Bergkäserei Marbach AG

What Bergkäserei Marbach AG does

Bergkäserei Marbach AG is a privately held Swiss mountain cheese dairy founded in 1981 and headquartered at Dorfstrasse 16 in Marbach LU, situated at 871 meters altitude inside the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch, the only UNESCO Biosphere in Switzerland. The company produces cheese specialties from raw milk (Rohmilch) of cows and water buffalo grazing in the biosphere, and holds a pioneering position as the first producer of buffalo mozzarella in Switzerland. Its product range spans cow's milk cheeses (burrata, smoked mountain milk mozzarella, Bergblick hay-milk cheese aged six months, fondue mixes, cheesecake mixes), buffalo milk cheeses (buffalo curd, buffalo mozzarella in various formats, Buffaletta grill cheese, Büffellandjäger), regional specialties (Fidirulla line), and gift items including fondue boxes, Girolle servers, and adventure-trail accessories.

The business operates as an integrated direct-to-consumer estate: an on-site Verkaufsladen retail store, a bistro with cheese platters and Sunday brunch, an e-commerce shop shipping across Switzerland and Liechtenstein via Swiss Post, plus experience-tourism offerings such as guided adventure cheese dairy tours, mozzarella-making workshops, outdoor fondue experiences, water buffalo observation, an adventure trail, and event/seminar room rentals. Pricing is unit-based per piece, with cheese products ranging from CHF 2.40 to specialty gift items up to CHF 58, free shipping over CHF 80, and VAT applied at 8.1% or 2.6%. The company employs approximately 30 staff (described as 'knapp 30 Mitarbeitenden') and runs no disclosed wholesale, export, or third-party retail partnerships, concentrating all revenue within a Swiss/Liechtenstein end-consumer base and a secondary corporate group segment using its event facilities.

Name

Bergkäserei Marbach AG

Legal name

Bergkäserei Marbach AG

Website

https://kaeserei-marbach.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bergkäserei Marbach AG is a privately held Swiss mountain cheese dairy in the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch that produces raw-milk cow and buffalo cheeses, including Switzerland's first buffalo mozzarella, and sells them directly to Swiss consumers through an on-site store, bistro, experience tourism, and e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Cheese and Specialty Dairy Products

NAICS

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

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Pasta Filata Cheese Manufacturing (Mozzarella, Provolone, String Cheese) (AFAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh/Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Unripened & Soft) (AFAHABAA), Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB), Cheese (Natural & Processed) (CRADACAC)

Keywords

• Artisan cheese production
• Buffalo mozzarella manufacturing
• Raw milk cheesemaking
• Dairy farm experiences
• Specialty cheese retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Marbach LU

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cheese Product Sales: Direct sales of cheese products including buffalo mozzarella, burrata, fondue, Bergblick, and regional specialties through physical store and online shop. Prices range from CHF 2.40 to CHF 58.00 per item.
2. Visitor Experiences: Revenue from experience offerings including adventure cheese dairy tours, cheese workshops (e.g., mozzarella making workshops), outdoor fondue experiences, and adventure trail. Also includes bistro dining services.
3. Gift and Specialty Products: Sales of gift items including fondue boxes, cheese shingle boards, Girolle servers, adventure trail equipment, and recipe books.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bergkäserei Marbach AG is a mountain cheese dairy in the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch (Marbach LU, Switzerland) that produces artisan cheese specialties from raw cow and buffalo milk, including Switzerland's first buffalo mozzarella. The company sells these cheeses direct-to-consumer through an on-site retail store, an e-commerce online shop with Swiss Post delivery across Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and an on-site bistro. It also operates an experience cheese dairy offering guided tours, mozzarella-making workshops, outdoor fondue events, and an adventure trail.

Product overview

Bergkäserei Marbach AG operates as an integrated cheese dairy and experience destination. The company produces a diverse portfolio of cheese products centered on two main categories: cow's milk products (including mozzarella, smoked mountain milk mozzarella, Bergblick hay milk cheese, fondue mixes, and cheesecake mixes) and buffalo milk products (including buffalo curd, buffalo mozzarella in various forms, and buffalo grill cheese). Regional specialties include Fidirulla products and Büffellandjäger. The company also offers experience services such as adventure cheese dairy tours, cheese workshops where visitors make their own mozzarella, a bistro restaurant, and event/seminar room rentals. Gift products include fondue boxes, adventure trail equipment, children's books, and traditional cheese-cutting tools like the Girolle. Located in the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch at 871m altitude, the company emphasizes traditional cheese-making craft from raw milk of local cows and water buffalo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Natural Buffalo Curd (Büffelquark Natur) Creamy buffalo curd made from pasteurized buffalo milk, used as a base for dipping sauces, tarts, and desserts; sold to individual consumers via the online shop and on-site store.
• Swiss Homemade Burrata (Schweizer Burrata Hausgemacht) Fresh Italian-style burrata made from cow's milk, with a soft exterior and creamy interior; sold to consumers seeking fresh artisan cheese.
• Smoky Mountain Milk Mozzarella (Rauchiger Bergmilchmozzarella) Cow's milk mozzarella from UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch and Emmental with a smoky aroma, sold to individual cheese consumers.
• Buffalo Mozzarella Pearls (Büffelmozzarella Perlen) Small balls of buffalo mozzarella for salads and appetizers, targeted at home cooking enthusiasts.
• Buffaletta Grilled Cheese (Buffaletta Grillkäse) Grill cheese from pure buffalo milk refined with herbs, for barbecues and frying pans; sold to consumers seeking specialty grilling cheese.
• Bergblick from Hay Milk (Bergblick aus Heumilch) Cheese made from thermized hay milk aged six months, marketed to discerning cheese lovers.
• Marbacher Fondue Mix Ready to Cook (Marbacher Fondue Mischung Pfannenfertig) Ready-to-cook cheese fondue mix for convenient home fondue preparation, targeted at consumers.
• Cheesecake Mix with Herbs (Käsekuchenmischung mit Kräuter) Ready-to-use cheese cake mix with herbs for homemade cheesecakes, sold to consumers.
• Fidirulla Chueli Regional specialty cheese product from the Entlebuch region, sold to consumers seeking local specialties.
• Fidirulla Pasta Biosphere Blüemli Regional pasta specialty featuring the UNESCO Biosphere Blüemli design, sold to consumers.
• Büffellandjäger Regional specialty made from buffalo milk, sold to consumers interested in buffalo dairy products.
• Fondue Box (Fondue-Schachtel) Gift box containing fondue supplies and cheese products, marketed as a gift item.
• Adventure Trail Bag including Accessories Gift set including adventure trail accessories for children, sold to families visiting the dairy.
• Adventure Trail Children's Book - Sagenhaftes Gezwitscher Children's book about the adventure trail at the cheese dairy, sold as a souvenir/gift.
• Girolle with Bell Traditional Swiss cheese-cutting tool (Girolle) with bell for grating cheese, sold to cheese enthusiasts.
• Adventure Cheese Dairy Experience Guided tour experience where visitors learn how milk becomes cheese and discover the cheese dairy operations at Marbach LU.
• Cheese Workshop (Käse-Werkstatt) Hands-on workshop where participants make their own mozzarella, offered as a vacation activity for visitors and families.
• Bistro On-site restaurant offering cheese-based dishes, cheese platters, aperitifs, Sunday brunch, and fresh baked goods on weekends.
• Event and Seminar Rooms Rental event and seminar spaces at the dairy for corporate events, seminars, team building, and private gatherings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Producing best cheese specialties from raw milk of pampered cows and buffaloes
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Emmi Group: Switzerland's largest dairy processor and the dominant domestic player across milk, cheese, and fresh dairy categories. Broadly comparable as a Swiss cheese manufacturer and dairy brand portfolio, but operates at vastly greater scale and is publicly listed.
• Fromage Gruyère Switzerland (Interprofession du Gruyère): AOC-protected Swiss cheese category organization producing traditional mountain cheeses from raw cow's milk. Comparable as a premium Swiss raw-milk cheese producer tied to regional terroir and traditional production, though at a much larger, multi-dairy scale.

Direct peers

• Engelberg Käserei: Small Swiss alpine cheese dairy producing raw-milk specialties in a tourism-intensive region. Directly comparable as a small-scale, traditional raw-milk mountain cheese maker with on-site sales, but lacks Marbach's buffalo dairy and pasta filata extension.
• Jumi (Fromages de montagne): Swiss artisan affineur and cheese brand curating mountain cheeses and dairy specialties with strong storytelling and DTC positioning. Comparable to Marbach as a Swiss premium cheese brand emphasizing provenance and direct customer relationships, though Jumi focuses on affineur/cellar-ripening rather than primary production.
• La Fromagerie Alpine (Stofel): Small Swiss alpine cheese dairy producing traditional raw-milk cheeses in the Glarner Alps with on-site sales. Comparable as a small artisan mountain cheese maker tied to alpine terroir, though without the buffalo dairy and pasta filata products.
• Appenzeller Schaukäserei: Swiss cheese dairy combining traditional artisan cheese production with on-site visitor experiences, tours, restaurant, and retail store. Closely comparable to Marbach's model of integrating cheese making with experiential tourism and DTC sales under one roof.
• Latteria Soresina: Italian dairy cooperative specializing in Italian-style pasta filata cheeses including mozzarella, burrata, and provolone. Closely comparable to Marbach's pasta filata product line (mozzarella, burrata, smoked mozzarella), though much larger in scale and Italian-rooted.

Emerging players

• Buffalo Mozzarella Company (Casearia Andolina): UK-based specialty producer of buffalo mozzarella and burrata with a focus on provenance and direct-to-consumer sales. Comparable to Marbach as a small, branded buffalo mozzarella specialist, though operating in the UK market.
• Molki / Büffelmozzarella Deutschland peers (e.g., Büffelhof): German farm-based buffalo dairy producing buffalo mozzarella and other buffalo dairy products with on-site sales and farm-tourism experiences. Comparable to Marbach as a small-scale European buffalo mozzarella producer combining dairy production with direct and farm-tourism sales, though operating in Germany.

Regional players

• Schaukäserei Ammergauer Alpen: German mountain cheese dairy in the Alps operating a show dairy, retail store, bistro, and guided tours with direct cheese sales. Similar experience-driven artisan cheese business model, but based in Germany rather than Switzerland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kaeserei-marbach

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 Bergkäserei Marbach AG