Sierra Nevada Cheese Company

What Sierra Nevada Cheese Company does

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company is a privately held artisan dairy producer founded in 1997 by Ben Gregersen and John Dundon and headquartered in a historic 1958 creamery at 6530 County Rd 39, Willows, California. The company produces cheese, yogurt, butter, and cultured dairy products using traditional vat-culturing methods with live active cultures in time-activated processes, sourcing milk from multi-generational family farms in Glenn County's rural milkshed with rBST-free, non-GMO, and organic certifications. Its product portfolio spans 100+ SKUs organized across five sub-brands: Graziers (grass-fed raw milk cheeses, yogurt, and cultured butter from cows on pasture 300+ days per year), Bella Capra (goat dairy including Chèvre, feta, mozzarella, butter, and Capretta goat yogurt with A2 digestibility claims), Organic (USDA-certified organic butter, Jack, cheddar, cream cheese, crème fraîche, and drinkable yogurt), Gina Marie (a 50+ year-old cream cheese and farmer cheese brand acquired in 2002), and Kendall Farms (premium crème fraîche trusted by top chefs including Thomas Keller and holding the only ACF Seal of Approval for that product).

The company monetizes through a multi-channel go-to-market model: direct-to-consumer e-commerce on a Shopify storefront at sierranevadacheese.com with UPS 2nd Day Air shipping in compostable insulated coolers, an on-site creamery store in Willows offering the full range alongside complementary local goods, wholesale distribution to natural food stores and grocery retailers across the United States supported by a Store Locator tool, and a dedicated food service/bulk orders channel for restaurants, hotels, caterers, and corporate gifting. Pricing is unit-based ($5.49-$9.99 per cheese) with case/bulk discounts, and payment integrations include Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Sierra Nevada Cheese has earned multiple industry awards including World Championship Cheese Contest Super Gold in 2019 and 2020 for Organic Farmhouse White Cheddar, Best of Show at the California State Fair in 2023 and 2024, and consistent American Cheese Society recognition across product categories from 2011 through 2025. The company holds 50-200 employees, is certified Kosher, gluten-free, and rBST-free across its product lines, and operates without disclosed institutional investment, parent entity, or subsidiary structure.

Name

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company

Legal name

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company

Website

https://sierranevadacheese.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company is a privately held artisan dairy producer founded in 1997, operating from a historic Willows, California creamery and selling 100+ SKUs of traditional vat-cultured cheese, yogurt, butter, and cultured products across five sub-brands (Graziers, Bella Capra, Organic, Gina Marie, Kendall Farms) via DTC e-commerce, wholesale, food service, and on-site retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Dairy Products

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Yogurt & Cultured Dairy Products Manufacturing (Kefir, Sour Cream, Labneh) (AFAKAKAC), Fresh/Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Unripened & Soft) (AFAHABAA)

Keywords

• Artisan cheese production
• Cultured dairy products
• Grass-fed dairy
• Organic dairy manufacturing
• Goat milk dairy

Headquarters

HQ city

Willows

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce: Products sold directly to consumers through their Shopify e-commerce platform at sierranevadacheese.com. Consumers can purchase individual items, cases, and bulk quantities online with shipping to US addresses.
2. Retail Store Sales: On-site creamery store in Willows, CA selling full product range alongside locally made goods like honey, nuts, and crackers. Store also offers charcuterie boards and beer on patio.
3. Wholesale/Retail Distribution: Products distributed to natural food stores, grocery retailers, and through their Store Locator across the United States.
4. Food Service/Bulk Orders: Dedicated food service channel for commercial customers including restaurants, hotels, and caterers purchasing in bulk quantities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company is an artisan dairy manufacturer that produces cow and goat milk cheeses, cultured butter, yogurt, cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche, and kefir using traditional vat-culturing methods with live active cultures and milk sourced from rotational-grazing, rBST-free, non-GMO, multi-generational family farms in Glenn County, California. The company sells its products direct-to-consumer through e-commerce and its on-site Willows creamery store, wholesale to natural food stores nationwide, via farmers markets, and through a dedicated food service/bulk orders channel for commercial customers.

Product overview

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company is a dairy producer offering a diverse portfolio of artisan cheese, yogurt, butter, and cultured products organized under multiple sub-brands. The company operates as a unified product ecosystem organized by brand lines: Graziers (grass-fed raw milk cheeses, yogurt, and butter from certified pasture-raised cows); Bella Capra (goat dairy including Chèvre, Feta, Mozzarella, Butter, Semi-Soft cheeses, and Raw Milk varieties, plus Capretta Goat Yogurt); Organic (certified organic butter, Jack cheeses, raw milk cheddar, cream cheese, crème fraîche, and drinkable yogurt); Gina Marie (cream cheese and farmer cheese acquired brands over 50 years old); Kendall Farms (premium crème fraîche); and Cultured Classics (Crème Fraîche, Crème Kefir, Hot Pepper Cream Cheese). The company was founded in 1997 by Ben Gregersen and John Dundon and operates from a historic 1958 creamery in Willows, California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Graziers: Grass-fed dairy line featuring raw milk cheeses, yogurt, and butters made from cows raised on year-round rotational grazing with non-GMO feed.
• Bella Capra
• Organic
• Gina Marie
• Kendall Farms

Products and services

• Graziers Raw Milk Cheese Monterey Jack

Quantifiable outcome

• Organic Farmhouse White Cheddar won World Champion Cheese Super Gold in 2019 and 2020
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cypress Grove: Iconic American goat and cow artisan cheese producer (maker of Humboldt Fog). Directly comparable in fresh chèvre, feta, and award-driven premium dairy across natural-food and DTC channels.
• Vermont Creamery: Artisan creamery producing fresh and aged cow and goat cheeses plus cultured butter and crème fraîche. Closely comparable in product mix (cultured dairy, butter, fresh cheese) and natural-food retail positioning.
• Laura Chenel's: Pioneering American fresh chèvre brand. Directly comparable to Sierra Nevada's Bella Capra Chèvre in goat cheese category, foodservice adoption, and California origin.
• Cowgirl Creamery: Northern California artisan cheese producer with retail storefronts and foodservice wholesale. Comparable in small-batch organic philosophy, California heritage, and on-site retail 'destination' experience.
• Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company: California-based farmstead artisan cheese maker with a similar vertically integrated pasture-to-cheese model. Directly comparable in grass-fed sourcing, national specialty distribution, and award-winning premium positioning.
• Straus Family Creamery: Northern California certified organic, non-GMO, grass-fed dairy producer of yogurt, kefir, butter, and ice cream. Closely comparable in regenerative pasture practices, organic certifications, and West Coast natural-food distribution.
• Bellwether Farms: Northern California sheep and cow artisan dairy with cheese and yogurt lines. Comparable in small-batch California origin, regenerative grazing claims, and premium natural-food retail footprint.
• Rogue Creamery: Oregon artisan cheddar and blue cheese maker with global award recognition. Comparable in farmstead heritage, raw-milk and aged cheese portfolio, and DTC plus wholesale distribution.
• Redwood Hill Farm: California-based goat dairy producer offering fresh cheese, yogurt, and kefir. Highly comparable to Bella Capra and Capretta goat lines in A2-style positioning and natural-food distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Stonyfield Farm: Large-scale organic yogurt and dairy brand (owned by Danone). Comparable as a broad organic/grass-fed dairy incumbent in the same retail aisles as Sierra Nevada's Organic and Graziers yogurt lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SierraNevadaCheese
• Instagraminstagram.com/sierranevadacheese
• Xx.com/sierranevadacc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Sierra Nevada Cheese Company