Emmi buys California goat cheese company

Cypress Grove Chèvre of Arcata, California, US has been bought by Switzerland’s number one dairy Emmi. The move is seen as an important boost to the already prominent market position in the US for cheese specialist Emmi. Cypress Grove Chèvre changed hands on August 20 and was founded in 1983 as producer of premium fresh and mature goat milk cheeses. Last year it announced a turnover of around US$ 10 million (EUR7.8m). The attraction for Emmi includes the growing importance of specialty cheeses such as those from goat milk in the US.

Annual cheese sales on the US market now top US$16 billion (EUR12.5bn), according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Around US$1 b of this is reckoned to be earned by specialty cheeses such as those from Cypress Grove Chèvre.

Emmi has also increased its share of the New York company Contract Aseptic & Specialty Packaging (CASP) to 100 per cent in a deal this summer. It’s a move that comes as no surprise to milk market experts in the US. CASP already packages a number of Emmi dairy products in that country, including the successful coffee drink Caffè Latte and Emmi’s range of premium yogurts. CASP turnover last year is put at US$6 million (EUR4.7m).