Emmi has been successfully marketing Swiss cheese in the USA for years, and has been a strategic partner with a minority stake in Roth Käse USA Ltd since 2006.
Based in Monroe, Wisconsin, Roth employs 125 people and books sales of approximately $90m.
According to Emmi, the US cheese market is worth about $16.4bn, with speciality cheeses accounting for about $1bn of this amount. Upon acquisition of Roth Käse, the US will become Emmi’s largest foreign market.
The acquisition of Roth Käse taps new sales channels for the Swiss cheese line in the food service sector. The segment posted above-average growth of 15% in 2008, the company stated. For Emmi, the acquisition of the US cheese specialist is therefore “a logical step in our strategy and creates a solid foundation for expanding our food service segment”, CEO Urs Riedener explained.
“We feel that Emmi is an ideal partner and will complement our product range nicely,” said Fermo Jaeckle, one of Roth Käse’s founders and its largest shareholder. “We’re confident that our company will flourish with Emmi in the future, thanks to multiple synergies.”
Steve McKean and Fermo Jaeckle will continue to manage Roth Käse’s operational business in 2009. Both will remain on the company’s advisory board for the long-term.
Details of the transaction have not been disclosed.
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