Hochland
Hochland SE is a family-owned German cheese manufacturer, founded in 1927, operating 13 production facilities across Europe, Russia, and the US. It produces and sells processed, cream, soft, and semi-hard cheeses under brands including Hochland, Almette, Patros, Gervais, Grünländer, and Simply V to retail, food service, and industrial B2B customers in 30+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1927
- HeadquartersHeimenkirch, Germany
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Hochland does
Hochland SE is a privately held, family-owned cheese manufacturer founded in 1927 and headquartered in Heimenkirch, Germany. The company produces a broad portfolio of cheese products — including processed cheese, cream cheese and quark, soft cheeses (Camembert, Brie), hard and semi-hard cheeses, and grated quark — under a multi-brand architecture (Hochland, Almette, Patros, Gervais, Grünländer, Valbon, Valbrie, Fetaxa) and additionally operates the Simply V plant-based cheese alternatives brand. Manufacturing is carried out across 13 production facilities in Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Romania, Russia, and the United States, with products sold in more than 30 countries through three channels: supermarket/retail chains, food service operators, and industrial/B2B food manufacturers.
The business operates on a traditional consumer goods revenue model: Hochland produces and sells branded cheese products (one-time purchase pricing is not publicly disclosed) through retail, food service, and industrial customers, with distribution into major supermarket chains including Perekrestok, Pyatyorochka, Okey, and Samokat in Russia, supplemented by factory outlet (Werksverkauf) sales directly at the Heimenkirch headquarters. A vertically integrated subsidiary, Hochland Natec (established 1974), designs and builds proprietary cheese-processing equipment, including an Australian operation acquired via Gold Peg International in 2015. Procurement spending is approximately 1 billion euros annually, and the company employs 5,001–10,000 people across 40 nationalities.
Ownership remains with the three founding families (Zummer, Reich, Fuchs) since 1927, and the legal form was converted from Hochland AG to Hochland SE (Societas Europaea) in 2010. Governance is exercised through a three-member Management Board (CEO Sebastian Schaeffer, CFO Hubert Staub, COO Josef Stitzl) and a six-member Supervisory Board chaired by Hansjörg Ziegler. The company continues to invest at scale — the 2024 Lighthouse project at Formagerie Henri Hutin in France is described as the largest single investment in company history — and has been named one of Germany's best employers in the Great Place to Work ranking in 2024.
Hochland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hochland
- Legal name
- Hochland SE
- Website
- https://hochland-group.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1927
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Hochland SE is a family-owned German cheese manufacturer, founded in 1927, operating 13 production facilities across Europe, Russia, and the US. It produces and sells processed, cream, soft, and semi-hard cheeses under brands including Hochland, Almette, Patros, Gervais, Grünländer, and Simply V to retail, food service, and industrial B2B customers in 30+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hochland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cheese Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151)
- SIC
- Dairy Products (2020)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)
Keywords
Where Hochland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Heimenkirch
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices16 records
Markets served
Hochland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Cheese and Dairy Product Sales: Primary revenue from manufacturing and selling cheese products including processed cheese, cream cheese, quark, soft cheeses, semi-hard and hard cheeses to retail, food service, and industrial customers.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Hochland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hochland manufactures and sells a broad portfolio of cheese products through multiple consumer brands including processed cheese, cream cheese, quark, soft cheeses (Camembert, Brie), semi-hard and hard cheeses, white/brined cheeses, and plant-based cheese alternatives. The company operates 13 production facilities across Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Romania, Russia, and the United States, and distributes its products in over 30 countries through retail, food service, and industrial channels.
Product overview
Hochland is a cheese manufacturing company with a multi-brand portfolio of dairy products. The company produces a comprehensive range of cheese products across multiple formats and varieties. The product portfolio includes: (1) The main Hochland brand covering processed cheese in various formats (triangles, slices, loaves); (2) Almette and Patros brands for fresh/quark cheeses; (3) Simply V brand for vegetarian/plant-based cheese alternatives; (4) Gervais for spreadable quark products; (5) Grünländer and Valbrie for semi-hard cheese varieties; (6) Fetaxa for white/feta cheeses; (7) Valbon for cream cheese spreads. Products are sold in multiple formats including triangles, slices, cups, and loaves, and are distributed in over 30 countries through retail, food service, and industrial channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SimplyV: Plant-based cheese alternatives brand
- Hochland
- Almette
- fetaxa
- Grünländer
- Patros
- Valbon
- Gervais
- Valbrie
Products and services
- Hochland
Companies that use Hochland
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hochland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Hochland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Hochland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lactalis Group: World's largest dairy group, privately held, with deep presence in branded cheese (President, Galbani, Parmalat) and ingredients. Comparable as a much larger broad incumbent spanning cheese, milk, and dairy ingredients globally.
- Arla Foods: European dairy cooperative with strong cheese brands (Castello, Apetina, Lurpak-adjacent) and large B2B ingredients business. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping cheese portfolio and pan-European retail distribution.
- Danone: French multinational dairy and plant-based group with cheese (e.g., processed cheese in select markets), yogurt, and dairy-alternative lines including plant-based. Comparable as a broad incumbent investing in dairy alternatives (Alpro) alongside traditional dairy.
- FrieslandCampina: Dutch dairy cooperative with substantial cheese business (Goudse, Dutch cheese) and B2B ingredients exposure. Comparable as a broad incumbent in branded and industrial dairy across Europe and beyond.
- Mondelēz International: Global snacks giant with adjacent dairy-cheese positions (e.g., cheese-flavored portfolios in Europe) and broad CPG distribution. Comparable as a broad incumbent overlapping in retail channels and consumer-cheese adjacencies, though cheese is not core.
Direct peers
- Schreiber Foods: US-based privately held dairy company focused on cheese and cream cheese (process, natural, cream) sold globally through retail and foodservice. Comparable to Hochland in private status, cheese specialization, and multi-geography B2B/retail distribution.
- Bel Group: French family-owned dairy group best known for The Laughing Cow processed cheese, Babybel, and Kiri. Closely comparable to Hochland as a multi-brand, multi-country cheese manufacturer serving retail and foodservice with processed and branded specialty cheeses.
- Savencia Fromage & Dairy: French dairy group specializing in cheese and dairy ingredients (Caprice des Dieux, Saint Albray, Elle & Vire). Highly comparable to Hochland in product portfolio breadth across processed and specialty cheeses and in international branded cheese manufacturing.
- Emmi Group: Swiss publicly listed dairy group with strong processed-cheese, specialty cheese, and dairy-dessert portfolio. Comparable to Hochland in scale, multi-country European manufacturing footprint, and broad cheese sub-category coverage.
- Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller: German family-owned dairy group with major processed-cheese, yogurt, and dairy-dessert brands. Closely comparable to Hochland in German private dairy heritage, multi-category cheese portfolio, and B2B dairy ingredients exposure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights8 records
Customer concentration
Hochland social profiles
Digital presenceHochland compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Hochland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hochland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Hochland subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries11 records
Hochland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hochland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hochland
What does Hochland do?
Hochland manufactures and sells a broad portfolio of cheese products through multiple consumer brands including processed cheese, cream cheese, quark, soft cheeses (Camembert, Brie), semi-hard and hard cheeses, white/brined cheeses, and plant-based cheese alternatives. The company operates 13 production facilities across Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Romania, Russia, and the United States, and distributes its products in over 30 countries through retail, food service, and industrial channels.
Is Hochland a public or private company?
Hochland is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Hochland founded?
Hochland was founded in 1927. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Hochland based?
Hochland is headquartered in Heimenkirch, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Hochland make money?
One revenue line is on record: cheese and Dairy Product Sales.
Who are Hochland's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lactalis Group, Arla Foods, Danone, FrieslandCampina and Mondelēz International. Direct peers are Schreiber Foods, Bel Group, Savencia Fromage & Dairy, Emmi Group and Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller.
Does Hochland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hochland.
What industry is Hochland in?
Hochland's product category is Cheese Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAKAB, Cheese Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 311513 and its SIC code is 2020.