Emmi Roth

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.

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

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

• Specialty cheese manufacturing
• Alpine-style cheesemaking
• Mediterranean feta products
• Swiss cheese imports
• Cheese conversion services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fitchburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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

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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• TajínflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2025Athenos 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.
• GoldbellycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 October 2024Roth 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.
• FromaginationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 October 2023Roth 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 WisconsinminorOthers · 9 June 2023Emmi 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)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 April 2023Roth 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

Direct 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/emmirothcheese
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emmiroth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Emmi Roth