What Lenk Milch does

Lenk Milch AG is a privately held Swiss specialty dairy company founded in 1999, headquartered in Lenk im Simmental (Canton of Bern). The company operates a vertically integrated model in which approximately 50 regional dairy farms are both shareholders and exclusive suppliers of mountain milk (Bergmilch), which the company processes into a broad portfolio of cheeses, raclette, fondue mixtures, fresh dairy products (butter, cream, quark, yogurt), and desserts. Annual processing volume exceeds 1.6 million liters of milk, with underground aging storage capacity for 10,000+ cheese wheels plus 1,000 Alpine cheese wheels, supporting both year-round and seasonal (summer Alpine) production. The product range spans hard cheeses (Gletscherbachkäse, Bio Alpkäse, Simmentaler Cheddar), semi-hard cheeses (Lenker Bergtummeli, Lenker Bergbleu, Vacherin), flavored raclettes (Nature, Smoked, Pepper, Garlic, Chili, Black Garlic, Tasmanian Mountain Pepper, Hay-Clover), and ready-to-use fondue mixes.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid go-to-market model: a flagship physical cheese shop with a 6-meter counter in Lenk village center (relocated December 2016), a Switzerland-wide e-commerce storefront with A-Post delivery, and B2B supply to gastronomy (restaurants, hotels), retailers (Detaillisten), and wholesalers (Grossisten). Adjacent service revenue streams include custom cheese platters and gift baskets for events (weddings, corporate, birthdays), equipment rental (fondue sets, raclette machines), gift vouchers (CHF 20–100), and the Fondue-Rucksack hiking experience sold via the E-Guma ticketing platform. Pricing is unit-based in Swiss Francs with VAT at 7.7% or 2.5%, accepting credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, and cash on pickup.

The company holds multiple regional and Alpine certifications (OIC Alp, OIC Berg, Das Beste der Region, Aus der Region. Für die Region., Fromarte, Berner Alpkäse, ADR-OIC) and is led by CEO Walter Treuthardt (since 2013) with Store Manager Sandra Müller overseeing retail operations. The company employs up to 17 staff from the region, has no external institutional investors, no subsidiaries, no patents filed, and explicitly does not ship internationally. Technology stack is conventional (WooCommerce-style e-commerce, Google Maps/Web Fonts, E-Guma ticketing) with no disclosed AI/ML, proprietary platform, or data assets.

Name

Lenk Milch

Legal name

Lenk Milch AG

Website

https://lenk-milch.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Lenk Milch AG is a Swiss specialty dairy company in Lenk im Simmental that processes mountain milk from 50 shareholder dairy farms into regional cheeses, raclette, fondue, and dairy products, selling via flagship retail, Switzerland-wide e-commerce, and B2B channels to gastronomy and wholesale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Cheese and Dairy Manufacturing

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese (Natural & Processed) (CRADACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultured Cottage Cheese & Quark Manufacturing (AFAHADAH), Cheese Wholesale (AFAIAEAC), Butter & Cultured Dairy (Yogurt, Sour Cream, Kefir) Wholesale (AFAIAEAB)

Keywords

• Swiss cheese production
• Artisanal dairy products
• Raclette and fondue
• Mountain milk processing
• Specialty cheese shop

Headquarters

HQ city

Lenk

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales: Direct sales of cheese and dairy products to consumers through the physical shop in Lenk village center, moved to new location in December 2016.
2. E-commerce: Online sales through their website shop with delivery across Switzerland via Swiss Post A-Post.
3. Wholesale/B2B: Supply to gastronomy businesses (restaurants, hotels), retailers (Detaillisten), and wholesale customers (Grossisten).
4. Custom Gift Baskets: Customized gift baskets with cheese and regional specialties for various occasions including birthdays, weddings, retirements.
5. Equipment Rental: Rental of fondue sets (with Rechaud, Caquelon, fondue forks, and fuel paste) and raclette machines for events.
6. Custom Cheese Platters: Customized cheese platters assembled for weddings, birthdays, apéros, inaugurations, and corporate events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lenk Milch AG produces and sells a range of Swiss cheese and dairy products made from locally sourced mountain milk from ~50 dairy farms in the Lenk im Simmental region. Its portfolio includes raclette, fondue mixtures, hard and semi-hard cheeses, fresh dairy (milk, cream, butter, quark, yogurt), desserts, grill cheese, and Nidletäfeli. Products are sold through its own cheese shop, an e-commerce shop shipping across Switzerland via Swiss Post, and direct B2B supply to gastronomy, retailers, and wholesalers; ancillary services include custom cheese platters, gift baskets, equipment rental, and a hiking Fondue-Rucksack experience.

Product overview

Lenk Milch AG operates a specialty cheese shop and dairy company in Lenk im Simmental, Switzerland, founded in 1999. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of cheese products including various Raclette varieties (Nature, Smoked, Pepper, Bacon-Leek, Garlic, Paprika, Chili, Black Garlic, Tasmanian Mountain Pepper, Hay-Clover), Fondue mixtures (Nature, Herbs, Gletscherbach, Alpine), Hard cheeses (Gletscherbachkäse, Lenker Alpkäse, Bio Alpkäse, Simmentaler Cheddar), Semi-hard cheeses (Lenker Bergtummeli varieties, Bergkäse, Bergbleu, Vacherin), and specialty items. Complementing the cheese line are dairy products (Bergmilch, Butter, Rahm, Quark, Jogurt), desserts (Panna Cotta, Schoggi-Mousse, Nidletäfeli), and services including custom cheese platters, gift baskets, Fondue-Rucksack hiking experience, and equipment rental. The company processes over 1.6 million liters of mountain milk annually into cheese and dairy products, serving both retail customers and wholesale/hospitality businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fondue Products Ready-to-use cheese fondue mixtures including Nature, Herbs, Gletscherbach, Alpfondue, and open-mix varieties, made from regional Lenker milk for at-home fondue preparation.
• Hard Cheese (Hartkäse) Hard cheeses including Gletscherbachkäse, Lenker Alpkäse, Bio Alpkäse, Simmentaler Cheddar, Sänner Bergkäse, and Lenker Reibkäse, produced from regional mountain milk.
• Semi-Hard Cheese (Halbhartkäse) Semi-hard cheeses including Lenker Bergtummeli and Kräutertummeli varieties, Bergkäse, Bergbleu, Simmentaler Mutschli, Lenker Vacherin, and smoked variants.
• Raclette Plates (Racletteplatten) Pre-made raclette plates and slices featuring Nature, Smoked, Pepper, Bacon, Garlic, Paprika, Chili, Black Garlic, Tasmanian Mountain Pepper, Hay-Clover, and other flavored raclette varieties from regional Lenker milk.
• Fresh Dairy Products (Milchprodukte) Fresh dairy including Lenker Bergmilch (raw, pasteurized, drink milk), Lenker Rahm (cream), Lenker Butter, Lenker Quark, Lenker Jogurt, and Lenker Flan Caramel, produced from mountain milk of the Lenk region.
• Lenker Grillkäse Fresh cheese preparation with a spicy spice mixture, suitable for grilling, salads, and pan-frying; 250g portion; summer-only availability.
• Nidletäfeli Sweet cream tablet made from cream and sugar, 150g portion.
• Custom Cheese Platters (Käseplatten) Customized cheese platters assembled by Lenk Milch for weddings, birthdays, apéros, inaugurations, and corporate events, featuring Lenker cheese varieties and regional specialties.
• Gift Baskets (Geschenkkörbe) Customized gift baskets containing Lenk Milch cheese, regional specialties, wine, and herbs, with personalized labels for occasions such as birthdays, weddings, and retirements.
• Fondue-Rucksack (Hiking Fondue Backpack) Hiking fondue experience including homemade Lenk Milch cheese fondue, bread from Bäckerei Gübeli, and complete equipment in a backpack for outdoor fondue, picked up at the Lenk shop.
• Equipment Rental (Vermietung) Rental of fondue sets (Rechaud, Caquelon, fondue forks, fuel paste) and raclette machines for families and companies hosting events.
• Gift Vouchers (Gutscheine) Lenk Milch gift vouchers available in denominations of CHF 20, CHF 50, and CHF 100 for redemption against products in the shop or online.

Quantifiable outcome

• Founded in 1999, growing to 17 employees and 50 dairy farm shareholders
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Lenker Dairy Farmers (50 shareholder farms)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApproximately 50 dairy farming operations are shareholders of Lenk Milch AG. These farmers supply the mountain milk that is processed into Lenk Milch products. The partnership provides farmers with infrastructure and value creation from their milk production, while Lenk Milch gains access to consistent, high-quality local milk supply. This represents a foundational cooperative-style relationship where farmers directly benefit from the company's success.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Emmi Group: Switzerland's largest milk processor and a global specialty cheese company. Overlaps directly with Lenk Milch in alpine/raclette/fondue cheese manufacturing and operates a much broader dairy portfolio, making it the dominant incumbent reference point.
• Molkerei Alois Müller (Müller Milch): Large German/European private dairy with broad fresh and processed dairy, including cheese. Relevant incumbent comparable for distribution scale, multi-channel reach, and pricing dynamics in the broader European artisanal-adjacent dairy segment.

Regional players

• Berglandmilch: Austria's largest dairy cooperative, processing mountain and alpine milk into cheese and dairy products. Comparable cooperative ownership structure and mountain-milk value-add proposition, though operating primarily in Austria.
• Vorarlberg Milch: Austrian regional dairy cooperative producing alpine milk cheese (e.g., Bergkäse) in Vorarlberg. Comparable regional cooperative model focused on mountain-milk cheese, but serving a different (Austrian/European) market.

Others

• Fromarte: Swiss cheese dairy industry association representing small and medium Swiss cheesemakers. Lenk Milch holds Fromarte certification; the association serves as both a peer network and a standards/advocacy body for artisan Swiss cheese producers.

Direct peers

• Le Gruyère Switzerland: Inter-professional organization for AOC Gruyère, a raw-milk Swiss alpine hard cheese produced via a regional cooperative-style structure analogous to Lenk Milch. Direct comparable on raw-milk alpine cheese production, regional origin certification, and premium positioning.
• Appenzeller Käse: Swiss regional hard cheese with AOC certification, produced by a cooperative of small dairies in Appenzell. Highly comparable to Lenk Milch in terms of regional alpine origin story, artisan processing, and AOC-style quality labeling.
• Vacherin Fribourgeois: AOC soft cheese from the Fribourg region produced by regional dairies. Comparable semi-soft Swiss alpine cheese positioning, cooperative production model, and fondue/raclette application overlap.
• Tête de Moine: AOC Swiss semi-hard cheese from the Jura region, produced by small regional dairies and traditionally shaved at the table. Comparable artisan Swiss cheese positioning and premium regional origin strategy.
• Sbrinz: AOC extra-hard Swiss alpine cheese produced by regional dairies in central Switzerland. Comparable regional raw-milk hard cheese cooperative model and traditional alpine production methods.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lenkmilchag

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Lenk Milch