Cheese Importers Association Of America Inc

What Cheese Importers Association Of America Inc does

The Cheese Importers Association of America Inc. (CIAA) is a private nonprofit trade association founded in 1948 and headquartered in Washington, United States, that represents firms engaged in importing cheese and other dairy products into the US market. It operates as a membership organization with a small staff (1–10 employees) and is governed by its members, who pay tiered annual dues structured by import volume: principal importers pay $2,700–$8,900 per year based on pounds imported, associate service providers pay $1,500, government and foreign trade association members pay $3,000, and sales broker members pay $900. The association's revenue mechanics are therefore a recurring subscription model anchored to importer activity in the US dairy trade.

CIAA's core deliverables are regulatory advocacy, networking events, and member communications. It maintains "active contacts with government officials worldwide" to support members navigating international trade agreements and US regulations, and in 2026 it has issued bulletins on Section 301 tariffs and Executive Order 14411 affecting importers of record. Member-facing activities include the annual Dinner Dance (scheduled for 2027 at The Hudson House, Jersey City), curated trips to SIAL (the world's largest food exhibition), and a consumer-facing sub-brand, "I Love Imported Cheese," that promotes imported cheese demand. There is no proprietary technology platform or product suite; CIAA is not a technology company, and its operations run on a standard CMS-based website (theciaa.org) and email bulletins.

Name

Cheese Importers Association Of America Inc

Legal name

Cheese Importers Association of America Inc.

Website

https://theciaa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Cheese Importers Association of America Inc. is a 1948-founded nonprofit trade association serving US cheese and dairy importers through tiered annual membership dues, regulatory advocacy, networking events including SIAL, and consumer-facing promotion under its "I Love Imported Cheese" sub-brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The CIAA generates revenue through annual membership dues structured by import volume and member type. Principal members pay based on yearly cheese import amounts (ranging from under 2 million pounds to over 10 million pounds), while associate members, government/trade association members, and sales broker members pay fixed annual fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cheese Importers Association of America Inc. (CIAA) is a nonprofit trade association established in 1948 that facilitates the efficient import of dairy products into the United States. The association provides membership-based services to cheese and dairy importers, including regulatory advocacy with government officials, industry news bulletins on tariffs and trade policy, networking events such as the annual Dinner Dance and SIAL exhibition participation, and educational programming.

Product overview

Cheese Importers Association of America Inc (CIAA) is a trade association, not a technology product company. It operates as a membership organization established in 1948 that facilitates the efficient import of dairy products from around the world into the United States. The organization provides networking events, industry news bulletins regarding tariffs and trade regulations, and member benefits for cheese and dairy importers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• I Love Imported Cheese: A promotional initiative sponsored by the Cheese Importers Association of America to promote imported cheese consumption

Products and services

• Principal Membership Annual membership tier for US cheese and dairy import firms, with dues scaling by annual import volume. Provides regulatory advocacy, industry updates, networking, and member services. Target audience is firms actively importing cheese into the United States.
• Associate Membership Annual flat-rate membership ($1,500/year) for service providers supporting cheese importers, including customs brokers, freight forwarders, insurance companies, financial institutions, and trucking lines. Provides access to the importer network and industry regulatory updates.
• Government and Trade Association Membership Annual membership at $3,000/year for foreign marketing associations, boards of trade, and trade promotion organizations seeking US market access, regulatory updates, and representation for their members' interests in the United States.
• Sales Broker Membership Annual membership at $900/year for individuals or firms acting as importer sales representatives or brokers selling imported cheese to retail, food service, or industrial trade channels. Provides networking and industry access for promotional activities.
• CIAA Dinner Dance and SIAL Exhibition Events Networking and industry events including the annual CIAA Dinner Dance and exclusive trips to SIAL, the largest food exhibition in the world, providing members with networking opportunities with international cheese makers and industry leaders.
• CIAA Industry Bulletins and President's Corner Publications
• I Love Imported Cheese Campaign Sponsored consumer-facing promotional campaign, with dedicated website at iloveimportedcheese.com, designed to promote imported cheese consumption and increase demand for members' products among U.S. consumers.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Cheese Society: Trade association for cheesemakers, retailers, and enthusiasts focused on cheese education, competition, and community. Comparable to CIAA in its focus on cheese industry community-building, though centered on cheesemakers rather than importers specifically.
• National Association of Manufacturers: Largest U.S. manufacturing trade association providing policy advocacy and member services. Comparable to CIAA in trade association advocacy model, though serving the entire manufacturing sector rather than a niche.
• Food Industry Association (FMI): Trade association for food retailers and wholesalers, including those handling imported cheese. Comparable to CIAA in providing trade association services to food distribution channel participants, though at much broader scale.
• Specialty Food Association: Trade association serving the broader specialty food industry, including importers, distributors, and retailers. Comparable to CIAA as a trade association model serving specialty food importers, though covering a wider category than just cheese.
• International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association: Trade association for dairy, deli, and bakery retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Comparable to CIAA in serving dairy industry members with events, training, and industry research across a broader value chain.

Direct peers

• International Dairy Foods Association: The largest U.S. trade association representing the dairy industry, including importers, processors, and marketers. Directly comparable to CIAA as a dairy-focused trade association providing regulatory advocacy, policy representation, and member services.
• U.S. Dairy Export Council: Trade association focused on U.S. dairy exports, including market development and trade-policy advocacy. Comparable to CIAA in mission and member services model, though focused on the export side of dairy trade rather than imports.
• National Milk Producers Federation: U.S. dairy farmer-owned trade association focused on milk producer interests, including trade policy and regulatory advocacy. Comparable to CIAA as a dairy trade association with government-relations capabilities.

Regional players

• Wine Institute: California-focused wine trade association handling imports advocacy and regulatory affairs for the wine industry. Comparable to CIAA as a U.S. trade association supporting an imported beverage/food category facing similar tariff and regulatory dynamics.

Others

• Customs and International Trade Bar Association: Professional association for customs and international trade attorneys. Comparable to CIAA in serving stakeholders navigating U.S. import regulatory complexity, though with a legal-services orientation rather than cheese industry focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cheese-importers-association-of-america-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 Cheese Importers Association Of America Inc