Kaufhold's Kurds

What Kaufhold's Kurds does

Kaufhold's Kurds, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned wholesale food manufacturer founded in 1995 by John Kaufhold in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, known as the 'Curd Capital of America.' The company produces hand-breaded cheese curds and a growing line of specialty appetizers, with a proprietary process that breads curds by hand in small batches within 24 hours of curd production using rBST-free milk sourced from the adjacent Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery. The core portfolio includes five cheese curd varieties (Original, Garlic, Jalapeño, Sriracha, and Oven-Ready) plus the 'Beyond the Curd' line of filled dough bombs, halloumi-style cheese sticks, and cheesy hashbrown bites; the company also holds registered trademarks for the Kaufhold's Kurds brand and the 'Home of the Original Hand-Breaded Cheese Curd' positioning.

The business operates as a B2B wholesale manufacturer selling exclusively through food service distributors across the United States, with a dedicated sales team comprising a Director of Sales, National Account Sales, Business Development Manager, and Regional Sales Manager. End-customers are restaurants, bars, and foodservice operators who integrate the products into appetizer, bar snack, and shareable plate menus; the company's value proposition centers on consistent fry performance (2-minute cook time, no fryer blowouts due to low moisture content), more cheese-to-breading ratio, and all-natural ingredients. The company is bootstrapped with no external funding rounds, employs 51-100 people, and operates from a single headquarters and manufacturing facility at 400 E Business Way, Ellsworth, WI 54011, which was relocated to in 2017 and expanded in 2022.

Leadership transitioned to the next generation in 2017, with founder John Kaufhold's daughter Renee Drummond serving as President and her husband Anthony Drummond serving as CEO. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, and the company does not sell direct to restaurants or consumers. There are no disclosed customer logos, no AI/ML capabilities, and no public revenue figures; the company does not maintain an app, SDK, or public API.

Name

Kaufhold's Kurds

Legal name

Kaufhold's Kurds, Inc.

Website

https://kaufholdskurds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kaufhold's Kurds is a family-owned wholesale food manufacturer founded in 1995 in Ellsworth, Wisconsin, producing hand-breaded cheese curds and specialty appetizers sold exclusively through U.S. food service distributors for restaurant and foodservice operator menus.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Frozen Appetizers Manufacturing

NAICS

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

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Grated, Shredded & Sliced Cheese Manufacturing (Value-Added Cuts) (AFAHABAF)

Keywords

• Hand-breaded cheese curds
• Specialty appetizers
• Wholesale food manufacturing
• Foodservice distribution
• Breaded cheese products

Headquarters

HQ city

Ellsworth

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Food Product Sales: Wholesale food manufacturer selling hand-breaded cheese curds and specialty appetizers directly to food service distributors across the United States. Products are sold in batches to distributors who then supply restaurants and other food service operators.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kaufhold's Kurds is a wholesale food manufacturer that produces hand-breaded cheese curds and a 'Beyond the Curd' line of specialty appetizers. Curds are hand-breaded in small batches within a day of production at the company's Ellsworth, Wisconsin facility, using rBST-free, farmer-certified milk sourced from the Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery. Products are sold in wholesale batches primarily direct to food service distributors across the United States, who then supply restaurants and other foodservice operators.

Product overview

Kaufhold's Kurds is a wholesale food manufacturer of hand-breaded cheese curds and specialty appetizers. The core product line centers on five varieties of hand-breaded cheese curds (Original, Garlic, Jalapeño, Sriracha, and Oven-Ready), all made with rBST-free milk and breaded within a day of production. The portfolio extends into the 'Beyond the Curd' line featuring innovative filled dough products including Fried Ranch Bombs, Nacho Cheese Bombs, Jalapeño Mac & Cheese Bombs, Cheese Pimento Bombs, Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake Bombs, and Strawberry Cheesecake Bombs. Additional specialty offerings include Halloumi-Style Breaded Cheese Sticks and Cheesy Hashbrown Bites. The company operates as a family-owned manufacturer selling direct to foodservice distributors across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beyond the Curd: A product line extending beyond the original hand-breaded cheese curd to include bold flavors and innovative offerings such as specialty appetizers.

Products and services

• Original Hand-Breaded Cheese Curd

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Conagra Brands: Major US packaged and frozen foods company (including TGI Fridays frozen appetizers). Competes in the same supermarket and foodservice appetizer category as Kaufhold's Kurds at much broader scale.
• Lamb Weston: Global leader in frozen potatoes and frozen appetizers supplying foodservice distributors and operators. Overlaps with Kaufhold's Kurds in the broader frozen/breaded appetizer category distributed through the same US foodservice channel.
• Bellisio Foods: Frozen foods manufacturer focused on single-serve and multi-serve entrées and appetizers (Michelina's, Boston Market frozen). Sells through foodservice and retail, overlapping with Kaufhold's Kurds in frozen/specialty appetizers.
• McCain Foods: Large multinational frozen food manufacturer with a significant appetizer portfolio (mozzarella sticks, jalapeño poppers, etc.). Competes for the same foodservice distributor shelf space and operator menus as Kaufhold's Kurds.
• J&J Snack Foods: US manufacturer of frozen snacks and appetizers (SuperPretzel, ICEE, mozzarella sticks) sold primarily through foodservice and retail. Directly comparable as a broad-line frozen appetizer supplier to foodservice operators.
• Tyson Foods: Largest US protein company with a sizable foodservice appetizer portfolio. Competes with Kaufhold's Kurds for foodservice distributor listings and operator menu placements in appetizer and snacking categories.
• Cavendish Farms: North American frozen potato and appetizer producer serving foodservice and retail. Comparable as a broad-line frozen appetizer manufacturer competing for the same distributor relationships.

Emerging players

• Kettle Cuisine: Specialty frozen soup and food manufacturer serving foodservice with craft-credentialed products. Comparable as a smaller, specialty-focused B2B foodservice brand emphasizing quality and chef-driven positioning.
• Specialty Food Group: Specialty frozen foods manufacturer producing branded appetizers and snacks for foodservice and retail. Closest analog to Kaufhold's Kurds as a mid-sized, specialty-focused foodservice manufacturer with national distribution.

Direct peers

• Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery: Wisconsin-based cheese curd manufacturer and Kaufhold's Kurds' primary raw curd supplier. Both operate in the same Ellsworth 'Curd Capital of America' cluster, producing cheese curds and cheese-based specialty products for foodservice and retail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kaufholdskurdswi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kaufhold-s-kurds-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Kaufhold's Kurds