Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy

What Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy does

Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy, LLC is a third-generation, family-owned dairy operation headquartered in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, founded in 1946 by Carl Pagel. The company operates the largest private, family-owned dairy farm in Wisconsin, milking approximately 5,500 cows across 12,000 acres and employing roughly 150 people. Since 2019 its operations have been consolidated under the Pagel Family Businesses umbrella, which spans Dairy Dreams, Clyde Hill Calf Ranch, Coleman Ponderosa, Daybreak Dairy, Hilltop Ponderosa, Heifer Dreams, Pagel's Ponderosa Cropping, Ron's Wisconsin Cheese (acquired 2014), and PFB Transport.

Core products include raw milk, the Ponderosa Farmstead Cheese range (cheese curds, whips, string cheese, mozzarella whips, snow cheddar), Ponderosa Farmstead Limousin Beef, and paid farm tours. Production is supported by a 72-stall rotary parlor processing 575 cows per hour, an anaerobic digester that converts manure into electricity for the Kewaunee community, RFID tracking, Alta Cow Watch monitoring collars, flash cooling, Total Mixed Ration feeding, and an on-site cannulation program. The Cannery Public Market, an urban retail concept launched in 2015, was closed in 2021.

The business model is a vertically integrated dairy operation generating revenue from commodity milk sales, branded cheese production and retail, beef sales, agritourism, and energy sales from the digester. Distribution occurs through the on-farm store, Festival Foods, Metcalfe's Market, Hy-Vee, Ron's Wisconsin Cheese retail locations, and online channels, with the company operating its own PFB Transport fleet for logistics.

Name

Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy

Legal name

Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy, LLC

Website

https://pagelsponderosa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy is the largest private, family-owned dairy farm in Wisconsin, milking 5,500 cows across 12,000 acres near Kewaunee. It produces raw milk, Ponderosa Farmstead Cheese and Limousin Beef, and sells through retail chains, an on-farm store, and direct-to-consumer channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farmstead Cheese and Dairy Products

NAICS

Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Dairy Cattle and Milk Production (11212)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Dairy Spreads, Dips & Cream Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Milking Parlor & Dairy Farm Support Services (Non-veterinary) (AFAEALAK), Dairy Feed & Forage Production (On-Farm) (AFAEACAK)

Keywords

• Farmstead cheese production
• Dairy farming operations
• Agritourism services
• Farm fresh dairy
• Cheese manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kewaunee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dairy Product Sales: Sale of farmstead cheese products including cheese curds, mozzarella whips, string cheese, and block cheeses. Products are sold through on-farm store, retail partners, and online. Fresh curds available Mondays and Thursdays.
2. Ponderosa Farmstead Limousin Beef: Sale of premium Limousin beef raised humanely on the farm. Beef products include steaks and can be ordered in quarters or halves.
3. Agritourism Tours: Farm tours conducted between 8am-12pm Monday-Thursday. Tours accommodate groups up to 12 people with advance booking. Pricing is $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 3-11, free for children under 3.
4. Farm Merchandise: Sale of beef sticks, jerky, and other farm products through the on-farm general store.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy operates a vertically integrated farmstead dairy and cheese production operation, milking 5,500 cows to produce award-winning cheese curds, mozzarella whips, string cheese, and block cheeses under the Ponderosa Farmstead / Ron's Wisconsin Cheese brand. The farm also raises Limousin cattle for premium beef sales and offers paid farm tours and an on-farm general store as agritourism experiences for visitors.

Product overview

Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy is a true farmstead dairy operation where cheese is made on the farm using milk exclusively from their own cows. Their core product line is Ponderosa Farmstead Cheese, sold under the Ron's Wisconsin Cheese brand, featuring cheese curds, cheese whips, string cheese, mozzarella whips, snow cheddar, and block cheeses. The company also offers Ponderosa Farmstead Limousin Beef, sold by quarter or half order. Agritourism experiences include farm tours and a general store on-site.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ponderosa Farmstead: Farmstead cheese product line made on-farm using milk exclusively from the company's own cows. Includes cheese curds, mozzarella whips, string cheese, and block cheeses.
• Ponderosa Farmstead Limousin Beef
• Ron's Wisconsin Cheese

Products and services

• Ponderosa Farmstead Cheese (Ron's Wisconsin Cheese) Farmstead cheese products made on-site at Pagel's Ponderosa using milk exclusively from their own dairy herd. Product line includes cheese curds, cheese whips, string cheese, mozzarella whips, snow cheddar, and block cheeses sold under the Ron's Wisconsin Cheese brand.
• Ponderosa Farmstead Limousin Beef Premium Limousin beef raised humanely on the farm in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. Features lean meat with fine muscle texture, tender and juicy cuts. Available by quarter or half order.
• Farm Tours (Agritourism)
• On-Farm General Store / Gift Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• Powers nearly the entire neighboring city of Kewaunee (3,000 people) with electricity from methane digester
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ron's Wisconsin Cheese, LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRon's Wisconsin Cheese is the primary retail and distribution partner for Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy farmstead cheese products. Located in Luxemburg, WI, Ron's sells cheese curds, whips, string cheese, and other Ponderosa Farmstead products both in-store and online. The partnership was strengthened when Pagel Family Businesses purchased Ron's Wisconsin Cheese in 2014.
• The Cannery Public MarketminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cannery Public Market was a farm-to-fork dining experience in Green Bay and event venue. Founded in 2015 as part of the Pagel Family Businesses portfolio, it featured Ponderosa Farmstead products. The venue was closed in 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic challenges. 'The Farmer's Table' private event space honored John T. Pagel.
• Nemetz Neshota RidgeminorOthersCustom harvesting partner that assists Pagel's Ponderosa with their cropping operations, specifically during the annual corn and haylage harvest.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tillamook County Creamery Association: Oregon-based farmer-owned cooperative producing premium farmstead cheese, ice cream, and dairy products. Direct peer in the farmstead/premium cheese category with strong consumer brand, retail distribution, and farmer-owned structure similar to Pagel's.
• Organic Valley: Wisconsin-based farmer-owned cooperative specializing in organic dairy products with strong farm-to-consumer traceability narrative. Comparable to Pagel's in cooperative/family-farming positioning and Wisconsin origin, though focused on organic vs. conventional milk.
• Sargento Foods: Major Wisconsin-headquartered cheese company known for natural shredded and string cheese products. Closely comparable to Pagel's in product categories (cheese curds, string cheese, mozzarella) and Wisconsin heritage, though at substantially larger scale.
• BelGioioso Cheese Company: Wisconsin-based specialty cheese manufacturer producing Italian-style cheeses including mozzarella and fresh varieties. Direct peer to Pagel's Ponderosa in the Wisconsin farmstead/specialty cheese category, competing for similar retail and foodservice customers.
• Cabot Creamery Co-operative: Farmer-owned dairy cooperative producing award-winning butter, cheese, and dairy products. Direct peer to Pagel's in farmstead/cooperative dairy model with similar emphasis on farm-to-consumer traceability and award-recognized cheese portfolio.

Others

• Wisconsin Dairy Business Association: State-level trade association representing Wisconsin dairy farmers and processors. Adjacent peer organization that Pagel's leadership engages with for industry advocacy and policy influence in the Wisconsin dairy ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Land O'Lakes: One of the largest U.S. farmer-owned dairy cooperatives with broad dairy, butter, and cheese portfolio. Comparable as a farmer-owned dairy enterprise at vastly larger scale; competes indirectly in cheese and butter categories and shares the cooperative/family-farming ethos.
• Schreiber Foods: Major privately-held dairy company producing cheese, cream cheese, and dairy ingredients for retail and foodservice. Broad incumbent comparable to Pagel's in cheese manufacturing and dairy processing, though operates at much larger B2B ingredient scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@pagelsponderosadairy6697
• Xx.com/pagelsponderosa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries10 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 Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy