cheese box featuring all of the cheeses Rebel had the judges taste on the show.

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