Zingerman's Creamery
Zingerman's Creamery is an artisanal Ann Arbor, Michigan dairy producer founded in 2001, making cream cheese, goat cream cheese, pimento cheese, gelati, and spreads, sold via one Plaza Drive shop, e-commerce, and partner locations. As of fall 2025 it operates independently as Sanilac Creamery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersAnn Arbor, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Zingerman's Creamery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zingerman's Creamery
- Website
- https://zingermanscreamery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Zingerman's Creamery is an artisanal Ann Arbor, Michigan dairy producer founded in 2001, making cream cheese, goat cream cheese, pimento cheese, gelati, and spreads, sold via one Plaza Drive shop, e-commerce, and partner locations. As of fall 2025 it operates independently as Sanilac Creamery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zingerman's Creamery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan Cheese and Specialty Dairy Products
- NAICS
- Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (31152), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)
- SIC
- Dairy Products (2020), Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dairy Spreads, Dips & Cream Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Processed Cheese & Cheese Spreads Manufacturing (Slices, Loaves, Spreadable) (AFAHABAD), Ice Cream, Frozen Desserts & Novelties Manufacturing (AFAKAKAE)
Keywords
Where Zingerman's Creamery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ann Arbor
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Zingerman's Creamery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Direct Retail Sales: Direct sales of cheeses, gelati, and spreads through the Creamery's physical shop location and new Sanilac Creamery brand presence.
- Wholesale Supply to ZCoB: Supplying Zingerman's Community of Businesses partner locations (Bakehouse, Deli, Mail Order, Roadhouse) with Zingerman's branded cheeses, gelati, and spreads.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels1 record
Zingerman's Creamery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zingerman's Creamery (now operating as Sanilac Creamery as of fall 2025) is a small-scale artisan producer of handcrafted cheeses, gelati, and spreads made with traditional recipes. Its core product line includes Cream Cheese, Goat Cream Cheese, Pimento Cheese, other specialty spreads, and Italian-style gelati, sold through its own Plaza Drive retail shop and distributed to Zingerman's Community of Businesses partner locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cream Cheese Artisan cream cheese produced by the Creamery as part of its core cheese lineup, sold to retail consumers and wholesale food service partners.
- Goat Cream Cheese Goat milk-based cream cheese offered as part of the Creamery's artisan cheese portfolio, available through its shop and partner retail locations.
- Pimento Cheese Spreadable cheese product flavored with pimentos, part of the Creamery's specialty spreads lineup distributed through Zingerman's Community of Businesses partners.
- Gelati Italian-style frozen dessert similar to ice cream but lighter in texture, produced by the Creamery and sold at its shop and partner locations.
- Spreads Variety of spreadable cheese products including but not limited to Cream Cheese, Goat Cream Cheese, and Pimento Cheese, offered to retail and wholesale customers.
Companies that use Zingerman's Creamery
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Zingerman's Creamery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Zingerman's Creamery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Zingerman's Community of Businesses (ZCoB)coreAs of fall 2025, Sanilac Creamery (formerly Zingerman's Creamery) remains a valued supplier to the Zingerman's Community of Businesses. The company supplies its cheeses, gelati, and spreads to ZCoB partner locations including Zingerman's Bakehouse, Deli, Mail Order, and Roadhouse. While no longer part of the ZCoB organizationally, the partnership continues as a key distribution channel.
Scale indicators1 record
Zingerman's Creamery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vermont Creamery: Artisanal producer of fresh and aged cheeses (including goat cheeses) and cultured dairy for retail and foodservice, with a similar small-batch, premium-positioning model and direct-to-consumer plus wholesale distribution.
- Cypress Grove (Mary's Organic / Marin French): Specialty cheese maker (chèvre, fresh cheeses) serving gourmet retail and foodservice channels nationally. Directly comparable on product category (artisan cheese) and small-batch quality positioning.
- Rogue Creamery: Artisan cheese producer (notably blue and cheddars) with national mail-order distribution and strong foodservice presence—directly comparable to Zingerman's creamery model combining on-site retail, wholesale, and mail order.
- Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company: Farmstead artisan cheesemaker producing fresh and aged cheeses for premium grocery and direct channels. Comparable on small-batch production, premium positioning, and farm-to-table brand story.
- Murray's Cheese: Specialty cheese retailer and wholesaler with a strong artisan-curation brand and nationwide e-commerce/cheese subscription offering—a relevant peer given the mail-order cheese playbook Zingerman's Mail Order employs.
- Bellwether Farms: California-based small-batch sheep's milk cheesemaker selling cream cheese-style fresh cheeses (labneh, farmer's cheese) and gelato to specialty retail and foodservice. Closely matches Sanilac's fresh-cheese-and-gelato portfolio structure.
- Talbott's Sugar & Spice (gelato) / Talbott's Dairy: Artisan gelato and dairy producer with farm-direct retail and foodservice distribution. Directly relevant for Zingerman's gelato product line and small-batch frozen dessert positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Tillamook County Creamery Association: Large, well-known dairy brand with broad portfolio including cream cheese, cheddar, ice cream, and gelato, distributed nationally through grocery. A broader incumbent competing across the same retail aisles as Zingerman's/Sanilac, but at significantly larger scale.
- Sargento Foods: Large-scale cheese manufacturer with cream cheese, spreads (snack cheese, string cheese), and shredded cheese lines sold nationally. A broad incumbent in adjacent cheese-spread categories who competes for the same retail shelf space.
- Stonyfield Farm: Organic/B Corp-certified dairy producer known for yogurt and cultured dairy with national distribution. Comparable as a B Corp-aligned specialty dairy brand with similar values-based positioning and creamery heritage.
Market position
Customer concentration
Zingerman's Creamery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zingerman's Creamery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Zingerman's Creamery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zingerman's Creamery 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 Zingerman's Creamery
What does Zingerman's Creamery do?
Zingerman's Creamery (now operating as Sanilac Creamery as of fall 2025) is a small-scale artisan producer of handcrafted cheeses, gelati, and spreads made with traditional recipes. Its core product line includes Cream Cheese, Goat Cream Cheese, Pimento Cheese, other specialty spreads, and Italian-style gelati, sold through its own Plaza Drive retail shop and distributed to Zingerman's Community of Businesses partner locations.
Is Zingerman's Creamery a public or private company?
Zingerman's Creamery is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Zingerman's Creamery founded?
Zingerman's Creamery was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Zingerman's Creamery based?
Zingerman's Creamery is headquartered in Ann Arbor, United States, in the North America region.
How does Zingerman's Creamery make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Direct Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Supply to ZCoB.
Who are Zingerman's Creamery's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vermont Creamery, Cypress Grove (Mary's Organic / Marin French), Rogue Creamery, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, Murray's Cheese, Bellwether Farms and Talbott's Sugar & Spice (gelato) / Talbott's Dairy. Broad incumbents are Tillamook County Creamery Association, Sargento Foods and Stonyfield Farm.
Does Zingerman's Creamery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zingerman's Creamery.
What industry is Zingerman's Creamery in?
Zingerman's Creamery's product category is Artisan Cheese and Specialty Dairy Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAKAL, Dairy Spreads, Dips & Cream Cheese Manufacturing, with a secondary code of AFAHABAD, Processed Cheese & Cheese Spreads Manufacturing (Slices, Loaves, Spreadable). Its NAICS code is 311513 and its SIC code is 2020.