Cher-Make Sausage Company

What Cher-Make Sausage Company does

Cher-Make Sausage Company is a private label and co-packing sausage manufacturer founded in 1928 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, by Emil and Regina Chermak. The company produces naturally smoked, natural casing sausage products across five core categories: Specialty Smoked Sausage, Franks and Hot Dogs, Summer Sausage, Bratwurst, and Ring Sausage. Production is anchored at a single USDA-certified facility (certified 1968) at 2915 Calumet Ave, Manitowoc, where traditional hardwood smoking techniques are combined with modern computer-controlled smokehouses to balance time-honored flavor profiles with production efficiency.

The company operates exclusively as a B2B manufacturer, producing sausages under customer brand names for retail grocery chains, wholesale distributors, food service operators, and gift packing companies. It does not sell directly to consumers under its own brand at scale — instead, 'some of the most well-known sausage brands put their logo on our Cher-Make sausages.' Pricing is quote-based via a 'Partner With Us' inquiry process, with multi-year contracts typical of co-packing relationships. The company employs 11-50 people and has been family-owned for three generations.

In 2022, Cher-Make was acquired by Lakeside Foods, a Manitowoc-based frozen and canned foods manufacturer, ending independent family ownership while preserving brand heritage and operations. The company maintains a horizontal segmentation strategy across its four customer types, with custom formulation expertise and flexible packaging options (re-sealable, gas flushed, vacuum packed) serving as the primary value drivers for partner brands seeking butcher-shop quality at national scale.

Name

Cher-Make Sausage Company

Legal name

Cher-Make Sausage Company

Website

https://cher-make.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cher-Make Sausage Company is a Manitowoc, Wisconsin-based private label sausage manufacturer founded in 1928, producing naturally smoked and cased sausage products for retail, wholesale, food service, and gift packing brands under customer-owned labels. Since 2022, it has operated as a subsidiary of Lakeside Foods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sausage Manufacturing

NAICS

Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Sausage Manufacturing (Fresh, Cooked, Fermented, Emulsified) (AFANAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Smoked Meats & Seafood (Hot/Cold Smoking) (AFANAEAB), Hot Dogs, Frankfurters & Bologna (Emulsified/Comminuted Meats) (AFANAEAG), Edible Casings Processing (Natural Hog/Sheep/Beef Casings) (AFANAJAB), Jerky & Meat Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAH)

Keywords

• Private label sausage
• Co-packing manufacturing
• Smoked sausage production
• Meat products manufacturing
• Custom sausage formulations

Headquarters

HQ city

Manitowoc

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Label Manufacturing: Cher-Make produces sausages under customer brand names (private label) for retail, wholesale, food service, and gift packer channels. The company crafts custom formulations, flavors, sizes, and packaging to meet each client's precise requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cher-Make Sausage Company is a private label and co-packing sausage manufacturer that produces naturally smoked, natural casing sausage products for retail, wholesale, food service, and gift packing partners under the customer's own brand names. Its manufactured portfolio spans five core categories — specialty smoked sausage, franks and hot dogs, summer sausage, bratwurst, and ring sausage — with custom formulations, flavors, sizes, and packaging tailored to each partner's specifications. The Manitowoc, Wisconsin USDA-certified facility uses traditional hardwood smoking techniques alongside computer-controlled smokehouses to deliver consistent butcher-shop quality at national scale.

Product overview

Cher-Make Sausage Company is a private label and co-packing sausage manufacturer established in 1928, offering naturally smoked, natural casing sausage products. The company's product portfolio consists of five core product categories: Specialty Smoked Sausage (custom-branded smoked products including Andouille, Irish Banger, Kielbasa, and cocktail sausages), Franks and Hot Dogs (including Beef Franks, Natural Casing Franks, Stadium Hot Dogs, and Jalapeno White Cheddar Franks), Summer Sausage (Original, Beef, and Garlic varieties), Bratwurst (Homegame, Cheddar, and Pepper Jack varieties), and Ring Sausage (Original, Garlic, and Beef Ring Bologna). The company differentiates through custom formulation, packaging, and labeling services, allowing retail, wholesale, food service, and gift packing partners to brand Cher-Make products under their own names.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Lakeside FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Lakeside Foods, a leading frozen and canned foods manufacturer also based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, acquired Cher-Make in 2022. Lakeside Foods is an existing family company committed to carrying on the Cher-Make legacy. The acquisition provides Cher-Make with expanded resources and distribution capabilities while maintaining the brand's heritage and quality standards.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Johnsonville Sausage: Wisconsin-based sausage manufacturer and the largest sausage brand in the U.S., offering brats, smoked sausage, Italian sausage, and franks across retail and foodservice. Directly comparable to Cher-Make in product format, Wisconsin production heritage, and channel coverage, with a far larger branded and private-label footprint.
• Klement's Sausage Company: Milwaukee-based specialty sausage maker with deep Wisconsin roots, producing smoked sausage, summer sausage, bratwurst, and snack-stick products for retail and foodservice. Mirrors Cher-Make's regional heritage, hardwood smoking approach, and premium mid-scale positioning.
• Nueske's Meat Products: Wisconsin-based specialty producer of smoked meats including summer sausage, bacon, and ham, with a strong premium gifting and mail-order business. Closely comparable to Cher-Make on traditional hardwood smoking, gift-pack products, and Wisconsin-centric premium positioning.
• Usinger's Famous Sausage: Milwaukee-based heritage sausage maker founded in 1880 producing bratwurst, summer sausage, smoked sausage, and snack items for retail and gift-pack channels. Comparable to Cher-Make on multi-generational German/old-world heritage, smoke-craft focus, and gift-pack summer sausage SKUs.
• Strauss Brands: Wisconsin-based meat company producing natural and organic beef, lamb, veal, and value-added meat products, including specialty sausages. Comparable to Cher-Make on Wisconsin operating base, premium/Wisconsin position, and willingness to do private-label and custom formulation work.

Broad incumbents

• Eckrich: National smoked sausage, kielbasa, and deli meat brand owned by a large meat processor, distributed broadly through retail and foodservice. Overlaps with Cher-Make on smoked sausage and frank categories but operates at national scale as a mass-market brand rather than a co-packer.
• Bob Evans Farms (Sausage & Dinner Sausage): Midwest-based national sausage and refrigerated entrée brand with strong presence in breakfast sausage, dinner sausage, and frozen breakfast. Comparable on pork-forward refrigerated sausage formats that compete for the same private-label and foodservice slots.
• Hebrew National (franks): National premium frank/hot dog brand in the kosher and premium beef categories, owned by a major CPG. Directly comparable to Cher-Make's franks/hot dog line, particularly its natural casing and premium beef frank offerings.
• Dietz & Watson: Regional-to-national specialty meat and cheese producer with a strong deli and foodservice presence in franks, sausages, and charcuterie. Comparable on specialty/premium positioning and mixed retail/foodservice distribution model.
• Hormel Foods (variety meats & sausage): Large national meat and food manufacturer with broad sausage, deli meat, and private-label capabilities, including natural casing and specialty Italian/smoked varieties. Overlaps with Cher-Make across essentially every sausage SKU but operates at vastly greater scale with private-label programs for major retailers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/chermake
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cher-make-sausage-co

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cher-Make Sausage Company