Great Lakes Cheese Co

Name

Great Lakes Cheese Co

Legal name

Great Lakes Cheese Company, Inc.

Website

https://greatlakescheese.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cheese Manufacturing and Packaging

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 industries

Grated, Shredded & Sliced Cheese Manufacturing (Value-Added Cuts) (AFAHABAF), Cheese Packaging & Portioning (Retail Packs, Snack Packs, Singles) (AFAHABAI), Processed Cheese & Cheese Spreads Manufacturing (Slices, Loaves, Spreadable) (AFAHABAD), Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue) (AFAHABAB), Cheese Byproduct & Waste Stream Processing (Whey Routing, Brine Management) (AFAHABAK), Cheese (Natural & Processed) (CRADACAC)

Keywords

• Natural cheese manufacturing
• Private label cheese
• Cheese packaging services
• Foodservice cheese supply
• Whey protein ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Hiram

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Private Label Cheese Manufacturing: Manufacturing and packaging of natural and processed cheese products under customer private label brands. Products include shredded, sliced, chunked, and snack formats. Sold through retail and foodservice channels.
2. Proprietary Brand Sales: Sale of cheese products under company's own brands including Great Lakes Cheese, Empire Select, and Savvy Snax. Premium pizza cheese products under Empire Select brand.
3. Whey Protein Ingredients: Sale of whey protein concentrate (WPC-80/PowerUp brand) and whey permeate as food ingredients for dry mix powders, nutrition bars, medical nutrition formulas, and animal feed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Great Lakes Cheese manufactures and packages natural and processed cheese products—including shreds, slices, chunks, cubes, sticks, and string cheese—along with whey protein ingredients (POWERUP WPC-80 and whey permeate). The company operates as a private-label supplier to retail grocers, dollar stores, club retailers, and e-commerce platforms, while also selling proprietary brands (Empire Select for foodservice, Adams Reserve, Savvy Snax, Thoughtful Organics) across more than 100 flavor and format combinations.

Product overview

Great Lakes Cheese is an award-winning manufacturer and packager of natural and processed bulk, shredded, and sliced cheeses, as well as snacking cheese products and whey protein ingredients. The company operates as a unified product portfolio organized across three core product lines—Natural Cheese (shreds, slices, chunks), Processed Cheese (IWS, deli loaves, spreads), and Snacking Cheese (cubes, sticks, string)—complemented by an Ingredients division offering Whey Protein Concentrate 80 (POWERUP) and Whey Permeate. The company serves retail and foodservice channels through its own brands (Empire Select for foodservice) and private label programs (Savvy Snax, Adams Reserve, Thoughtful Organics).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Natural Cheese Award-winning natural cheese products available in over 100 combinations of flavors and formats including shreds, slices, chunks, and cubes, with organic options available. Sold under customer private label brands and the company's own brands for retail and foodservice channels.
• Processed Cheese Processed cheese products including American Deluxe, Cheese Food, Cheese Spread, Cheese Product, 2% and Fat Free varieties, available in 2lb spreads, Individually Wrapped Slices (IWS), and Deli Loaves for retail and foodservice.
• Snacking Cheese Flavor-filled and protein-packed on-the-go cheese snacks including cubes, sticks, string cheese, and more for various consumer occasions, sold under the Savvy Snax brand and private label.
• Whey Protein Concentrate 80 (POWERUP) Award-winning whey protein concentrate branded as POWERUP, used in dry mix powders, nutrition bars, medical nutrition formulas, and emulsifiers. Sold as a food ingredient to food manufacturers.
• Whey Permeate Whey permeate product available for purchase as a food ingredient and animal feed.
• Empire Select Pizza Cheese Premium pizza cheese brand for foodservice operators, offering standard, feathered, fancy shredded, and diced cut options for chain restaurants and other foodservice operators.
• Savvy Snax Private label snack cheese brand offering snacking cheese products for retail markets.
• Adams Reserve Premium private label cheese brand featured at the annual Cheddar Cheese Festival in Adams, NY for retail partners.
• Thoughtful Organics Organic private label cheese brand for retail markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ awards in 25 years at World, U.S., and State Fair competitions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TargetcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2025Target is a major retail destination for Great Lakes Cheese private label shredded cheese products, affected by the October 2025 recall of 260,000+ cases across 31 states.
• WalmartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2025Walmart is a major retail customer for Great Lakes Cheese private label shredded cheese products, with over 1 million bags recalled in December 2025.
• PublixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2025Publix is a regional grocery chain retailer selling Great Lakes Cheese private label shredded cheese products, mentioned in the December 2025 recall announcement.
• SproutsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2025Sprouts health-focused grocery chain is listed as a retailer selling Great Lakes Cheese private label products affected by the 2025 recall.
• AldicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Aldi is a major private label customer, with Great Lakes Cheese producing Aldi's private label cheese products. Aldi announced in 2025 it will rebrand its private label products with its own name, ending a nearly 50-year practice of using third-party pseudonyms. Product recalls often serve as the only public disclosure of these supplier relationships.
• ChobaniminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Chobani, Fairlife, and Great Lakes Cheese are identified as major dairy companies investing in expansion within New York state as part of the Northeast Dairy Producers Association legislative priorities.
• FairlifeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Fairlife, Chobani, and Great Lakes Cheese are investing in expansion within New York state as part of Northeast Dairy Producers Association efforts to maintain New York's position as a leading dairy state.
• BimbominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Bimbo is one of 11 major food manufacturers that produce Aldi's private label products. While not a direct Great Lakes Cheese partnership, all are mentioned as Aldi private label suppliers alongside Great Lakes Cheese.
• SmithFoodsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025SmithFoods is listed among 11 major food manufacturers producing Aldi's private label products alongside Great Lakes Cheese.
• Post Consumer BrandsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Post Consumer Brands is listed among 11 major food manufacturers producing Aldi's private label products alongside Great Lakes Cheese.
• Sunflower Wind FarmcoreOthers · 1 January 2025Power Purchase Agreement for wind power from Sunflower Wind Farm in Marion County, Kansas to offset 30% of Great Lakes Cheese energy usage as part of renewable energy sustainability initiatives.
• Innovation Center for U.S. DairycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Great Lakes Cheese is a member of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and has adopted the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment pledge to produce food responsibly and support communities and planet.
• Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Great Lakes Cheese supports FARM program, which ensures dairy farmers take care of their herds. Company is connected to farms through sourcing, manufacturing and packaging of cheese.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves20 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Schreiber Foods: Schreiber Foods is the largest employee-owned dairy company in the US and a leading private-label cheese, yogurt, and cream-cheese manufacturer headquartered in Green Bay, WI — directly comparable to Great Lakes Cheese as a private-label dairy manufacturer serving national retail and foodservice channels.
• Leprino Foods: Leprino Foods is the world's largest mozzarella manufacturer and a major private-label and foodservice cheese supplier — directly comparable to Great Lakes Cheese in mozzarella/pizza-cheese manufacturing for foodservice and private-label customers, with similar national plant footprint.
• Hilmar Cheese Company: Hilmar Cheese is a privately held, employee-owned manufacturer of natural American-style cheeses and whey protein ingredients with operations in California and Texas — directly comparable to Great Lakes Cheese in cheese manufacturing, whey byproduct processing, and private-label B2B ingredients supply.
• Sargento Foods: Sargento is a Wisconsin-based cheese manufacturer specializing in shredded, sliced, and snacking cheese products for retail — comparable to Great Lakes Cheese in natural cheese processing, shred/slice formats, and snacking categories, though Sargento is primarily branded rather than private-label.
• Crystal Farms: Crystal Farms is a Michael Foods brand producing private-label and branded cheese, eggs, and refrigerated dairy products for retail — directly comparable to Great Lakes Cheese in private-label shredded/sliced cheese manufacturing serving major grocery customers.
• Glanbia Nutritionals: Glanbia is a global leader in whey protein ingredients and value-added cheese for sports nutrition and food manufacturers — directly comparable to Great Lakes Cheese's POWERUP WPC-80 and whey permeate ingredients business serving nutrition-bar and medical-nutrition customers.
• Foremost Farms USA: Foremost Farms is a US dairy farmer-owned cooperative manufacturing cheese, whey, and dairy ingredients for retail, foodservice, and B2B customers — comparable to Great Lakes Cheese in cheese manufacturing, whey processing, and private-label/industrial customer mix.

Broad incumbents

• Saputo Inc. Saputo is one of the largest dairy processors in North America with a portfolio of branded and private-label cheese, including mozzarella, cheddar, and cream cheese — comparable to Great Lakes Cheese as a broad cheese manufacturer and private-label supplier with national scale, but operating as a much larger publicly traded diversified dairy incumbent.
• Dairy Farmers of America: Dairy Farmers of America is a large dairy farmer-owned cooperative with substantial cheese manufacturing operations serving retail, foodservice, and ingredients customers — comparable to Great Lakes Cheese in cheese manufacturing and whey ingredient supply, but operating at much greater scale as a broad cooperative incumbent.
• Agropur Cooperative: Agropur is a major Canadian dairy cooperative with significant US cheese, whey, and ingredients operations — comparable to Great Lakes Cheese in natural cheese, processed cheese, and whey protein ingredient manufacturing, but with a primarily Canadian ownership base and broader dairy portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GreatLakesCheeseCompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-lakes-cheese
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatlakescheese
• Xx.com/GrtLakesCheese

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Great Lakes Cheese Co