CannonBelles Cheese

Name

CannonBelles Cheese

Legal name

CannonBelles

Website

https://cannonbelles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Cheese

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Shops & Fromageries (CRAHAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ice Cream & Gelato Shops (THAFAGAA)

Keywords

• Artisan cheese
• Specialty cheese
• Cheese curds
• Queso Fresco
• Coffee ice cream shop

Headquarters

HQ city

Cannon Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Coffee & Ice Cream Shop Retail: Brick-and-mortar retail operation selling coffee drinks, ice cream, and food items (breakfast sandwiches, grilled cheese, soups) to walk-in customers. Free WiFi and comfortable seating encourage in-store停留. Hours Monday-Friday 6am-8pm, Saturday 7am-8pm, Sunday 11am-5pm.
2. Artisan Cheese Retail Sales: Direct sales of award-winning artisan cheeses to consumers at the coffee shop location and via online Shopify store. Products include Queso Fresco, Cheddar, Gouda, Tuscan Cheddar, Painted Desert Cheddar, and flavored curds.
3. Wholesale Cheese Distribution: Bulk distribution of artisan cheeses to regional retailers including Fresh Thyme Market, HyVee, natural food co-ops (Lakewinds, Eastside, Linden Hills, Mississippi Market), specialty markets, breweries, wineries, and hotels across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
4. Online Direct Orders: Direct-to-consumer cheese orders shipped via their Shopify e-commerce platform for customers in their distribution area who cannot find products at local retailers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CannonBelles Cheese is a small-batch artisan cheesemaker producing award-winning varieties such as Queso Fresco, Cheddar, Gouda, Tuscan Cheddar, Painted Desert Cheddar, and flavored cheese curds, sourced from local Minnesota dairy and farms. The company also operates a co-located Coffee & Ice Cream retail shop in downtown Cannon Falls, MN, serving organic/Fair-Trade coffee, Cedar Crest ice cream, breakfast items, grilled cheese, wraps, and soups. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through the shop and online, and distributed wholesale to regional grocers, natural food co-ops, specialty retailers, breweries, wineries, and hotels across the Upper Midwest.

Product overview

CannonBelles is an artisan cheese maker and coffee/ice cream shop operating as a single unified business. The company produces award-winning cheeses including Queso Fresco (first place, 2017 American Cheese Society Awards), Grim Reaper Cheddar (second place, 2024 American Cheese Society Awards), Tuscan Cheddar, Painted Desert Cheddar, Cheddar, Gouda, and Curds in various flavors. The retail Coffee & Ice Cream Shop, located at 402 Mill St West in Cannon Falls, MN, serves hot drinks (espresso, lattes, mochas), cold beverages, specialty mochas, Cedar Crest ice cream, and food items including breakfast sandwiches, grilled cheese, and wraps using their own cheese. Products are available for retail purchase online and at over 50 locations throughout Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tuscan Cheddar Artisan cheddar cheese flavored with an Italian seasoning blend by Gardenaire, sold at $8 per 8 oz block/wedge for grilling, pizza topping, or snacking by home cooks and cheese boards.
• Queso Fresco Spanish-style, mild melting cheese commonly used in Mexican dishes and excellent for grilled cheese, quesadillas, chili, and soups; awarded first place at the 2017 American Cheese Society Awards. Sold at $6 per 8 oz block.
• Painted Desert Cheddar Artisan cheddar with a taco flavor profile, intended for melted applications on nachos and grilled cheese or as a centerpiece on cheese trays. Sold at $8 per 8 oz block.
• Cheddar Mild, 3-month aged white cheddar suitable for grilled cheese, cooking, cheese plates, or snacking; cut into roughly 1/2 lb blocks at $8 per 8 oz block.
• Gouda Creamy, 3-month aged Gouda with mild flavor, ideal for cheese plates, snacking, or sandwiches; cut into roughly 1/2 lb wedges sold at $8 per 8 oz.
• Cheese Curds Fresh-packaged cheese curds in flavors including Bacon, Dill, Garlic, Horseradish, Jalapeno, Grim Reaper, Ranch, and Plain, sold in 6 oz bags at $5 per bag for on-the-go snacking or recipe use.
• CannonBelles Coffee & Ice Cream Shop Brick-and-mortar Coffee & Ice Cream shop in downtown Cannon Falls, MN offering hot and cold coffee drinks, specialty mochas, Cedar Crest ice cream, breakfast items, grilled cheese made with CannonBelles cheese, wraps, soups, free WiFi, and seating; serves walk-in customers Mon–Fri 6am–8pm, Sat 7am–8pm, Sun 11am–5pm.

Quantifiable outcome

• First place win at 2017 American Cheese Society Awards for Queso Fresco
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Square Deal DairycoreOthersPrimary milk supplier providing fresh, creamy milk from their cows for cheesemaking. Their commitment to sustainable farming and dairy excellence ensures the best foundation for CannonBelles artisan cheeses. Local Minnesota dairy farm.
• Treats by T (The Pepper People)coreOthersSpecialty pepper supplier providing the perfect balance of spice and smokiness for CannonBelles' spicy cheeses, particularly the fiery Grim Reaper Cheddar. Known for bold, flavorful peppers.
• Rotational RootsminorOthersFarm providing fresh, seasonal, sustainably grown herbs, garlic, and other flavorful ingredients for cheese production. Committed to regenerative farming practices.
• Joe Mama' BBQ Sauce & SeasonscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeasoning and sauce supplier collaborating with CannonBelles to develop new cheese flavors. Joe Mama himself experiments with new spice blends and works directly with CannonBelles on innovative product development.
• Loon's Nest CoffeecoreOthersCoffee roaster based in Houston, MN providing organic, Fair-Trade coffee for the CannonBelles Coffee shop. Bob Carlson's passion for perfect coffee roasting was instrumental in helping the founders learn the coffee business.
• Council OaksminorOthersCoffee supplier from Sioux City, IA providing additional organic, Fair-Trade coffee options for the CannonBelles Coffee shop alongside Loon's Nest Coffee.
• Cedar Crest Ice CreamcoreOthersIce cream supplier providing the selection of ice cream sold at the CannonBelles Coffee & Ice Cream shop. Products include classic favorites like chocolate and vanilla, as well as unique seasonal specialties.
• The Meatery MNminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline platform for ordering CannonBelles cheese directly. Customers can order cheese online at https://themeaterymn.com/collections/cannonbelles-cheese for direct shipment.
• University of Minnesota Pilot PlantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrom 2016 to 2022, CannonBelles developed their cheesemaking skills at the University of Minnesota Pilot Plant, working alongside Rey Miller, a highly respected dairy expert. This training ground enabled them to fine-tune recipes, experiment with techniques, and scale up production under expert guidance.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Tillamook: Oregon-based farmer-owned dairy and cheese brand with national retail distribution, foodservice, and ice cream. Represents the scaled incumbent version of a farmer-cooperative-driven cheese and dairy brand, sharing the farmer/quality narrative but operating at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• Sargento: Wisconsin-headquartered national cheese brand focused on packaged snacking and shredded cheese at retail. Overlaps with CannonBelles' curd-skus and Wisconsin retail distribution, but operates as a broad CPG incumbent rather than a small-batch fromagerie.

Direct peers

• Sartori Cheese: Antigo, Wisconsin artisan cheesemaker with award-winning Italian-style cheeses (SarVecchio Parmesan, MontAmore) sold through national retail and foodservice. Closely mirrors CannonBelles' specialty cheesemaking model with shared U.S. cheese competition credentials and similar brand-led wholesale strategy.
• BelGioioso Cheese: Green Bay, Wisconsin specialty cheese manufacturer with broad Italian-style and fresh cheese portfolio across retail and foodservice. Most directly comparable in terms of product breadth, regional concentration in the Upper Midwest, and reliance on retail and foodservice wholesale channels.
• Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese: Wisconsin farmstead artisan cheese producer making fresh mozzarella, cheddar, and specialty cheeses from on-site milk. Comparable 'local sourcing' narrative, ACS award pedigree, and small-batch cheesemaking model.
• Roth Cheese: Wisconsin-based artisan and specialty cheese producer with a broad SKU portfolio (Grand Cru, Havarti, Gouda, flavored varieties) sold through grocery and foodservice. Highly comparable size, geography, and go-to-market approach for the upper Midwest artisan cheese customer.
• Babcock Dairy / Babcock Hall: University of Wisconsin-Madison licensed dairy/cheese operation producing artisan cheeses with academic R&D backing. Closely matches CannonBelles' UMN Pilot Plant development history and education-anchored cheesemaking identity.

Others

• Cedar Crest Ice Cream: Wisconsin-based ice cream brand whose products are scooped at the CannonBelles coffee & ice cream shop. Adjacent partner/supplier illustrating the company's reliance on third-party ice cream for its cafe revenue line.
• Loon's Nest Coffee: Houston, MN-based organic small-batch coffee roastery supplying CannonBelles' cafe. Adjacent local supplier illustrating the local-sourcing ecosystem that underpins the company's brand positioning.

Emerging players

• Hope Creamery: Minnesota-based small dairy and cheese producer with a heritage brand repositioning around local/regional retail. Overlaps CannonBelles' Minnesota geographic footprint and craft-creamery positioning but is at an earlier commercial stage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CannonBelles
• Instagraminstagram.com/cannonbelles
• Xx.com/cannonbelleschz

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 CannonBelles Cheese