What Black Diamond Cheese does

Black Diamond Cheese is a Canadian consumer packaged goods (CPG) cheese brand founded in 1933 by Robert F. Hart and currently operated as a brand of Lactalis Canada Inc., the Canadian subsidiary of French dairy conglomerate Lactalis Group. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, the company produces a portfolio of natural cheese formats — bars/blocks, shreds, slices, sticks, and pre-portioned Combos (cheese paired with nuts and dried fruit) — across Cheddar (mild through extra-old), Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Havarti, and Gouda varieties, plus a dedicated Lactose-Free line and the Cheestrings / Cheestrings Ficello string-cheese sub-brand. Manufacturing relies on pasteurized Canadian milk sourced from Dairy Farmers of Canada-certified farms, with microbial-enzyme coagulation and natural colorants (annatto seed and beta-carotene) in lieu of artificial ingredients.

The business model is straightforward wholesale-to-retail CPG: products are sold through every major Canadian grocery channel — Loblaws, Walmart, Metro, Real Canadian Superstore, Voila online grocery, and independent grocers — with retailer-determined pricing and no direct-to-consumer e-commerce on the brand's own site. Marketing is anchored on heritage ("over 90 years"), the 2024 BrandSpark "Canada's #1 Most Trusted Cheddar Cheese Brand" designation, and Dairy Farmers of Canada certification, supported by recipe content, social/community engagement, and partnerships such as Food Banks Canada and a co-branded Prego recipe collaboration. The company employs 251–500 people, holds a registered Black Diamond trademark, and reports no public funding, M&A, or capital-structure activity; ownership and strategic direction are set within Lactalis Canada's corporate structure.

Name

Black Diamond Cheese

Legal name

Lactalis Canada Inc.

Website

https://blackdiamond.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Black Diamond Cheese is a Canadian CPG cheese brand (founded 1933), owned by Lactalis Canada Inc., producing natural cheese bars, shreds, slices, sticks, combos, and lactose-free varieties from 100% Canadian milk and distributed nationwide through major Canadian grocery chains.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cheese / Natural Cheese Manufacturing

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue) (AFAHABAB), Cheese Blending & Formulation (Retail & Foodservice Blends) (AFAHABAG), Cheese Packaging & Portioning (Retail Packs, Snack Packs, Singles) (AFAHABAI), Cheese (Natural & Processed) (CRADACAC), Fresh/Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Unripened & Soft) (AFAHABAA)

Keywords

• Natural cheese products
• Cheddar cheese manufacturing
• Lactose-free cheese
• Cheese snacks
• Canadian dairy products

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Cheese Product Sales: Black Diamond generates revenue through the sale of cheese products including natural cheese bars, shredded cheese, cheese slices, cheese sticks, and snack combos. Products are sold through retail grocery channels across Canada.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Black Diamond Cheese manufactures and sells a full range of natural cheese products — including bars/blocks, individually wrapped sticks, pre-shredded cheese, pre-sliced cheese, processed cheese slices, and cheese-and-snack combos — plus a lactose-free cheese line and the Cheestrings Ficello string-cheese sub-brand. Products are made from 100% Canadian milk with natural colorants and sold under the Black Diamond brand via Canadian retail grocery chains.

Product overview

Black Diamond Cheese is a Canadian cheese company founded in 1933 and now part of Lactalis Canada. The product portfolio consists of multiple cheese formats under the Black Diamond brand: Natural Cheese Bars (blocks), Natural Cheese Sticks (individually wrapped), Natural Cheese Shreds (pre-shredded), Natural Cheese Slices (pre-sliced), Slices (processed cheese), Combos (cheese paired with nuts and dried fruits for snacking), and a Lactose-Free Cheese line. The company also owns the Cheestrings Ficello sub-brand. The products span various cheese types including Cheddar in multiple aging levels (Mild, Medium, Old, Extra Old, Marble), Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Havarti, and Gouda. All products are made with 100% Canadian milk.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cheestrings: A cheese snack product line under the Black Diamond brand, featuring string cheese format products marketed primarily to children and families.
• Cheestrings Ficello

Products and services

• Natural Cheese Bars Block and bar-format natural cheeses spanning mild to extra-old cheddar, plus marble, white, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Havarti, and Gouda varieties; targeted at Canadian households for everyday cooking and entertaining.
• Natural Cheese Sticks Individually wrapped cheese sticks in Marble, Old, and Medium Cheddar varieties, designed for on-the-go snacking and lunchboxes.
• Natural Cheese Shreds Pre-shredded natural cheeses including Pizza Mozzarella, Old White Cheddar, Marble Cheddar, Medium Cheddar, Pizza & Pasta Mozzarella, Old Cheddar, Mozza Cheddar, Mexican, Italiano, and Tacos & Nachos blends for convenient meal preparation.
• Natural Cheese Slices Pre-sliced natural cheeses including Marble Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Medium Cheddar, and Old Cheddar varieties intended for sandwiches and burgers.
• Black Diamond Combo Pre-portioned snack combinations pairing bite-sized natural cheese with crunchy nuts and sweetened dried fruits, with at least 7g protein and under 180 calories per serving; available in Marble Cheddar + almonds/cranberries, Old Cheddar + cashews/cranberries, and Monterey Jack + honey-roasted peanuts/raisins variants.
• Slices (Processed Cheese) Processed cheese slices in Thick Cheddar, Regular Cheddar, Fat Free Cheddar, Mozzarella, Swiss, and Light Cheddar varieties, featuring a Homestyle cut with longer, wider crescent-shaped strands for faster, more even melting.
• Lactose Free Cheese Lactose-free variants of popular cheese products including Old Cheddar Natural Cheese Bars, Marble Natural Cheese Slices, Pizza Mozzarella Natural Cheese Slices, Marble Cheddar Natural Cheese Bars, Marble Cheddar Natural Cheese Sticks, Marble Natural Cheese Shreds, and Pizza Mozzarella Natural Cheese Shreds, for consumers with lactose sensitivity.
• Cheestrings Ficello A sub-brand under Black Diamond offering string-cheese snacks made from 100% real cheese, marketed as a fun, on-the-go snack for children and families.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food Banks CanadacoreOthersBlack Diamond is a proud supporter of Food Banks Canada, having donated $75,000 in funds and cheese to help increase fresh food donations for Canadians in need. The partnership supports Food Banks Canada's goal of ensuring 60% of all food distributed by Canadian food banks is fresh by 2025.
• PregominorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlack Diamond partnered with Prego (Campbell Company) to create the Easy Skillet Lasagna recipe, demonstrating product usage in a consumer recipe context. This represents a recipe collaboration where Black Diamond cheese is featured alongside Prego pasta sauce.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Tillamook: Tillamook is a US farmer-owned dairy cooperative with a growing cheese and ice cream presence that has begun expanding into Canadian markets. It represents a credible emerging branded competitor to Black Diamond's cheese portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Cracker Barrel: Cracker Barrel is a Kraft Heinz-owned cheddar cheese brand with strong North American distribution. It competes with Black Diamond in the broader packaged cheddar category and serves as a benchmark for branded cheese scale.
• Galbani: Galbani is a global cheese brand owned by Lactalis Group (the same parent as Black Diamond). It is a comparable Lactalis cheese portfolio brand and serves as a sibling/benchmark for brand management practices.
• Kraft Singles: Kraft Singles (Kraft Heinz) is a major processed cheese slice brand in North America. It directly competes with Black Diamond's processed Slices line in Canadian grocery retail.

Direct peers

• Neilson Dairy: Neilson Dairy is a Canadian dairy brand offering cheese and other dairy products across retail. It is a relevant in-market competitor for Black Diamond's Canadian cheese portfolio.
• Agropur: Agropur is a major Canadian dairy cooperative producing cheese, butter, and other dairy products under brands like Natrel and OKA. It competes with Black Diamond in Canadian retail cheese and foodservice channels.
• Dairyland: Dairyland is a Saputo-owned Canadian dairy brand offering cheese and other dairy products. It competes with Black Diamond across retail channels in Canada.
• Saputo: Saputo is Canada's largest dairy processor and a major cheese manufacturer (including Armstrong and Dairyland brands). It directly competes with Black Diamond across cheddar, sliced, shredded, and specialty cheese categories in Canadian retail.
• Armstrong Cheese: Armstrong Cheese is a Canadian cheddar brand owned by Saputo, directly competing with Black Diamond in the same cheddar bar, shred, and slice categories across Canadian grocery shelves.
• Balderson Cheese: Balderson Cheese is a Canadian specialty cheese brand known for aged cheddars. It competes with Black Diamond in the premium and aged cheddar segment of Canadian retail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Black Diamond Cheese