Burnett Dairy

What Burnett Dairy does

Burnett Dairy Cooperative is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative founded in 1896 and headquartered near Grantsburg, Wisconsin, producing award-winning cheeses under a multi-brand portfolio that includes Burnett Dairy, Wood River Creamery (premium handcrafted Cheddar Gruyere varieties), Cady Creek Farms (Gouda and Muenster), Fancy Brand (foodservice), and Burnett Dairy Pizza. Production is guided by Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers, and the cooperative produces 37 cheese varieties across Cheddar, Cheddar Gruyere, Colby, Gouda, Monterrey Jack, Mozzarella, Provolone, String Cheese, Muenster, Swiss, and specialty flavored formats. Beyond cheese manufacturing, the cooperative provides full-range agricultural services to its member farmers, including agronomy, grain, animal health and nutrition, fuels, and propane.

The business operates a diversified go-to-market across direct-to-consumer e-commerce (shop.burnettdairy.com), two physical retail locations (Cheese Store & Bistro in Grantsburg, WI and Cady Cheese in Wilson, WI), national and regional grocery chains (Albertson's, Costco, Safeway, Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, Festival Foods, Kowalski's, among others), a dedicated foodservice division, and private-label manufacturing for retail chains. The cooperative reaches most major US regions including the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, West Coast, Mountain States, Mid-Atlantic, Texas, and Florida.

The revenue model rests on cheese and dairy product sales (one-time transactions) supplemented by recurring agricultural service subscriptions to member farmers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by channel and quantity. The company is privately held with no parent, no venture or private-equity backing, and no public ticker, and is governed by its farmer-members through a Board of Directors (chaired by Bill Haase). It received two small research grants from the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) — a $100,000 award in June 2024 and an in-kind grant in December 2023 — to support dairy research and product development, but no growth-equity capital has been raised.

Name

Burnett Dairy

Legal name

Burnett Dairy Cooperative

Website

https://burnettdairy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Burnett Dairy Cooperative is a farmer-owned Wisconsin dairy cooperative founded in 1896 that produces award-winning cheeses across multiple brands for retail grocery, foodservice, private-label, and direct-to-consumer channels nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grantsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cheese and Dairy Product Sales: Revenue from producing and selling award-winning cheeses through multiple channels including retail, foodservice, and private-label. Products include Cheddar, Cheddar Gruyere, Gouda, Colby, Monterrey Jack, Mozzarella, Provolone, String Cheese, and specialty flavored varieties.
2. Agricultural Services: Provides full-range agricultural services to member farmers including agronomy, grain, animal health and nutrition, fuels, and General Store with farm supplies.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Burnett Dairy Cooperative is a farmer-owned cooperative founded in 1896 in Grantsburg, Wisconsin that produces award-winning cheeses under multiple brands (Burnett Dairy, Wood River Creamery, Cady Creek Farms, and Fancy Brand) guided by Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers. The cooperative also provides a full range of agricultural services to member farmers including agronomy, grain, animal health and nutrition, fuels, propane, and a General Store with farm supplies.

Product overview

Burnett Dairy Cooperative is a farmer-owned cooperative producing cheese products under multiple brands. The core offering includes Burnett Dairy branded cheeses alongside sub-brands Wood River Creamery (premium handcrafted Cheddar Gruyere varieties), Cady Creek Farms (Gouda and Muenster varieties), and Fancy Brand (foodservice). Product portfolio spans cheese types including Cheddar, Cheddar Gruyere, Colby, Gouda, Marbled, Monterrey Jack, Mozzarella, Provolone, String Cheese, Muenster, and Swiss. Products are sold through grocery stores nationwide, online at shop.burnettdairy.com, and at two retail locations (Cheese Store & Bistro in Grantsburg, WI and Cady Cheese in Wilson, WI). The cooperative also offers Burnett Dairy Pizza products and operates an e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cady Creek Farms: Cheese brand offering various cheese products sold at grocers and retailers across the Midwest
• Wood River Creamery
• Burnett Dairy Pizza
• Fancy Brand

Products and services

• Burnett Dairy Branded Cheeses The primary cheese brand of Burnett Dairy Cooperative, offering a range of cheese varieties including Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Provolone, and String Cheese for retail grocery, deli, foodservice, and private-label customers.
• Wood River Creamery Artisan Cheeses Premium cheese sub-brand featuring handcrafted small-batch cheeses made with milk from dedicated farmers. Includes Cheddar Gruyere varieties in Original, Black Truffle, Applewood Smoked Sea Salt, Roasted Red Pepper & Cracked Peppercorn, Chipotle Garlic, Triple Pepper, Herbes de Provence, and Northwoods Cheddar flavors.
• Cady Creek Farms Cheeses Cheese brand offering Rosemary Gouda, Smoked Gouda, and Muenster cheese varieties, sold at regional grocers throughout the Midwest.
• Fancy Brand Foodservice Cheeses Foodservice-oriented cheese brand operated by the Burnett Dairy Foodservice division, serving restaurants, institutions, and commercial food operations.
• Burnett Dairy Pizza Specialty pizza products offered by Burnett Dairy, available for ordering via the dedicated pizza orders email channel.
• Burnett Dairy String Cheese String cheese product sold individually and in shredded form, available through the Burnett Dairy online store.
• Burnett Dairy Retail Stores Physical retail storefronts including the Cheese Store & Bistro in Grantsburg, WI and Cady Cheese Factory & Gift Shop in Wilson, WI where customers can purchase cheese products directly.
• Agricultural Co-op Services Comprehensive agricultural services for member farmers including agronomy, grain, animal health and nutrition, fuels, and a General Store with farm supplies needed for farm management.
• Propane Services Propane supply and delivery services for homeowners and businesses in the cooperative's service area.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2nd Place in Flavored Hard Cheeses category at World Championship Cheese Contest

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIt7U-htDVEe_wgWcqGDalA
• Facebookfacebook.com/burnettdairy
• Instagraminstagram.com/burnettdairy
• Xx.com/BurnettDairy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 Burnett Dairy