Drew Anderson

• Cleveland Kraut grows, Cavs George Hill, minority stakeholder June 2018
• Acquires $1 million in financing from Clover Capital Partners October 2017
• Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 List in January 2017

The Cleveland Cavaliers George Hill becomes a minority stakeholder in Cleveland Kraut

Drew Anderson and the Cleveland Kraut team have grown their products' store presence by 400% and now sell in 20 states and online. Michael Symon of Iron Chef America uses Cleveland Kraut and Cleveland Kraut was recently accepted into the Kraft Heinz Springboard Accelerator. The company will move into a new 16,000 foot Cleveland Food Hub Facility before the end of 2018.

With fewer than 10 investors in the company, Drew Anderson says: "We're in a fantastic spot. We're growing incredibly quick. The latest round of capital really helped us out."

Those new investors include George Hill of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Drew and his team first met Hill through his agent Matt Ward during a charity event when Hill played for the Jazz in 2016. The Cleveland Kraut executives were serving their sauerkraut on sausages grilled at the Park City, Utah event and later found out that Hill was a big fan, loved their product and taste-tested seven flavors.

After spending more time with the Cleveland Kraut team, Hill loved their vision, trusted their business plan and decided to invest. "It's something I like doing and something that I invested in and believed in," said Hill. "And it's going well. Everyone who's tried it, their first bite, they're always like, 'This is totally different than regular sauerkraut. It's fresh, it's crunchy, it's flavorful.'"

Said Drew Anderson: "He's family-oriented like us. He has a sense of humor like us. We get along very easily."

Read the June 8th article here.

Cleveland Kraut acquires $1 million in financing from Clover Capital Partners. CEO, Co-founder and Monte Ahuja College of Business Alumnus Drew Anderson.

Drew Anderson, co-founder and Monte Ahuja College of Business alumnus' company, Cleveland Kraut has acquired $1 million in a Seed II investment from Clover Capital Partners. With operations currently at 4700 Lakeside Avenue, the company's production is limited due to space. The company plans to add a 15,000 square foot facility with significant production as well as sales and marketing jobs as part of the planned expansion.

Quoted by Crain's Cleveland Business, "There's a fast-growing consumer trend and awareness toward fermented foods and probiotics and we're passionate about creating the most authentic and vibrant product on the shelves," said Drew Anderson. "We're excited t have such a strong investment group to help us continue to deliver our premium fermented foods to the people."

Drew also served as a guest speaker in August of 2017, returning to Cleveland State to inspire future entrepreneurs during Entrepreneurship Immersion Week 2017.

Read the October 30th, 2017 Crain's Cleveland Business article here.

Drew Anderson, co-founder of Cleveland Kraut, Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 List in January 2017. Cited for innovation in food and beverage industry.

Drew Anderson grew up working for his mother's farmer's market and enjoying homemade Cleveland sauerkraut, a specialty of the city's Eastern European neighborhoods. As an adult, the CSU business graduate has combined his passion for the food industry and his love of good kraut into a highly successful venture that is earning significant national recognition.

Anderson, the co-founder and president of Northeast Ohio-based gourmet sauerkraut maker Cleveland Kraut, has been named to Forbes Magazine's 2017 30 under 30 list in January 2017. The rankings highlight the top young innovators, entrepreneurs and business executives in the U.S. who will be our next generation of leaders.

Cleveland Kraut was founded in 2013 and launched its retail line in 2015. Focused on producing all natural foods from locally sourced farms, the company currently sells 6 varieties of sauerkraut in 13 states from Illinois to New York. 

"Anderson elevates the humble dish of fermented cabbage by thinking beyond sauerkraut's traditional caraway seasoning - and reaching instead for Indian spices, whiskey, dill and beets," Forbes says in their profile of Anderson.

"We are immensely proud of Drew for his continued leadership and vision to grow our company and bring fermented foods to America's plate," adds Cleveland Kraut co-founder Luke Visnic. "We are honored to be recognized by such an institution as Forbes and hope to continue pushing the envelope and making healthy easy and delicious in 2017."

Anderson, who graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Administration in 2009, has also continued to give back to CSU working with the Monte Ahuja College of Business' student mentoring program to help current students learn more about starting a business, working in the food service industry and what life is like after graduation.

"Drew has given generously of his time and really developed a rapport with his mentees," notes Anne Nelson, assistant dean of undergraduate programs and student services with the Monte Ahuja College of Business. "His experience and talents have been a great benefit to our students and the College as a whole.

"Over the course of my teaching career, thousands of students have come and gone," said Dr. Michael Polomsky, Operations and Supply Chain Management Department. "It was my distinct pleasure to have had Drew in my advanced classes dealing with data analysis, sampling and experimental design and business forecasting."

"Drew's thirst for knowledge was seemingly insatiable," added Polomsky. "Every question I answered, elicited another follow-up question from Drew. Bringing out the best in Drew brought out the best in me as an educator. It comes as no surprise that he has gone on to become an accomplished businessman."

Forbes selected 600 people nationally in 20 categories for the 2017 30 under 30 list. Over 15,000 individuals were nominated for the distinction and less than 4 percent were selected.