Genossenschaft Zentralschweizer Milchproduzenten ZMP

What Genossenschaft Zentralschweizer Milchproduzenten ZMP does

Genossenschaft Zentralschweizer Milchproduzenten ZMP (ZMP) is a Swiss agricultural cooperative founded in 1907 (originally as Milchverband Luzern) and headquartered at Friedentalstrasse 43 in Lucerne, Switzerland. It aggregates, markets, and logistics-distributes approximately 500 million kilograms of raw milk annually on behalf of roughly 2,800 dairy farmer members in Central Switzerland and adjacent regions, representing about 75,000 cows. The cooperative's commercial backbone is the sale of pooled milk to major Swiss and international dairy processors—Emmi AG receives approximately 80% of ZMP's volume, with the remainder going to Bergkäserei Marbach AG, Baer/Lactalis, Nestlé, Neue Napfmilch AG, and other processors producing cheese (including AOP varieties), butter, and yogurt.

ZMP operates a primarily B2B, sales-led go-to-market anchored on long-term contractual relationships and Swiss quality/sustainability certifications (swissmilk green, Bio Suisse, Suisse Garantie, Käsereimilch AOP). Supporting member services include milk money accounting (Milchgeldabrechnung), logistics and disposition, milking consulting (Melkberatung), cheese-dairy consulting (Käsereiberatung), and feeding consulting (Fütterungsberatung). The cooperative's core technology stack consists of an external milk-data database (dbmilch/agate managed by TSM Treuhand GmbH) and is certified to ISO 9001:2015; in 2013 it became the first Swiss dairy organization to receive the NPO-Label for Management Excellence.

ZMP's revenue model blends (i) transaction-fee income from pooling, logistics, and sale of member milk to processors, (ii) member-service fees for consulting and back-office functions (mostly offered free or at low cost to retain membership), and (iii) equity returns flowing up from its wholly-owned investment vehicle ZMP Invest AG, which holds majority stakes in Emmi AG (>53%), Bergkäserei Marbach AG (>85%), and Neue Napfmilch AG (>91%). A minor but publicly visible revenue stream is the rental of two promotional "melkbare Kühe" (Jaqueline and Simona) for events. Governance runs through a 7-member board, 200 delegates from 10 electoral districts, and an executive team of approximately 9 headquarter staff led by CEO Pirmin Furrer and President Thomas Grüter.

Name

Genossenschaft Zentralschweizer Milchproduzenten ZMP

Legal name

Genossenschaft Zentralschweizer Milchproduzenten ZMP

Website

https://zmp.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ZMP is a Swiss dairy cooperative founded in 1907, headquartered in Lucerne, aggregating ~500 million kg of milk annually from ~2,800 member farmers in Central Switzerland and selling primarily to Emmi AG and other processors, while holding majority equity stakes in multiple downstream dairy companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Luzern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Milk Sales and Marketing: The core revenue stream involves purchasing milk from approximately 2,800 member producers at market prices, organizing logistics and transport, and selling the aggregated milk volume to dairy processors. The most significant customer is Emmi AG (receiving ~80% of milk volume), with other customers including Bergkäserei Marbach AG, Baer/Lactalis, Nestlé, Neue Napfmilch AG, and others. The ZMP achieves above-average milk prices for its members through quality standards and efficient operations.
2. Member Services and Consulting: Services provided to member milk producers including melkberatung (milking consultation), käsereiberatung (cheese dairy consultation), fütterungsberatung (feeding consultation), milk money accounting, and logistics. Many services are offered free or at low cost to members.
3. Milky Cow Rental: Rental service for two artificial milking cows (Jacqueline and Simona) for events, trade shows, and private occasions. Pricing varies by member status and rental duration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ZMP is a Swiss agricultural cooperative that aggregates roughly 500 million kilograms of milk annually from around 2,800 member producers in Central Switzerland and markets it primarily to dairy processors, with Emmi AG taking the vast majority of volumes. It provides complementary services to its members including milk-payment settlement, logistics and transport disposition, ISO 9001:2015-based quality assurance, sustainability monitoring via the dbmilch database, and on-farm consulting. ZMP also holds a controlling stake of more than 53% in Emmi AG through its subsidiary ZMP Invest AG.

Product overview

Genossenschaft ZMP operates as a dairy producers' cooperative offering milk marketing services (bundling, logistics, and sales to processors), member services (milk payment billing), and consulting services (cheese dairy, milking, and feeding advisory). The organization also offers an educational service renting out two plastic milking cows named Jaqueline and Simona for events. ZMP publishes a monthly newsletter (ZMP info) for members. The core offering centers on milk aggregation and marketing, with consulting and member administration as supporting services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Milk Marketing Services (Milchvermarktung) Aggregates and markets approximately 500 million kg of raw milk annually from around 2,800 member farms to dairy processors, with Emmi AG taking approximately 80% of volume.
• Milk Payment Settlement Services (Milchgeldverrechnung) Calculates and disburses milk payments to member producers based on delivered volumes, quality, and other contractual parameters.
• Milk Logistics and Transport Disposition (Logistik/Disposition) Plans and coordinates transport of raw milk from member farms to processors, optimizing collection and delivery schedules.
• Quality Management and Sustainability Programs (dbmilch) ISO 9001:2015-certified quality assurance backed by the dbmilch database for raw-milk testing, traceability, and sustainability documentation for member farms.
• On-Farm Consulting and Advisory Services (Beratung) Provides consulting and advisory services to member dairy farmers on production, quality, and sustainability topics.
• Milk Cow Rental (Trächte Kuh mieten) Rental of decorative milk cows for advertising, events, and promotional purposes, with tiered pricing options.

Quantifiable outcome

• ZMP achieved milk prices ranking second highest in Switzerland in 2006 (first year of milk marketing operations)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ZMP Invest AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006ZMP Invest AG is a 100% owned subsidiary of ZMP, established in 2006 to hold and manage participations in dairy processing companies. The company manages stakes in Emmi AG (>53%), Bergkäserei Marbach AG (>85%), Neue Napfmilch AG (>91%), LATI SA (82%), and Caseificio dimostrativo del Gottardo SA (21%).
• Emmi AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmi AG is the primary customer receiving ~80% of ZMP's milk volume. ZMP holds majority stake (>53%) in Emmi via ZMP Invest AG. Emmi originated from the Zentralschweizer Milchverband MVL (now ZMP) in 1993. ZMP board members serve on Emmi's board including as Vice President.
• Bergkäserei Marbach AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBergkäserei Marbach AG in Schangnau is a specialty cheese dairy producing mountain cheeses. ZMP Invest AG holds >85% stake. André Bernet, ZMP management member, serves on the board.
• Neue Napfmilch AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional dairy in the Napf area ensuring local milk processing. ZMP Invest AG holds >91% stake. Pirmin Furrer, ZMP CEO, serves on the board.
• TSM Treuhand GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationTSM Treuhand GmbH manages the dbmilch.ch database used by ZMP and its members for milk data tracking and administration. ZMP is a shareholder in TSM.
• Schweizer Milchproduzenten SMPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMP is the national umbrella organization for regional milk associations and producer organizations. ZMP takes seats on the board, working groups and commissions. Lukas Dissler serves on SMP board.
• Branchenorganisation (BO) MilchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBO Milch is the industry organization where producers, processors and retailers are represented equally. ZMP is a member and takes seats on the board. BO Milch issues reference prices and manages market segmentation.
• Schweizer Bauernverband SBVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBV is the umbrella association for Swiss agriculture. ZMP participates through SMP membership and Thomas Grüter serves on the Landwirtschaftskammer.
• KlimaStaR Project Partners (Emmi, Nestlé, aaremilch)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-industry initiative for climate protection in dairy farming. Partners include Emmi, Nestlé, and milk producer organization aaremilch. Aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% through measures on ~300 pilot farms. Supported by Federal Office for Agriculture.
• EmmicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmmi is testing hydrogen-powered milk transport trucks. Since ZMP uses some of the same milk transport companies as Emmi, ZMP will benefit from this transition to emission-free milk transport.
• Stuber Transport AGminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransport company in Rotkreuz used for milky cow rental deliveries when ZMP arranges transport.
• Käsereiberatung ZMPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCheese dairy consulting service for member cheese cooperatives. Robert Schwarz serves as head of cheese dairy consulting and also administers the Association of Self-Producing Cheese Dairies.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• mooh Genossenschaft: Swiss milk producer cooperative providing milk collection, quality programs, and direct marketing services to producers. Overlaps directly with ZMP in the cooperative milk marketing space and competes for producer relationships.
• milco (formerly Swiss Dairy Food): Swiss dairy cooperative involved in milk processing and marketing for its farmer-members. Similar cooperative structure and member-services orientation as ZMP, with overlapping B2B relationships to Swiss processors.
• aaremilch: Regional milk producer cooperative operating in the Bern/Aare region of Switzerland. aaremilch aggregates member milk and sells to processors (including Emmi), making it the closest functional peer to ZMP's producer-organization model in Switzerland.
• Bernmilch / BEMA: Swiss regional milk producer organization historically serving the Bern area, performing milk collection, logistics, and marketing on behalf of member producers—directly comparable to ZMP's core marketing cooperative role.

Broad incumbents

• Schweizer Milchproduzenten SMP: National umbrella organization for Swiss milk producer organizations including ZMP. SMP sets industry positions, runs the swissmilk brand, and represents producer interests federally—comparable as the broader industry body ZMP belongs to.
• FrieslandCampina: Dutch dairy cooperative aggregating milk from member farmers and processing globally. Useful comparable for ZMP's cooperative model, member services, and equity-linked processor exposure.
• Arla Foods: Large European dairy cooperative owned by farmers across multiple countries. Comparable to ZMP in cooperative structure and member-driven milk aggregation, though at a much larger multinational scale.

Others

• Nestlé Suisse: Major Swiss dairy buyer that is a direct customer of ZMP. Included as a peer because Nestlé represents an alternative processor-buyer channel that competes with Emmi for ZMP's milk allocation decisions.
• Emmi AG: Switzerland's largest dairy processor and ZMP's primary customer (80% of volume) and 53%+ owned subsidiary via ZMP Invest AG. Included as a peer because it is both a major counterparty and a strategic equity asset that defines ZMP's value.

Regional players

• DMK Group (Deutsches Milchkontor): Germany's largest dairy cooperative, operating a producer-driven milk aggregation and processing model analogous to ZMP. Comparable as a neighboring-country cooperative peer operating under similar EU/regulatory frameworks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/genossenschaft-zentralschweizer-milchproduzenten-zmp

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Genossenschaft Zentralschweizer Milchproduzenten ZMP