Winona Foods
Winona Foods is a private U.S. dairy and cheese manufacturer founded in 1995, headquartered in Howard, Wisconsin. It produces natural cheeses and dairy products for food service, industrial ingredients, retail, and co-packing/private label customers through multi-site U.S. manufacturing and a direct-plus-broker sales model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersGreen Bay, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Winona Foods does
Winona Foods is a privately held U.S. dairy and cheese manufacturer founded in 1995 and headquartered in Howard, Wisconsin. The company produces natural cheeses and related dairy products, and operates across four customer segments: food service, industrial ingredients, retail, and co-packing/private label. Its offerings span branded and customer-specific products, supported by patented packaging options.
The company manufactures through multiple manufacturing distribution centers located throughout the United States, giving it a geographically dispersed production footprint. It goes to market via a direct sales force supplemented by a national broker network, which together cover food service operators, industrial food manufacturers, retailers, and private-label customers. The 2018 opening of a new Howard, Wisconsin facility — including a commercial kitchen and product performance center — expanded the company's capacity for custom product development, co-packing, and customer collaboration work.
Winona Foods employs between 251 and 500 people and operates as a for-profit private company. It does not disclose revenue, customer concentration, funding history, or M&A activity in the available data. The company describes risk management as a stated competency, alongside its patent-protected packaging formats and multi-site manufacturing base, which together form the principal disclosed competitive differentiators.
Winona Foods firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Winona Foods
- Legal name
- Winona Foods Inc.
- Website
- https://winonafoods.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Winona Foods is a private U.S. dairy and cheese manufacturer founded in 1995, headquartered in Howard, Wisconsin. It produces natural cheeses and dairy products for food service, industrial ingredients, retail, and co-packing/private label customers through multi-site U.S. manufacturing and a direct-plus-broker sales model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Winona Foods is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Green Bay
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Winona Foods business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Cheese Product Sales: Winona Foods generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of cheese products including natural cheeses, specialty cheeses, and performance cheeses to food service, industrial, and retail customers. Products are sold in various forms including shreds, slices, cubes, dicing, and chunking.
- Co-packing Services: Winona Foods provides co-packing services for private label or contracted customers, utilizing their manufacturing capabilities to pack products for other food companies. This has been an integral part of their business since 1995.
- Industrial Ingredients: Sale of industrial food ingredients including processed cheese, sauces, concentrates, and IQF portions to food processing companies and manufacturers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Winona Foods product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Winona Foods manufactures and distributes a diversified portfolio of natural and processed cheese products — including hard, semi-hard, soft, veined, and specialty varieties — along with industrial food ingredients such as processed cheese, sauces, concentrates, and IQF portions. The company supplies the Food Service, Industrial Ingredients, and Retail trade segments, and offers co-packing and private label manufacturing services utilizing its patented packaging options and in-house R&D capabilities.
Product overview
Winona Foods is a cheese manufacturing company offering a diversified portfolio of products and services across multiple trade segments. The core product offering centers on Natural Cheeses, which includes hard cheeses (Asiago, Parmesan, Romano, Cotija), semi-hard cheeses (Cheddar, Gouda, Fontina, Swiss, Edam), soft cheeses (Cream Cheese, Fresh Mozzarella, Feta, Ricotta, Queso Blanco), veined cheeses (Blue Cheese, Gorgonzola), and specialty cheeses (Havarti, Asadero, Habanero Jack, Horseradish White Cheddar, Marble Blue, Brie). These cheese products are distributed through four main channels: Industrial Ingredients (customized food ingredients and processing solutions), Food Service (flexible cheese products for foodservice operators), Co-packing (private label and contract manufacturing), and Retail (products for grocery trade). The company operates from a facility in Howard, WI with capabilities in conversion, distribution, cooler storage, and a commercial kitchen for product performance testing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Natural Cheeses
Companies that use Winona Foods
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Winona Foods technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Winona Foods partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Winona Foods competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Schreiber Foods: Employee-owned dairy manufacturer producing natural and process cheese, yogurt, and dairy ingredients for food service and retail customers. Comparable as a private, multi-category cheese producer serving similar B2B channels.
- Leprino Foods: World's largest mozzarella cheese producer and a global leader in dairy ingredients for food service and industrial customers. Direct comparable as a privately-held cheese manufacturer with overlapping B2B and industrial ingredient segments.
- Hilmar Cheese: Privately-held manufacturer of natural cheese, cheese products, and whey ingredients for food service, industrial, and retail markets. Highly comparable operating model across product lines and customer segments.
- Great Lakes Cheese: Family-owned natural and process cheese manufacturer serving food service, industrial, and retail customers with multiple U.S. manufacturing facilities. Comparable private mid-sized cheese producer with similar customer mix.
- Sargento Foods: Family-owned cheese company specializing in shredded, sliced, and snack cheese products for retail and food service. Comparable private mid-sized cheese manufacturer with overlapping product formats and customer segments.
- HP Hood: Privately-held dairy manufacturer producing cheese, cultured products, ice cream, and beverages for retail and food service. Comparable mid-sized private dairy company with overlapping customer segments.
- Bel Brands USA: U.S. subsidiary of Fromageries Bel producing portion-controlled cheese snacks and processed cheese products. Comparable manufacturer of cheese products with food service and industrial channels.
- Foremost Farms USA: U.S. dairy cooperative producing cheese, whey, and dairy ingredients for food service, industrial, and ingredient customers. Comparable as a private cheese manufacturer serving similar B2B channels.
Broad incumbents
- Saputo: One of the largest dairy processors globally, producing cheese, milk, and dairy ingredients across North America and internationally. Comparable as a major cheese manufacturer though materially larger and publicly traded.
- Agropur: Major North American dairy cooperative producing cheese, whey, and dairy ingredients for industrial and food service customers. Comparable as a private large-scale cheese and ingredients producer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Winona Foods social profiles
Digital presenceWinona Foods financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Winona Foods leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Winona Foods funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Winona Foods M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Winona Foods
What does Winona Foods do?
Winona Foods manufactures and distributes a diversified portfolio of natural and processed cheese products — including hard, semi-hard, soft, veined, and specialty varieties — along with industrial food ingredients such as processed cheese, sauces, concentrates, and IQF portions. The company supplies the Food Service, Industrial Ingredients, and Retail trade segments, and offers co-packing and private label manufacturing services utilizing its patented packaging options and in-house R&D capabilities.
Is Winona Foods a public or private company?
Winona Foods is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Winona Foods founded?
Winona Foods was founded in 1995. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Winona Foods based?
Winona Foods is headquartered in Green Bay, United States, in the North America region.
How does Winona Foods make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Cheese Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are co-packing Services and industrial Ingredients.
Who are Winona Foods's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Schreiber Foods, Leprino Foods, Hilmar Cheese, Great Lakes Cheese, Sargento Foods, HP Hood, Bel Brands USA and Foremost Farms USA. Broad incumbents are Saputo and Agropur.
Does Winona Foods have an API?
No public API is recorded for Winona Foods.