Wisconsin Cheese Mart

What Wisconsin Cheese Mart does

Wisconsin Cheese Mart is a family-owned specialty food retailer founded in 1938 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operating a direct-to-consumer business model anchored on premium Wisconsin artisan cheeses and complementary gourmet products. The company sells an estimated 600+ SKUs spanning cheese types (Cheddar, Gouda, Blue, Feta, Mozzarella, Swiss, spreads, and aged varieties up to 20-year aged Cheddar), cured meats (Usinger's sausage), accompaniments (mustards, pickles, olives, chocolates), and curated gift baskets. Distribution is dual-channel: a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with nationwide cold-chain shipping, and two physical retail locations in Milwaukee (flagship at 215 W Highland Ave) and Madison (119 State St).

The company's revenue mechanics layer four streams: one-time transactional retail purchases, a Cheese of the Month Club recurring subscription, a dedicated corporate gifting program with bulk ordering, and The Artisan Society affiliate program for referral-driven acquisition. Pricing is unit-based at $2-$55 per item, with corporate gifting offering tiered price points under $50, $100, and $200. The core competitive position rests on exclusive "preferred online retailer" status with Carr Valley Cheese, plus distribution partnerships with Pine River (60+ year heritage cheese spreads), Klondike Cheese Company, Usinger's, LaClare Family Creamery, Sartori, Burnett Dairy, Hill Valley Dairy, and Meister Cheese. The company maintains a multi-channel marketing presence (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, recipe and creamery-profile blogs, email newsletter, and earned media in TODAY, Fortune, Reader's Digest, Real Simple) and operates a customer rewards program.

Operationally, Wisconsin Cheese Mart is small (11-50 employees), family-held, with no disclosed funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no recent M&A or leadership changes in the data. The technology footprint is limited to Shopify plus standard payment integrations, with no proprietary AI/ML or API layer. Growth in recent years appears to have come from incremental channel buildout (subscription, corporate gifting, affiliate, second retail location, clean-label product line) rather than from capital infusion or structural change.

Name

Wisconsin Cheese Mart

Legal name

Wisconsin Cheese Mart

Website

https://wisconsincheesemart.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wisconsin Cheese Mart is a family-owned specialty retailer founded in 1938, selling premium Wisconsin artisan cheeses, cured meats, gift baskets, and accompaniments through two Wisconsin retail locations and a nationwide e-commerce storefront, serving individual consumers, corporate gifting clients, and subscription customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Cheese and Specialty Food Products: Direct-to-consumer sales of Wisconsin artisan cheeses, cheese spreads, meats, accompaniments, and gift baskets through e-commerce and physical retail locations. Transaction-based purchases with no subscription required for basic purchases.
2. Corporate Gifting: Dedicated corporate gifting program offering bulk orders of cheese and sausage gift crates for business occasions.
3. Cheese of the Month Club: Subscription-based recurring delivery of curated artisan cheese selections on a monthly basis.
4. Affiliate Program (The Artisan Society): Partner affiliate program where partners earn referral commissions for driving sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Wisconsin Cheese Mart retails premium Wisconsin artisan cheeses, cheese spreads, cured meats, and gourmet accompaniments through a Shopify e-commerce storefront with nationwide cold-chain shipping and two physical retail stores in Milwaukee and Madison. The assortment spans hundreds of SKUs sourced from premier Wisconsin creameries such as Carr Valley, Pine River, Klondike, Sartori, LaClare, Burnett, Meister, and Hill Valley, complemented by a Cheese of the Month subscription club and a dedicated corporate gifting service.

Product overview

Wisconsin Cheese Mart operates a single e-commerce platform as an online retailer of premium Wisconsin artisan cheeses and gourmet food products. The core offering centers on an extensive cheese catalog organized by type (Cheddar, Gouda, Mozzarella, Swiss, Blue, Feta, and specialty varieties), milk source (cow, goat, sheep, mixed, raw), and flavor profiles. Key sub-brands include Carr Valley Cheese (specialty artisan cheeses), Pine River Cold Pack Cheese Spreads (gourmet and clean-label spreads with over 60-year heritage), Klondike Cheese Company products (Buholzer Brothers and Odyssey Feta), and Usinger's Sausage. The company also offers complementary products including cured meats, pantry items (mustards, pickles, olives, candied pecans, chocolate), gift baskets, Cheese of the Month subscription clubs, corporate gifting services, e-gift cards, and an affiliate rewards program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wisconsin Artisan Cheese Catalog Curated retail assortment of premium Wisconsin artisan cheeses offered to individual consumers and gift buyers through the online store and physical retail locations, including rare aged cheddars, specialty butters, and European-style varieties.
• Pine River Cold Pack Cheese Spreads Refrigerated cold pack cheese spreads in a wide range of flavors, sold to consumers seeking ready-to-eat Wisconsin cheese products for snacking, entertaining, and pairing.
• Pine River Clean Label Cold Pack Cheese Spreads Premium all-natural cold pack cheese spreads targeted at consumers seeking clean-label Wisconsin cheese products without preservatives.
• Pine River Gourmet Snack Spreads Shelf-stable gourmet cheese snack spreads for consumers who want portable, non-refrigerated cheese products suitable for shipping and gifting.
• Usinger's Sausage and Wisconsin Meats Premium Wisconsin cured meats and sausages offered as accompaniments to cheese, for charcuterie boards, gift baskets, and snacking.
• Cheese of the Month Club Subscription-based recurring delivery service offering monthly curated artisan cheese selections for individual subscribers and businesses seeking ongoing supply.
• Corporate Gifting Program Bulk ordering and customization service for businesses purchasing Wisconsin artisan cheese and sausage gifts for corporate occasions, client appreciation, employee rewards, and events.
• E-Gift Cards Digital gift cards that allow recipients to choose their own Wisconsin cheese, meat, or accompaniment products from the online store.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Carr Valley CheesecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWisconsin Cheese Mart is Carr Valley Cheese's preferred online retailer, offering their full lineup of products for shipping. This partnership grants exclusive online distribution for Carr Valley's artisan cheeses including their bread cheeses, cheddars, blue cheeses, and specialty varieties.
• Pine RivercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPine River is celebrated for over 60 years of cheese spread excellence. Wisconsin Cheese Mart offers their full range including Cold Pack Cheese Spreads (20+ varieties), Clean Label Cold Pack Cheese Spreads, and Gourmet Snack Spreads.
• Klondike Cheese CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to offer Klondike Cheese Company's Buholzer Brothers line and Odyssey Feta products through the online store.
• Usinger's SausageminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReseller partnership offering Usinger's premium Wisconsin sausages including Thueringer, summer sausage, and all-beef varieties.
• LaClare Family CreameryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOffers LaClare Family Creamery products including their unique Chevre Ube specialty goat cheese.
• SartoriminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatures Sartori's Bellavitano line including specialty varieties like Bellavitano Hatch Chile.
• Burnett DairyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOffers Burnett Dairy products including their Gouda Gruyere combination cheese.
• Hill Valley DairyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatures Hill Valley Dairy's Alina cheese variety in their new additions section.
• Meister CheeseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOffers Meister Cheese products including their Monterey Jack with Morel and Leek specialty cheese.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Formaticum: Specialty cheese accessories and subscription retailer offering curated cheese-of-the-month clubs and pairing tools — directly comparable to Wisconsin Cheese Mart's Cheese of the Month Club in subscription positioning, though focused on accessories rather than cheese itself.
• Cowgirl Creamery: Artisan cheese producer-retailer with cheese shop locations and a curated online store, comparable in scale and positioning but with a more vertically integrated production model.

Broad incumbents

• Harry & David: Large-scale gourmet gift retailer with nationwide shipping of cheese, meats, and specialty food gifts — overlaps with Wisconsin Cheese Mart's corporate gifting and gift basket business but serves a broader, more generalist audience.
• Goldbelly: Online marketplace specializing in iconic American and regional food gifts (cheese, meats, baked goods) shipped nationwide. Broader than Wisconsin Cheese Mart in assortment but operates the same curated-gifting, cold-chain-shipping model that competes for the same artisan cheese customer.

Direct peers

• iGourmet: Online specialty foods retailer offering premium cheeses, meats, and accompaniments with nationwide shipping and corporate gifting options, overlapping directly with Wisconsin Cheese Mart's product mix and target buyer.
• Di Bruno Bros. Philadelphia-based specialty cheesemonger and gourmet food retailer with multiple retail locations, e-commerce, and an artisan cheese subscription program — a direct competitor in the specialty cheese retail and gifting space.
• Murray's Cheese: NYC-based specialty cheese retailer (acquired by Kroger) operating both a flagship cheese shop and a robust e-commerce site with nationwide shipping, artisan cheese subscriptions, and curated gift programs — directly comparable to Wisconsin Cheese Mart's DTC, subscription, and gifting model.
• Beecher's Handmade Cheese: Artisan cheese maker-retailer with flagship shops and nationwide shipping of premium cheeses and gift boxes — comparable product mix and gifting model to Wisconsin Cheese Mart.
• Saxelby Cheesemongers: NYC-based artisan cheese shop and cheesemonger offering curated American farmstead cheeses online and in-store — comparable specialty focus and DTC model, though smaller scale.

Regional players

• Zingerman's: Michigan-based specialty food retailer and mail-order business with deep artisan cheese assortment, gift baskets, and subscription services — overlapping product strategy and gifting program but serving a different regional footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCveHXXIEVT3CNKC84eXiOoA/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/WisconsinCheeseMart
• Instagraminstagram.com/wisconsincheesemart
• Pinterestpinterest.com/wicheesemart/_created
• Xx.com/cheese_mart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cheese-mart-inc

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 Wisconsin Cheese Mart