Joseph Gallo Farms

What Joseph Gallo Farms does

Joseph Gallo Farms, doing business as Joseph Farms, is a privately held dairy company founded in 1946 and headquartered in Atwater, California. The company produces California natural cheese from pasteurized, artificial hormone-free cow's milk, offering a portfolio that spans four retail formats — Chunk, Pasta Filata, Shred, and String — alongside bulk food service SKUs, most commonly 40-pound blocks with custom cuts and sizes available for business customers. The company operates a sales-led, B2B go-to-market serving private label, regional, and national brand cheese packagers as well as food service operators throughout the United States, with a secondary Joseph Farms retail brand emphasizing "no artificial hormones," lactose-free options, and environmental responsibility.

Core production is conventional natural cheese manufacturing, supported by documented expertise across multiple cheese formats, sustainability and quality certifications, and multiple industry cheese awards. The company owns and operates its own farm in California, providing vertical integration between milk supply and cheese production. An associated entity, Gallo Global Nutrition (galloprotein.com), indicates adjacency beyond cheese into dairy protein or whey-based nutritional ingredients. The company has no disclosed institutional or private equity ownership; it is founder-led under the Joseph E. Gallo family.

Revenue is generated primarily through B2B bulk cheese sales into food service and private label / branded packager channels, supplemented by retail consumer product sales under the Joseph Farms brand. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and operates on a negotiated B2B basis rather than published list pricing. Geographic reach is national within the United States, with no disclosed international operations. A $4.4M California Energy Commission grant in September 2024 signals capital deployment toward energy or sustainability infrastructure, and selection as a finalist in the 2026 Real California Milk Excelerator competition points to active new product development in dairy.

Name

Joseph Gallo Farms

Legal name

Joseph Gallo Farms

Website

https://josephfarms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Joseph Gallo Farms, founded 1946 and headquartered in Atwater, California, is a privately held dairy company that produces natural cheese from pasteurized, hormone-free cow's milk. It sells bulk and retail cheese formats to private label packagers, food service operators, and consumers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Cheese Manufacturing

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pasta Filata Cheese Manufacturing (Mozzarella, Provolone, String Cheese) (AFAHABAC)

Keywords

• Natural cheese production
• Food service cheese
• Private label dairy
• Bulk cheese supply
• Artificial hormone-free cheese

Headquarters

HQ city

Atwater

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. B2B Food Service Cheese Sales: Joseph Farms serves business-to-business customers throughout the United States, selling cheese to private label, regional and national brand cheese packagers for food service and ingredient use. Revenue is generated through bulk cheese product sales in formats like 40-pound blocks and custom cuts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Joseph Gallo Farms (d/b/a Joseph Farms) produces California natural cheese from pasteurized, artificial hormone-free cow's milk. The company primarily serves business-to-business customers throughout the United States, supplying bulk cheese in 40-pound blocks and custom cuts to private label, regional, and national brand cheese packagers for food service and ingredient use. It also offers retail cheese varieties including Chunk, Pasta Filata, Shred, and String formats, with lactose-free options available.

Product overview

Joseph Gallo Farms produces California natural cheese from pasteurized, artificial hormone-free cow's milk. The product portfolio includes retail varieties (Chunk, Pasta Filata, Shred, String) and food service bulk products (40-pound blocks and custom cuts). The company emphasizes no artificial hormones and lactose-free options. The company was also named as a finalist in the 2026 Real California Milk Excelerator competition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Service Bulk Cheese (40-pound blocks) Bulk cheese products sold to business-to-business customers including private label, regional, and national brand cheese packagers for food service and ingredient applications. Most common format is 40-pound blocks with custom cuts available.
• Chunk Cheese Natural cheese in chunk/cube format made from pasteurized, artificial hormone-free cow's milk, for retail and food service use.
• Pasta Filata Cheese Pasta filata style natural cheese products, typically used for pizza and Italian food applications, available for retail and food service.
• Shred Cheese Pre-shredded natural cheese products made from pasteurized, artificial hormone-free cow's milk, for retail and food service applications.
• String Cheese String cheese products in natural cheese format, made from pasteurized, artificial hormone-free cow's milk.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Real California Milk ExceleratorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoseph Farms was selected as one of four new finalists for the 2026 Real California Milk Excelerator competition cohort. The Real California Milk Excelerator is a competition organized by the California Milk Advisory Board that supports and showcases innovative dairy products.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Schreiber Foods: Employee-owned dairy company producing natural and process cheese for foodservice and private-label customers. Comparable B2B cheese manufacturing business.
• Leprino Foods Company: The largest mozzarella (pasta filata) producer in the world, supplying private-label and foodservice cheese across the U.S. Directly comparable to Joseph Farms' pasta filata and bulk foodservice cheese business model.
• Hilmar Cheese Company: California-based cheese manufacturer producing cheddar, Monterey Jack, and whey products for foodservice and ingredient customers. Highly comparable in geography, customer mix, and product portfolio.
• Great Lakes Cheese: Major U.S. natural cheese manufacturer supplying retail private label and foodservice customers across multiple cheese categories. Directly comparable B2B cheese supply model.
• Crystal Farms (Michael Foods): U.S. manufacturer of cheese and dairy products distributed through retail and foodservice channels, including shredded and chunk cheese. Comparable in format and channel mix.

Broad incumbents

• Bel Brands USA: U.S. subsidiary of Bel Group producing branded and private-label cheese (including string cheese and Laughing Cow). Directly comparable in pasta filata/string cheese formats.
• Saputo Inc. Canadian dairy giant with a large U.S. cheese and dairy foodservice footprint. Overlaps with Joseph Farms in mozzarella and natural cheese categories at a much larger scale.
• Glanbia Nutritionals / Glanbia Cheese: Large-scale cheese and whey ingredient supplier serving foodservice, retail, and ingredient customers. Comparable in bulk cheese and dairy ingredient offerings.
• Agropur: Canadian dairy cooperative with U.S. cheese manufacturing operations serving foodservice and retail. Overlaps with Joseph Farms in natural and specialty cheese categories.

Regional players

• California Dairies Inc. California dairy cooperative supplying milk and dairy ingredients to processors. Comparable California footprint and dairy supply chain context for Joseph Farms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/josephfarmscheese
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joseph-farms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Joseph Gallo Farms