The Farmer Companies raises $17M Series A, hires ex-Dot's Pretzels CEO
What's the deal? The Farmer Companies has closed a $17 million Series A led by Riff VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with AJAX Capital PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Raffles Venture PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → participating, and named former Dot's Pretzels chief executive Randy Johnson as CEO. Johnson succeeds founder Adam Farmer, who becomes chairman.
What does the company do? Founded in 2021, the Burlington, Vermont-based company builds premium cheese snacking brands. Its portfolio includes WHISPSDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the 100% cheese crisp brand, and an exclusive licensing deal with Cabot CreameryDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to make Cabot Creamery Popcorn.
Where does the money go? Proceeds will fund manufacturing partnerships, national distribution, and strategic acquisitions as the company pursues its goal of becoming North America's leading cheese snacking business.
Why the hire? Johnson previously grew Dot's Pretzels from $19 million to $250 million in annual sales in three years before HersheyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → acquired it in 2021 for $1.2 billion. His arrival lets Farmer focus on sourcing brands and flavours while Johnson drives scale.
Why now? The leadership change follows the July 2026 Series A close and the buildout of the WHISPS and Cabot brands. Cabot Creamery Popcorn is the fastest-growing popcorn brand in US food among the top 13 tracked by NielsenIQ.
"Adam has already proven this category has room to grow," Johnson said. "My job is to help it scale."
The signal: Pairing fresh capital with an operator who has run this playbook before signals The Farmer Companies is aiming for the same acquire-and-scale trajectory that turned Dot's Pretzels into a nine-figure exit — this time in cheese snacking.
Read more: StreetInsider
