Ilchester Cheese

What Ilchester Cheese does

Ilchester Cheese is a privately held UK producer of blended cheese, founded in 1962 and headquartered in Ilchester, Somerset. The company is classified as a for-profit private business and is described in firmographic data as a maker of blended cheese, a category that typically combines commodity cheeses with flavourings, coatings, or specialty ingredients rather than producing single-origin artisanal cheese. According to the available firmographic record, the company operates with between 1 and 10 employees, which is unusually lean for a food manufacturer of its age and suggests either a contract-manufacturing arrangement, a licensing/brand-holding structure, or a significantly reduced operational footprint relative to its historical scale.

No product catalogue, customer list, distribution channels, pricing model, management team, certifications, or partnership information is disclosed in the input data. The company's website (ilchester.co.uk) currently displays a generic verification/loading page rather than substantive company content, and the single news source cited in the aggregated data discusses dairy-industry product launches by other brands (All Things Butter, Protein Pints, Kallo) without mentioning Ilchester Cheese. The only documented strategic event on record is an October 2007 investment by Inflexion, with no deal value disclosed and no subsequent capital, M&A, or leadership activity tracked in the provided sources.

There are no AI/ML capability signals, technology stack disclosures, proprietary platforms, patents, or integration data in the source material. Operating geographies, regulatory status, and ownership commentary beyond the Inflexion investment are also unstated. As a result, while the firm's identity and category positioning are clear, its current commercial scale, go-to-market mechanics, and strategic direction are not verifiable from the supplied evidence and should be treated as a material diligence gap.

Name

Ilchester Cheese

Website

https://ilchester.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ilchester Cheese is a UK-based private producer of blended cheese, founded in 1962 in Ilchester, Somerset, and operating with 1-10 employees. The firm serves the British specialty cheese category under a long-established brand, though current product range, distribution, and customer base are not disclosed.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cheese Manufacturing

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Blending & Formulation (Retail & Foodservice Blends) (AFAHABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Blended cheese production
• Cheese manufacturing
• Dairy products
• Specialty cheese
• UK cheese maker

Headquarters

HQ city

Ilchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Core offering

Ilchester Cheese is a United Kingdom-based producer of blended cheese, headquartered in Ilchester. Founded in 1962, the company manufactures blended cheese products for sale to consumers through retail and distribution channels. The firm operates as a small-scale specialty cheese producer with 1–10 employees.

Product overview

No product information available for Ilchester Cheese from the provided sources. The news source discusses dairy industry product launches including truffle butter, protein ice cream, and oat milk from various brands (All Things Butter, Protein Pints, Kallo), but does not mention Ilchester Cheese specifically. The webpage source shows only a verification/loading page with no accessible product content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Blended Cheese

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• Savencia Fromage & Dairy: French speciality cheese group producing branded cheeses such as Boursin and Saint Albray, competing in the UK premium and blended cheese segments.
• Lactalis UK: French dairy multinational's UK business operates major cheese brands across retail and foodservice, providing a broad portfolio alternative that competes for retailer listings against specialists like Ilchester.
• Kerrygold: Irish dairy brand with strong UK presence across cheeses and butter, competing in the same premium and everyday-use cheese category positions as Ilchester.
• Saputo (Cathedral City): Saputo's UK arm produces and markets Cathedral City, the UK's leading cheddar brand, competing for the same shelf space and foodservice customers as a blended cheese specialist.
• Arla Foods: UK dairy cooperative producing a wide range of natural and processed cheeses; competes broadly with Ilchester for grocery, foodservice and ingredient customers.

Direct peers

• Bel Group: French maker of The Laughing Cow and other processed/blended cheese portions — directly comparable as a multi-market blended and processed cheese brand.
• Wyke Farms: Somerset-based cheddar and blended cheese producer serving UK retail and wholesale — overlapping manufacturing and customer base with Ilchester in mainstream and premium blended cheese.
• Applewood Cheese: UK brand known for smoked and flavoured Cheddar — a directly comparable blended/flavoured cheese proposition sold through the same UK grocery and foodservice channels as Ilchester.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Ilchester Cheese