CK Snacks
CK Snacks is a US-based B2B snack food co-manufacturer producing private label and contract-manufactured popcorn, extruded snacks, tortilla chips, and specialty grain products across three facilities in Michigan, Illinois, and Pennsylvania for major retailers and branded food companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1964
- HeadquartersGrand Rapids, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What CK Snacks does
CK Snacks (legal entity Cheeze Kurls LLC) is a US-based B2B snack food co-manufacturer founded in 1964 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The company produces private label and contract-manufactured popcorn, extruded snacks (cheese puffs, curls, balls, twists), tortilla chips, corn chips, and sorghum-based specialty grains, with capabilities spanning Conventional, Organic, Non-GMO, and Gluten-Free platforms. Production runs across three manufacturing facilities located in Grand Rapids, Michigan; South Beloit, Illinois (Axium Foods, acquired September 2024); and Easton, Pennsylvania (Keystone Food Products, acquired March 2026), following a platform consolidation strategy under private equity owner Nexus Capital Management LP (acquired June 2024). Packaging capabilities range from single-serve to club-store bags, and the platform is SQF Level 2 certified with Organic, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Kosher, and Bioengineered compliance.
The business model is sales-led B2B co-manufacturing, generating revenue through manufacturing fees from retailers, grocery chains, and branded food companies seeking private label or contract production, alongside residual branded revenue under the legacy Cheeze Kurls brand. Go-to-market relies on direct business development outreach, a dedicated sales contact channel ([email protected]), and participation in the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) trade show. An in-house R&D and commercialization team processes 50+ new product concepts annually, supporting trend-forward innovation and flexible single-serve to club-store packaging formats. Pricing is negotiated per-customer per-order; no public pricing or revenue figures are disclosed.
Customer segments are described as Major Retailers and Grocery Chains (private label) and Branded Food Companies (contract manufacturing), with a secondary Better-For-You/Organic segment served through the platform's certified capabilities. No named end customers, revenue figures, headcount growth data, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in the source material.
CK Snacks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CK Snacks
- Legal name
- Cheeze Kurls LLC
- Website
- https://cksnacks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1964
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- CK Snacks is a US-based B2B snack food co-manufacturer producing private label and contract-manufactured popcorn, extruded snacks, tortilla chips, and specialty grain products across three facilities in Michigan, Illinois, and Pennsylvania for major retailers and branded food companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CK Snacks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contract Snack Food Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Snack Food Manufacturing (31191), Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing (311821), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Other Snack Food Manufacturing (311919)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000), Cookies & Crackers (2052), Bakery Products (2050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pretzels & Savory Baked Snacks Manufacturing (AFAKAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Better-for-You / Functional Snacks (Low Sugar, Keto, Probiotic, Fortified) (CRADABAM), Rice Cakes & Grain Snack Manufacturing (AFAKAIAK)
Keywords
Where CK Snacks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grand Rapids
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
CK Snacks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Contract/Co-Manufacturing: CK Snacks operates as a co-manufacturer producing private label snacks for major retailers, grocery chains, and branded food companies. Revenue is generated through manufacturing fees for producing customer-designed products under their brands. The company also produces snacks under its own brand labels (Cheeze Kurls).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
CK Snacks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CK Snacks is a large-scale co-manufacturer and private label producer of popcorn, extruded snacks, tortilla chips, corn chips, and sorghum-based specialty grain snacks. The company serves major retailers, grocery chains, and branded food companies across North America, producing products under customer brand names and under its own legacy Cheeze Kurls brand. Manufacturing operates across three U.S. facilities (Grand Rapids MI, South Beloit IL, Easton PA) with Conventional, Organic, Non-GMO, and Gluten-Free production platforms.
Product overview
CK Snacks (dba Cheeze Kurls LLC) is a snack food manufacturing company offering a diversified portfolio of popcorn, extruded snacks, tortilla chips, corn chips, and sorghum-based specialty grains. The company operates through a platform-plus-manufacturing model, providing both branded products under the Cheeze Kurls name and private label/co-manufacturing services for major retailers and branded food companies. CK Snacks' manufacturing platform now comprises three facilities (Grand Rapids MI, South Beloit IL, and Easton PA) following acquisitions of Axium Foods (2024) and Keystone Food Products (2026). The company offers flexible packaging options from single-serve to club store sizes and serves customers across North America with Conventional, Organic, Non-GMO, and Gluten-Free production capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Axium Foods: Private label snack manufacturer producing extruded snacks, tortilla chips, popcorn, and sorghum-based specialty grains.
- Keystone Food Products
Products and services
- Popcorn
Companies that use CK Snacks
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CK Snacks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
CK Snacks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Keystone Food Products Inc.coreCK Snacks acquired Keystone Food Products Inc., a private label snack manufacturer based in Easton, Pennsylvania, in March 2026. The acquisition added production capabilities for baked and fried tortilla chips, corn chips, extruded snacks, and organic snack lines, along with a production plant in eastern Pennsylvania.
- Axium Foods Inc.coreCK Snacks acquired Axium Foods, a private label snack manufacturer based in South Beloit, Illinois, in September 2024. The acquisition expanded CK Snacks' product portfolio to include expanded popcorn and extruded snack capabilities, strengthening its position as a comprehensive snack manufacturing platform.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CK Snacks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Popcorn Indiana: Specialty popcorn brand producing popped popcorn snacks across better-for-you and indulgent varieties. Compares to CK Snacks in the popcorn category specifically, particularly relevant given CK's deep popcorn manufacturing capabilities and flavor variety.
- Inventure Foods: Specialty snack producer focused on better-for-you brands including popped snacks, pretzels, and frozen snacks. Comparable to CK Snacks' better-for-you/clean-label platform initiatives, though more brand-led than co-manufacturing focused.
Direct peers
- Herr Foods: Family-owned snack producer operating both branded products and private-label manufacturing across chips, pretzels, popcorn, and extruded snacks. Highly comparable to CK Snacks in product mix, B2B/retail distribution, and regional manufacturing scale.
- Pretzels Inc. Private-label pretzel and snack co-manufacturer serving retailers and branded customers. Closely aligned with CK Snacks' contract manufacturing model and extruded/baked snack capabilities, particularly around pretzels and savory baked snacks.
- Shearer's Foods: Large-scale private-label snack and co-manufacturing company producing chips, pretzels, popcorn, and extruded snacks for major retailers. Operates a similar B2B co-manufacturing model with multi-category capabilities, multiple production facilities, and private-label focus directly comparable to CK Snacks.
Broad incumbents
- Utz Quality Foods: Public branded snack company with a broad portfolio of salty snacks including pretzels, chips, popcorn, and cheese snacks. While primarily branded, Utz also produces private label, making it a broad incumbent competing with CK in overlapping categories and retailer channels.
- J&J Snack Foods: Diversified snack manufacturer producing pretzels, frozen beverages, and bakery snacks for foodservice and retail. Overlaps with CK Snacks in extruded and pretzel-style snacks and competes for similar private-label and foodservice contracts.
- Wise Foods: Established snack manufacturer producing chips, popcorn, pretzels, and cheese snacks primarily under its own brand and private label. Comparable product mix and channel overlap with CK Snacks, particularly in popcorn and cheese-flavored extruded snacks.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CK Snacks social profiles
Digital presenceCK Snacks compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
CK Snacks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CK Snacks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CK Snacks subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
CK Snacks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CK Snacks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CK Snacks
What does CK Snacks do?
CK Snacks is a large-scale co-manufacturer and private label producer of popcorn, extruded snacks, tortilla chips, corn chips, and sorghum-based specialty grain snacks. The company serves major retailers, grocery chains, and branded food companies across North America, producing products under customer brand names and under its own legacy Cheeze Kurls brand. Manufacturing operates across three U.S. facilities (Grand Rapids MI, South Beloit IL, Easton PA) with Conventional, Organic, Non-GMO, and Gluten-Free production platforms.
Is CK Snacks a public or private company?
CK Snacks is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was CK Snacks founded?
CK Snacks was founded in 1964. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is CK Snacks based?
CK Snacks is headquartered in Grand Rapids, United States, in the North America region.
How does CK Snacks make money?
One revenue line is on record: contract/Co-Manufacturing.
Who are CK Snacks's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Popcorn Indiana and Inventure Foods. Direct peers are Herr Foods, Pretzels Inc. and Shearer's Foods. Broad incumbents are Utz Quality Foods, J&J Snack Foods and Wise Foods.
Does CK Snacks have an API?
No public API is recorded for CK Snacks.
What industry is CK Snacks in?
CK Snacks's product category is Contract Snack Food Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAIAD, Pretzels & Savory Baked Snacks Manufacturing, with a secondary code of CRADABAM, Better-for-You / Functional Snacks (Low Sugar, Keto, Probiotic, Fortified). Its NAICS code is 31191 and its SIC code is 2000.