Emmi Roth
Emmi Roth is a U.S. specialty cheese manufacturer (subsidiary of Swiss Emmi Group) producing Athenos, Roth Cheese, Emmi USA, and Cowgirl Creamery across five Wisconsin facilities for retail grocery, foodservice, and direct-to-consumer channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersFitchburg, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Emmi Roth does
Emmi Roth is a U.S. specialty cheese manufacturer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Swiss dairy group Emmi Group, operating five facilities in Wisconsin (Monroe, Platteville, Seymour, Stoughton, with a prior Fitchburg headquarters). The company produces and markets four sub-brands: Athenos (America's #1 feta brand, plus hummus), Roth Cheese (Wisconsin-crafted Alpine-style Grand Cru, Gouda, Havarti, and blue cheeses made in copper vats with imported Swiss spruce boards), Emmi USA (the leading U.S. importer of Le Gruyère AOP and other Swiss cheeses including ready-to-heat fondue), and Cowgirl Creamery (Northern California artisan organic cheeses). A new 158,000-square-foot all-electric conversion facility in Stoughton (opened November 2023) provides in-house cupping, bagging, wedging, shredding, and crumbling capabilities for retail and foodservice customers. Revenue is generated primarily through wholesale product sales across retail grocery and foodservice channels, with a DTC extension via Goldbelly for Roth Cheese gift boxes.
Emmi Roth firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Emmi Roth
- Legal name
- Emmi Roth
- Website
- https://emmiroth.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Emmi Roth is a U.S. specialty cheese manufacturer (subsidiary of Swiss Emmi Group) producing Athenos, Roth Cheese, Emmi USA, and Cowgirl Creamery across five Wisconsin facilities for retail grocery, foodservice, and direct-to-consumer channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Emmi Roth industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Cheese Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Food Manufacturing (311)
- 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), Processed Cheese & Cheese Spreads Manufacturing (Slices, Loaves, Spreadable) (AFAHABAD), Cheese Packaging & Portioning (Retail Packs, Snack Packs, Singles) (AFAHABAI), Cheese (Natural & Processed) (CRADACAC), Cheese Wholesale (AFAIAEAC)
Keywords
Where Emmi Roth is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fitchburg
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Emmi Roth business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Specialty cheese product sales: Emmi Roth generates revenue through the sale of specialty cheese products across multiple brands including Athenos, Roth Cheese, Emmi USA, and Cowgirl Creamery. Products are sold through retail grocery stores, foodservice operators, and direct-to-consumer channels.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Emmi Roth product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Emmi Roth manufactures and distributes specialty cheeses under four sub-brands: Athenos (America's #1 feta brand), Roth Cheese (Wisconsin handcrafted Alpine-style specialty cheeses), Emmi USA (Swiss cheese imports including Le Gruyère AOP), and Cowgirl Creamery (Northern California artisan organic cheeses). The company operates five Wisconsin facilities including a 158,000-square-foot all-electric conversion facility that provides custom shredding, crumbling, cupping, and packaging for retail and foodservice customers.
Product overview
Emmi Roth operates as a multi-brand specialty cheese company and U.S. subsidiary of Switzerland-based Emmi Group. The portfolio spans four distinct sub-brands: Athenos (Mediterranean/Greek-inspired feta and hummus, America's #1 feta brand), Roth Cheese (Wisconsin-crafted specialty cheeses including World Champion Grand Cru Alpine-style, Gouda, Havarti, and blue varieties), Emmi USA (Swiss imports including Le Gruyère AOP and fondue), and Cowgirl Creamery (Northern California artisan organic cheeses). Products range from traditional blocks and wheels to modern formats including crumbled feta, whipped spreads, dips, and custom-converted cheese formats. The company operates five Wisconsin facilities including a state-of-the-art all-electric conversion center in Stoughton that provides custom shredding, crumbling, and portioning capabilities for foodservice and retail customers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Emmi USA: Subsidiary that imports the world's best Swiss-made cheese into the United States. Leading importer of Le Gruyère AOP in the country.
- Roth Cheese
- Athenos
- Cowgirl Creamery
Products and services
- Athenos Greek-inspired Mediterranean food brand offering feta cheese products (blocks, crumbles, spreads) and hummus. America's #1 feta brand. Targets grocery consumers seeking authentic Mediterranean flavors and convenient cheese formats.
- Roth Cheese
- Emmi USA
- Cowgirl Creamery
- Roth Grand Cru
- Athenos Whipped Feta Dip & Spread
- Athenos Protein Packed Crumbled Feta
- Athenos Tajín Feta
- Emmi Roth Cheese Conversion Facility
- Emmi Beer Fondue
- Roth Cheese Dips and Spreads
Quantifiable outcome
- 57% decrease in water consumption per pound of cheese
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Emmi Roth
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Emmi Roth technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Emmi Roth partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- TajínflagshipAthenos and Tajín partnership to create Athenos Tajín Feta Cheese, combining Athenos feta with Tajín's signature chile-lime seasoning. The product development took two years and launched in time for Cinco de Mayo 2025. The collaboration merges Mediterranean and Mexican flavor influences for unique taco night and everyday meal applications.
- GoldbellycoreRoth Cheese partnered with Goldbelly to offer direct-to-consumer cheese boxes shipped nationwide. The partnership enables nationwide availability of Wisconsin artisan cheeses for holiday hosting, gifting, and personal enjoyment, with curated boxes featuring fan favorites.
- FromaginationcoreRoth Cheese partnered with Fromagination, an artisan cheese shop in Wisconsin, to create a holiday gift set featuring award-winning Roth cheeses paired with artisan accompaniments. The partnership allows both brands to reach new consumers and celebrate Wisconsin cheese-making tradition.
- Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern WisconsinminorEmmi Roth donated $5,000 to Second Harvest's Adopt-a-Dairy Cow program, which addresses milk shortages in food pantries. The program has provided more than 200,000 gallons of milk to communities in southwest Wisconsin since 2015.
- MacKenzie Smith (Grilled Cheese Social)minorRoth Cheese partnered with MacKenzie Smith, creator of Grilled Cheese Social, for National Grilled Cheese Month. The partnership included grilled cheese tips, recipes, and a collaboration on cheese boxes with free recipe cards for Goldbelly.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Emmi Roth competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tillamook County Creamery Association: Farmer-owned dairy cooperative producing premium branded cheese (and ice cream/butter) sold nationally through retail and foodservice. Highly comparable as a specialty, branded, multi-product cheese company with strong sustainability positioning and similar retail/foodservice go-to-market.
- Bel Brands USA: U.S. subsidiary of Bel Group producing branded portioned and snacking cheeses (The Laughing Cow, Babybel, Nurishh). Direct competitor in the packaged, branded snacking cheese and spread space that Athenos Whipped Feta and Roth Dips target.
- Great Lakes Cheese: Large private U.S. cheese manufacturer producing natural cheese, packaged shreds/crumbles, and cheese snacks for retail and foodservice. Comparable in operating as both a private-label/contract cheese converter and a branded producer.
- Hilmar Cheese Company: Private U.S. cheese manufacturer specializing in cheddar, Hispanic-style cheeses, and dairy ingredients. Comparable as a privately-held, large-scale specialty cheese manufacturer serving retail, foodservice, and ingredient channels.
- Schreiber Foods: Employee-owned global dairy company producing natural and process cheese, cream cheese, and dairy ingredients for retail and foodservice. Direct comparable in scale, private ownership structure, and B2B cheese conversion capabilities.
- Crystal Farms (Post Holdings): Branded packaged cheese company owned by Post Holdings, producing shredded, sliced, and crumbled cheese products sold through U.S. grocery. Comparable as a competing branded packaged cheese portfolio targeting similar retail shoppers.
- Cabot Creamery / Agri-Mark: Cooperative-owned dairy brand producing premium cheddar and specialty cheeses distributed nationally through retail and foodservice. Comparable as a specialty branded cheese producer leveraging co-op supply and award-winning products.
Broad incumbents
- Lactalis USA: U.S. operations of Lactalis Group, the world's largest dairy group and former owner of Athenos. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping specialty cheese and feta/categories and far larger scale and distribution.
- Saputo Inc. Global dairy company with a large U.S. cheese business (Frigo, Stella, others) producing branded and private-label cheese. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating across retail, foodservice, and ingredient channels.
- Land O'Lakes: Farmer-owned cooperative with significant U.S. cheese and dairy foods business (including branded shredded cheese and foodservice ingredients). Comparable as a broad incumbent with cooperative supply and major foodservice/retail presence.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Emmi Roth social profiles
Digital presenceEmmi Roth financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Emmi Roth leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Emmi Roth funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Emmi Roth M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Emmi Roth
What does Emmi Roth do?
Emmi Roth manufactures and distributes specialty cheeses under four sub-brands: Athenos (America's #1 feta brand), Roth Cheese (Wisconsin handcrafted Alpine-style specialty cheeses), Emmi USA (Swiss cheese imports including Le Gruyère AOP), and Cowgirl Creamery (Northern California artisan organic cheeses). The company operates five Wisconsin facilities including a 158,000-square-foot all-electric conversion facility that provides custom shredding, crumbling, cupping, and packaging for retail and foodservice customers.
Is Emmi Roth a public or private company?
Emmi Roth is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Emmi Roth founded?
Emmi Roth was founded in 1989. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Emmi Roth based?
Emmi Roth is headquartered in Fitchburg, United States, in the North America region.
How does Emmi Roth make money?
One revenue line is on record: specialty cheese product sales.
Who are Emmi Roth's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tillamook County Creamery Association, Bel Brands USA, Great Lakes Cheese, Hilmar Cheese Company, Schreiber Foods, Crystal Farms (Post Holdings) and Cabot Creamery / Agri-Mark. Broad incumbents are Lactalis USA, Saputo Inc. and Land O'Lakes.
Does Emmi Roth have an API?
No public API is recorded for Emmi Roth.
What industry is Emmi Roth in?
Emmi Roth's product category is Specialty Cheese Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAKAB, Cheese Manufacturing, with a secondary code of AFAHABAF, Grated, Shredded & Sliced Cheese Manufacturing (Value-Added Cuts). Its NAICS code is 311513 and its SIC code is 2020.