Queijaria Guilherme

What Queijaria Guilherme does

Queijaria Guilherme, Unipessoal Lda. is a Portuguese artisanal cheese manufacturer founded in 2001 and headquartered at Monte Vale de Faia near Serpa in the Baixo Alentejo region. The company produces a portfolio of over 40 traditional cheese and dairy references made from sheep's and goat's milk, organized into four main lines: Serpa DOP (Protected Designation of Origin), sheep cheeses (cured, buttered, gourmet), goat cheeses (fresh, light, cured, herb-infused, olive-oil-preserved), and fresh products including curd cheese and butters. Manufacturing operates across two independent production lines — one for sheep milk and one for goat milk — with pasteurization, vacuum packaging (thermoforming), and cold maturation infrastructure, certified to IFS FOOD V7 food safety standard. The company is recognized as the largest producer of Serpa PDO cheese and has accumulated national and regional cheese competition awards from 2010 through 2017.

The company generates revenue through wholesale and retail sale of its cheese and dairy products via multiple channels. Distribution includes major Portuguese supermarket and hypermarket chains (Continente, El Corte Inglés, Auchan, Intermarché, Makro), traditional trade retailers, a direct factory outlet at the production site, and direct international shipping via post or carrier for export orders. Customer segments span retail consumers, traditional trade and supermarket buyers, and the HoReCa (hotel, restaurant, café) channel. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and bulk and export inquiries are handled via direct contact. The company is privately held as a single-member Portuguese limited liability company with no external institutional investors or parent entity, operating with approximately 5 employees.

The business model is a traditional specialty food manufacturing operation that combines artisanal production methods with industrial food safety compliance. Raw material supply is secured through a curated network of local dairy farms in the Serpa region, with the company exercising control over herd health, pasture quality, and production methods. Brand equity is anchored by a registered trademark ("O sabor da Serra de Serpa") and supported by an extended record of cheese competition awards, providing differentiation in the Portuguese specialty cheese segment.

Name

Queijaria Guilherme

Legal name

Queijaria Guilherme, Unipessoal Lda.

Website

https://queijariaguilherme.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Queijaria Guilherme is a Portuguese artisanal cheese manufacturer founded in 2001 in Serpa, producing over 40 traditional sheep and goat milk cheeses including Serpa PDO, and serving retail, HoReCa, and export customers across Portugal and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Cheese Manufacturing

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue) (AFAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Artisan cheese production
• Sheep milk cheese
• Goat milk cheese
• PDO cheese manufacturing
• Portuguese dairy products

Headquarters

HQ city

Serpa

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cheese and Dairy Product Sales: Queijaria Guilherme generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of cheese and dairy products including Serpa DOP cheese, sheep cheeses, goat cheeses, fresh products, and butter sold through retail, wholesale, and direct factory channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Queijaria Guilherme manufactures and sells traditional Portuguese cheeses from sheep and goat milk at its facility in Serpa, Portugal. The portfolio includes PDO-certified Serpa cheese, fresh and cured goat cheeses, aged and gourmet sheep cheeses, sheep and goat butters, and sheep curd cheese (Requeijão). Products are distributed through Portuguese supermarket chains, traditional retail, foodservice, the company factory store, and direct international shipping.

Product overview

Queijaria Guilherme is a traditional cheese manufacturer operating since 2001, producing quality cheeses from sheep's milk and goat's milk. The product portfolio is organized into four main categories: Serpa PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheeses made from sheep's milk; Sheep cheeses including cured, buttered, and gourmet varieties; Goat cheeses including fresh (with light version), cured (with variants like 3 herbs and preserved in olive oil); and Fresh products including curd cheese and butters from both sheep and goat milk. The company operates two independent production lines—one for sheep's milk products and one for goat's milk products—to ensure product purity without blending.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• O sabor da Serra de Serpa: Brand tagline associated with Queijaria Guilherme cheeses, meaning 'The Flavor of Serra de Serpa'

Products and services

• Queijo Serpa DOP Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) semi-soft cheese made with selected sheep's milk; the most famous cheese in Alentejo and considered one of the best in Portugal. Target customers are quality-seeking cheese consumers and retailers.
• Queijo de Cabra Fresco Atabafado Award-winning fresh goat cheese that does not undergo maturation, offering soft texture and flavor with lower caloric value than cured cheese; marketed as an appetizer.
• Queijo de Cabra Fresco Light Award-winning light version of the fresh goat cheese with reduced fat content, targeting health-conscious consumers.
• Queijo de Cabra Curado Atabafado Half-cured goat cheese with firm texture, light color, intense flavor, and a light trace of salt and spices; typical of excellent Alentejo goat cheese.
• Queijo de Cabra Curado com 3 Ervas Cured goat cheese flavored with three herbs, combining traditional cheese flavor with herbal aromatic notes.
• Queijo de Cabra Curado Conservado em Azeite Half-cured goat cheese preserved in olive oil, extending shelf life and absorbing the aromas of Alentejo olive oil for enhanced flavor.
• Queijo de Ovelha Gourmet Exceptional-quality cheese with intense flavor obtained through a long maturation process; straw yellow color, high density, and firmness, suitable for long tasting.
• Queijo de Ovelha Curado Especial Cured sheep cheese with extended, careful maturation, revealing a compact, firm texture with a straw yellow tone and balanced aroma.
• Manteiga de Cabra Pasteurizada Pasteurized goat butter made from goat milk cream, light in color with the inherent intensity of goat milk and the delicate softness of traditional high-quality butter.
• Manteiga de Ovelha Pasteurizada Pasteurized butter made from sheep's milk cream, part of the company's fresh products line.
• Requeijão de Ovelha Sheep curd cheese appreciated for its soft texture and soft aroma; obtained through fresh cheese serum with a light color and slightly granulated creamy mass.
• Alentejo Mix Combination pack of cured goat and sheep cheeses curated for tasting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 product references available in catalog
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Selected Milk Producers (Região de Serpa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQueijaria Guilherme maintains close relationships with a selected network of local dairy farms producing milk from sheep and goats. The company exercises strict control over production methods, herd health, and pasture quality to ensure the highest quality milk for cheese production. This partnership ensures consistent supply of premium raw materials while supporting the regional agricultural economy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Savencia Fromage & Dairy: French specialty cheese group with strong Iberian presence. Both a competitor on premium cheese ranges and a likely acquirer for premium artisanal players like Queijaria Guilherme.
• Arla Foods: European dairy cooperative owning the Castello specialty cheese brand. Competes for the same premium-cheese shelf space and small-format specialty buyer as Queijaria Guilherme.
• Lactalis: World's largest dairy company with extensive cheese operations in Iberia (including Portugal). Acts as the strategic exit path for artisanal players and competes for premium specialty shelf space.
• Bel Group: Major French dairy group (The Laughing Cow, Babybel, Kiri) with a cheese diversification strategy focused on specialty and Mediterranean styles, directly relevant to scaled retail assortment competition.

Direct peers

• Cypress Grove: California-based specialty goat cheese maker (acquired by Emmi Group) and pioneer of the fresh-goat category in the US. A direct match for Queijaria Guilherme's fresh goat cheese (Queijo de Cabra Fresco) positioning and an example of an exit to a strategic dairy buyer.
• Jasper Hill Farm: Vermont-based artisan cheese operation producing aged and cave-ripened cheeses with strong farm-to-table credibility. Most analogous in scale, certification focus, and specialty retailer relationships.
• Murray's Cheese: US specialty cheese affineur and retailer that curates artisan European and domestic cheeses and supports farmhouse producer distribution. A natural US distribution partner for Queijaria Guilherme and a comparable premium-cheese go-to-market model.
• Bellwether Farms: California sheep- and cow-milk artisan cheese producer with farmstead identity and direct relationships with West Coast retailers. Closely comparable artisan sheep-cheese positioning and PDO/method-defended quality story.
• Rogue Creamery: Oregon-based artisan cheese producer specializing in blue and aged cheeses, with strong national US distribution and international export. Closely comparable in business model — small-batch PDO-style authenticity paired with award-driven premium branding.
• Queijaria S. Pedro: Portuguese sheep and goat cheese producer operating in the Alentejo region with similar PDO and artisan positioning — directly comparable competitor for Serpa-area retail and HoReCa accounts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queijaria-guilherme

Compliance1 record

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 Queijaria Guilherme