What Cedar Valley Cheese does

Cedar Valley Cheese, Inc. is a family-owned Italian-inspired cheesemaker headquartered in Belgium, Wisconsin, founded in 1947 by Ralph Hiller and now in its third generation of family ownership under Jeff Hiller. The company produces mozzarella, provolone, string cheese, shredded cheese, and Italian/American shredded blends sourced from nearly 100 local Wisconsin dairy farms delivering approximately 25 million gallons of milk annually. Core production equipment includes an HTST pasteurizer, milk separator, cheese vats, Milko-scan testing instrumentation, and a multi-tank Clean-in-Place system, supporting a portfolio of roughly 50 unique cheese varieties and nine championship medals across the World Championship Cheese Contest, U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, and Wisconsin State Fair.

The business operates three revenue streams. The primary B2B stream is nationwide foodservice sales into the pizza industry, frozen entrée manufacturers, and institutional foodservice customers (restaurants, delis, hotels, hospitals, schools), executed via an enterprise field-sales motion with custom blends and bulk foodservice pack sizes (e.g., 3/20 lb provolone loaves, 6/5 lb shredded bags). A second stream is direct-to-consumer via the company-owned Cedar Valley Cheese Store (opened May 2006, offering 300+ cheese varieties plus a café) and the cedarvalleycheesestore.com e-commerce site shipping gift boxes and gift certificates nationwide. A third stream is third-party warehousing and logistics through an 88,000 sq ft facility (40,000 sq ft cold storage with three temperature zones, 40,000 sq ft ambient, 14 dock doors) offering shredding, load consolidation, cross-docking, and case pick/pack. The company is privately held, has no disclosed parent or external institutional investors, and reports no M&A, leadership changes, or equity funding events.

Name

Cedar Valley Cheese

Legal name

Cedar Valley Cheese, Inc.

Website

https://cedarvalleycheese.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cedar Valley Cheese is a third-generation, family-owned Wisconsin cheesemaker (founded 1947) producing Italian-inspired mozzarella, provolone, string cheese, and shredded blends for pizza chains, frozen entrée manufacturers, and institutional foodservice customers nationwide, with direct-to-consumer retail, e-commerce, and third-party warehousing businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cheese Manufacturing

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Pasta Filata Cheese Manufacturing (Mozzarella, Provolone, String Cheese) (AFAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Grated, Shredded & Sliced Cheese Manufacturing (Value-Added Cuts) (AFAHABAF), Cheese Packaging & Portioning (Retail Packs, Snack Packs, Singles) (AFAHABAI), Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB), Cheese (Natural & Processed) (CRADACAC)

Keywords

• Italian cheese production
• Mozzarella provolone manufacturing
• Wisconsin dairy products
• Foodservice cheese supply
• Custom cheese blends

Headquarters

HQ city

Belgium

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Cheese Sales to Foodservice: B2B sales of block cheese, shredded cheese, and string cheese to pizza industry, frozen entrée makers, and foodservice partners nationwide. Volume-based pricing for commercial customers with custom blend options.
2. Retail Cheese Store Sales: Direct consumer sales through Cedar Valley Cheese Store offering over 300 cheese varieties, factory fresh string cheese, Friday cheese curds, sandwiches, soups, snacks, ice cream, and wine. Gift box orders shipped nationwide.
3. E-commerce Online Sales: Online store sales through cedarvalleycheesestore.com offering cheese products, Cedar Valley's Best selections, and gift certificates for nationwide shipping.
4. Warehousing & Logistics Services: Third-party warehousing and logistics services including cold storage (40,000 sq ft), ambient storage (40,000 sq ft), shredding, load consolidation, cross-docking, and case pick/pack with barcoded inventory. 14 dock doors available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cedar Valley Cheese manufactures and distributes Italian-inspired cheese products including mozzarella, provolone, string cheese, and shredded cheese, plus custom blends. The company produces these from fresh milk sourced from nearly 100 Wisconsin dairy farms and sells them through B2B foodservice channels (pizza industry, frozen entrée makers, foodservice partners) and direct-to-consumer channels (retail cheese store and e-commerce). It also operates an 88,000 sq ft warehouse offering cold storage, ambient storage, and value-added logistics services.

Product overview

Cedar Valley Cheese is a family-owned cheese manufacturer offering a diverse portfolio of Italian-inspired cheese products crafted in Wisconsin since 1947. The product lineup centers on four core categories: Block Cheese (part skim mozzarella, whole milk mozzarella, smoked and non-smoked provolone), Shredded Cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Asiago, Colby, Muenster, and Smoked Gouda), Shredded Blends (Italian, American, and custom specialty blends), and String Cheese (regular and smoked). The company also operates Cedar Valley Warehouse providing 80,000+ sq. ft. of cold and ambient storage with value-added services, and a retail Cheese Store with over 300 varieties. Products serve the pizza industry, frozen entrée makers, foodservice partners, and direct retail consumers nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Block Cheese Premium block cheeses including mozzarella and provolone varieties, available in part skim and whole milk, smoked or traditional formats. Designed for slicing, shredding, or melting into entrees. Serves foodservice operators, pizza chains, and retail customers.
• Shredded Cheese
• Shredded Cheese Blends Expertly crafted shredded cheese blends including Italian blends (mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, romano) and American blends (cheddar, Monterey Jack), plus custom specialty blends. Tailored for melt performance and bold flavor across menu applications.
• String Cheese Grab-and-go string cheese snacks made with low-moisture mozzarella, featuring creamy mild flavor and pull-apart strings. Packed with protein and calcium for lunchboxes, retail consumers, and foodservice snack applications.
• Cedar Valley Warehouse and Logistics Services Third-party warehousing and logistics services from an 88,000 sq ft facility offering 40,000 sq ft of cold storage (34-36°F with 3 temperature zones), 40,000 sq ft of ambient storage (65°F), plus shredding, load consolidation, cross-docking, and barcoded inventory case pick/pack services with 14 dock doors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 Championship medals at Wisconsin State Fair, World Championship Cheese Contest, and US Championship Cheese Contest
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gino BoccotticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian cheese maker who partnered with Cedar Valley Cheese to bring new flavors and Italian expertise to the company's offerings. This partnership enabled the evolution from early American cheese production to Italian-inspired cheese varieties including mozzarella and provolone.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Saputo: One of the largest dairy processors in North America with broad cheese, shredded, and ingredient offerings across retail and foodservice. Comparable as a multi-category incumbent competing for the same pizza, foodservice, and ingredient customers at greater scale.
• Schreiber Foods: Major private dairy and cheese manufacturer with foodservice and ingredient divisions producing mozzarella, processed cheese, and custom blends. Direct overlap with Cedar Valley's foodservice and custom blend business, with national distribution.
• Leprino Foods: The largest mozzarella producer in the United States and a dominant supplier to the pizza industry. Directly comparable as the incumbent scale player in the same pizza/foodservice mozzarella market that Cedar Valley targets, but with vastly greater national capacity.
• Lactalis USA (Galbani): U.S. arm of the world's largest dairy group, producing Italian-style cheeses including mozzarella, ricotta, and provolone through brands like Galbani. Comparable as an incumbent in the Italian cheese category serving foodservice and retail.

Direct peers

• BelGioioso Cheese: Wisconsin-based Italian cheese manufacturer producing mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, and specialty Italian varieties. Closest direct peer — same geography, same Italian-cheese heritage story, same foodservice and retail customer mix.
• Baker Cheese: Wisconsin family-owned string cheese manufacturer with national foodservice distribution. Direct peer in the string cheese category, with similar heritage branding and pizza/foodservice customer overlap.
• Sargento Foods: Wisconsin-based cheese company specializing in shredded, sliced, and snack cheeses. Direct peer in the shredded and string cheese categories serving both retail and foodservice with similar product formats and Wisconsin-anchored supply.
• Hilmar Cheese: Large-scale cheese and whey products manufacturer specializing in mozzarella and cheddar for foodservice and ingredient customers. Comparable business model focused on pizza-industry and foodservice mozzarella supply at meaningful scale.
• Great Lakes Cheese: Family-owned cheese manufacturer producing natural and processed cheeses, shreds, and cheese substitutes for retail and foodservice. Comparable mid-sized player in shredded and block cheese categories with similar B2B foodservice focus.

Regional players

• Wisconsin Cheese Group: Wisconsin-based specialty cheese manufacturer producing Italian, Hispanic, and snacking cheese varieties. Comparable Wisconsin-anchored mid-sized producer with overlapping product categories and foodservice customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cedar-valley-cheese-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Cedar Valley Cheese