Pine River Dairy

What Pine River Dairy does

Pine River Dairy is a sixth-generation, family-owned Wisconsin dairy manufacturer and retailer headquartered in a single facility at 10115 English Lake Rd, Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The Olm family has operated the business since 1932 and traces its cheesemaking heritage to 1877; the company currently employs 11–50 people and operates as a sole proprietorship with no outside capital. The core product set is butter and butter blends (manufactured using fresh cream sourced from Eastern Wisconsin cheese factories) alongside an unusually broad retail catalog of more than 250 cheese varieties—including cheddar (fresh through 17-year aged), Colby, Swiss, Brick, Gouda, Monterey Jack, Havarti, Muenster, Italian, process, and cheese curds/string cheese—complemented by Miesfeld's summer sausage, Chapel Hill and Griff's toffee, gift boxes, and branded apparel. There is no proprietary software or technology platform; the company's underlying technology stack is conventional dairy manufacturing combined with a BigCommerce e-commerce storefront, and the firm holds no patents, trademarks of record, certifications, or third-party AI integrations.

Revenue is generated through three channels: (1) direct-to-consumer retail at the on-site store, (2) nationwide e-commerce shipping of perishable dairy (one weekly outbound shipping cadence, Monday mornings), and (3) wholesale butter and butter-blend sales with custom packaging, labeling, and blending. Pricing is unit-based, with cheese spreads at $4–$20, individual cheese products at roughly $4–$20, cheese curds around $7.50, sausage at $9.95, toffee at $1.99–$14.95, and tiered gift boxes at $24.95–$59.95. Customer segments are individual consumers (DTC, gifting, tourism) and wholesale buyers; marketing is limited to Facebook and an email newsletter, with no paid acquisition, no app, no public API, and no disclosed revenue, headcount growth, or funding history.

Name

Pine River Dairy

Legal name

Pine River Dairy

Website

https://pineriverdairy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pine River Dairy is a sixth-generation, family-owned Wisconsin dairy that manufactures butter and butter blends wholesale and retails over 250 varieties of cheese, spreads, sausage, toffee, and gift boxes through its on-site Manitowoc store and a nationwide BigCommerce e-commerce storefront serving individual consumers and gifting customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Cheese & Dairy Products

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Creamery Butter Manufacturing (311512), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh/Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Unripened & Soft) (AFAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Processed Cheese & Cheese Spreads Manufacturing (Slices, Loaves, Spreadable) (AFAHABAD), Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB), Cheese Blending & Formulation (Retail & Foodservice Blends) (AFAHABAG)

Keywords

• Artisan cheese production
• Wholesale butter manufacturing
• Cheese spread products
• Wisconsin dairy products
• Dairy gift boxes

Headquarters

HQ city

Manitowoc

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Cheese Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of over 250 varieties of cheese through the retail store located in the manufacturing facility and via e-commerce shipping.
2. Wholesale Butter Products: Manufacturing and selling butter and butter blends at the wholesale level, with custom packaging, labeling, and blending options.
3. Specialty Products: Sales of sausage, toffee, and gift boxes through retail and e-commerce channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pine River Dairy manufactures and sells butter, butter blends, and over 250 varieties of Wisconsin cheese (including cheddar, colby, gouda, swiss, brick, muenster, monterey jack, havarti, italian, and process styles), complemented by cheese curds, summer sausage, toffee, and curated gift boxes. The company operates a retail store at its Manitowoc, Wisconsin manufacturing facility and ships direct-to-consumer nationwide via an e-commerce website, while also supplying wholesale butter and butter blends to business buyers with custom packaging, labeling, and blending options.

Product overview

Pine River Dairy is a sixth-generation family-owned Wisconsin dairy company operating since 1932 that manufactures and retails butter, butter blends, and over 250 varieties of cheese. The product portfolio centers on core dairy products (butter and cheese spreads) complemented by an extensive cheese selection organized by variety (Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Brick, Gouda, Muenster, Monterey Jack, Havarti, Italian, and Process cheese), specialty items (curds, string cheese, and sausages), and gift packages. The company operates both wholesale manufacturing and a retail store within the manufacturing facility, offering in-store shopping and direct-to-consumer e-commerce shipping with temperature-controlled logistics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Butter and Butter Blends High-quality butter and butter blend products manufactured using fresh cream from Eastern Wisconsin cheese factories; sold at retail and at wholesale with custom packaging, labeling, and blending options for business customers.
• Cheese Spreads Variety of cold pack cheese spreads including Sharp Cheddar, Cranberry Cheddar, Aged Asiago, Pimento, Jalapeño, Horseradish, Beer, Garden Vegetable, Swiss & Almond, and Chunky Bleu, available in 2.5oz to 5lb containers for retail and gifting customers.
• Cheddar Cheese Extensive selection of cheddar cheeses including Fresh, Mild, Aged (1-17 year varieties), White Cheddar, Garlic, Jalapeño, Bacon, Beer, Horseradish, Olive, Apple, and flavored varieties in blocks, wheels, and curds for retail and gift customers.
• Colby Cheese Colby cheese varieties including Fresh, Mild, Jalapeño, Bacon, Onion, Taco, and Swiss blends, available in Longhorn format and various block sizes for retail customers.
• Gouda Cheese Gouda cheese varieties offered at the Manitowoc retail store and through e-commerce for individual consumers and gift buyers.
• Swiss Cheese Swiss cheese varieties including Baby Swiss, Swiss Lace, and smoked process Swiss and Cheddar combinations sold at retail and online.
• Monterey Jack Cheese Monterey Jack varieties including Dill, Herb & Garlic, Peppercorn Ranch, Habanero, and Dupont with Horseradish or Tomato & Garlic for retail customers.
• Brick Cheese Widmer's Brick Cheese and related varieties including Smoked Brick, Jalapeño Brick, and Garlic Brick offered at retail and online.
• Muenster Cheese Muenster cheese varieties available at the Manitowoc retail store and through the e-commerce website.
• Italian Cheese Italian-style cheeses including Parmesan, Asiago, Gorgonzola, Fresh Grated Parmesan, and Sartori specialty cheeses for retail and gift customers.
• Havarti Cheese Havarti varieties including Dill, Garlic, Herb & Spice, and Horseradish & Chive — creamy semi-soft cheeses with buttery notes for retail customers.
• Process Cheese Processed cheese products including Garlic Process, Bacon Process, Hi-Melt Processed (Swiss, Cheddar, Pepperjack, Mozzarella), Jalapeño Process, Salami Process, Onion Process, and Process American Cheese.
• Cheese Curds & String Cheese Fresh cheese curds and string cheese including White Cheddar, Regular Cheddar, and flavored curds like Bacon & Onion, Beer, Garlic & Dill, and Horseradish for retail and gift customers.
• Sausage Products Miesfeld's Summer Sausage in Garlic and Regular varieties (beef and pork), pre-sliced options, and game meats including Silver Creek Elk, Venision, and Buffalo Summer Sausage for retail and gift customers.
• Toffee Products Griff's Toffee (Original Pecan and Coffee flavors) and Chapel Hill Toffee (5oz and 10oz boxes), both made with Pine River Dairy butter, plus Cow Pies novelty items sold at retail and online.
• Gift Boxes Pre-assembled gift boxes featuring combinations of cheese, sausage, crackers, and toffee across four tiers ($24.95 to $59.95), marketed for personal gifting and shipped nationwide.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Organic Valley: Wisconsin-based organic dairy cooperative producing butter, cheese, and other dairy products nationally. Same Wisconsin dairy manufacturing base but at cooperative scale across multiple categories.
• Land O'Lakes: Major national dairy cooperative headquartered in Minnesota, with broad butter, cheese, and dairy product portfolio. Competes with Pine River's wholesale butter business and overall Wisconsin/US dairy market position.

Direct peers

• Carr Valley Cheese: Wisconsin artisan cheese producer with extensive cheese variety and retail/gift offerings, including championship awards. Directly comparable as a multi-variety Wisconsin cheese maker with online and gift-box sales.
• BelGioioso Cheese: Green Bay, WI Italian-style cheese manufacturer with broad cheese portfolio (Parmesan, Asiago, mozzarella). Competes with Pine River's Italian cheese category and shares Wisconsin dairy manufacturing base.
• Roelli Cheese Company: Wisconsin artisan cheese maker producing cheddar, brick, and specialty cheeses with on-site retail. Similar small-batch, multi-generation model with direct retail at the creamery.
• Widmer's Cheese Cellars: Wisconsin brick cheese maker in Theresa, WI, featured on Pine River's shelves. Same regional artisan cheese manufacturing model with retail/wholesale hybrid and aged cheese inventory.
• Henning's Wisconsin Cheese: Family-owned Wisconsin cheese retailer/mail-order with very broad cheese variety (250+ types) and gift boxes. Closest direct competitor on multi-variety DTC Wisconsin cheese.
• Sargento Foods: Wisconsin-headquartered cheese company with broad cheese portfolio including cheddar, muenster, and specialty cuts. Competes in the same Wisconsin cheese category with much larger scale.
• Sartori Cheese: Wisconsin artisan cheese producer carried by Pine River; similar multi-generation heritage, broad cheese portfolio (Parmesan, Asiago, SarVecchio), national distribution, and premium positioning.

Regional players

• Miesfeld's Meat Market: Wisconsin meat/sausage producer whose summer sausage is resold by Pine River. Comparable Wisconsin multi-generational specialty food manufacturer in the same regional gifting ecosystem but in a different product category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PineRiverDairy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pine-river-dairy-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Pine River Dairy