John Umhoefer of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) recently assembled the first-of-its kind list of the nation's top natural cheese processors. In making the list, the WCMA executive director focused on U.S. cheese production as opposed to cheese purchased, marketed and sold.
After completing his work, Umhoefer determined the top 20 organizations produce roughly 75 percent of the nation's natural crafted cheese in the U.S. They accomplished this feat even though they operate only about 15 percent of the total number of cheese factories in the U.S. In creating the list, natural cheeses were counted, but pasteurized process styles, cottage cheese and cream cheese were excluded.
The top 10 natural cheese producers are:
1. Leprino Foods
2. Saputo Cheese USA
3. Hilmar Cheese Company
4. Glanbia Foods
5. Agropur
6. Foremost Farms USA
7. Lactalis American Group
8. Associated Milk Producers, Inc.
9. Great Lakes Cheese
10. BelGioioso Cheese
As Umhoefer created his list, the next group was not ranked but simply placed in a group. While these organizations represent some "powerful" cheese marketers, this list only accounts for production.
This group included Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), Kraft Foods, Land O'Lakes and Tillamook Cheese.
The top 20 was rounded out by (in no particular order): Agri-Mark, Darigold, First District Association, Grande Cheese, Mullins Cheese and Valley Queen Cheese Factory.
"Lists don't matter. Quality matters. Profitability matters," noted Umhoefer. "But this list is a snapshot of the U.S. natural cheese industry today," he concluded.
