Wisconsin's food manufacturing industry is a robust, diverse sector comprising companies producing a broad spectrum of food products. These range from dairy products such as cheese and butter, to baked goods, processed foods, and meats. Many of these companies use Wisconsin's rich agricultural resources, transforming them into high-quality, value-added items for national and international markets. Wisconsin's food manufacturers are known for their focus on quality and integrity, combined with innovative practices and sustainability efforts. This article delves into the top 22 food manufacturing companies in Wisconsin, providing insights into their operations, products, and contributions to this vibrant industry.


Top 22 food manufacturing companies in Wisconsin

1. Foremost Farms USA

Foremost Farms is a dairy business with cooperative ownership that produces wholesome dairy products for trusted brands worldwide. They offer a variety of dairy products, including cheese, butter, whey protein concentrate, and edible lactose.


2. Marathon Cheese Corporation

  • Website: mcheese.com
  • Headquarters: Marathon, Wisconsin, United States
  • Founded: 1952
  • Headcount: 1001-5000
  • LinkedIn

Marathon Cheese Corporation is a company that specializes in producing and packaging natural cheese. With a focus on custom quality packaging, they aim to meet the needs of their customers. They prioritize holding their cheese to the highest standards in the heart of dairy country.


3. BelGioioso Cheese Inc.

  • Website: belgioioso.com
  • Headquarters: Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States
  • Founded: 1979
  • Headcount: 501-1000
  • LinkedIn

BelGioioso Cheese is a leading artisan cheese brand based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They specialize in producing high-quality cheeses using traditional methods. With a wide range of cheese options, they cater to both consumers and the food service industry. BelGioioso is known for their award-winning cheese and offers tips on cheese claims and handling.


4. Masters Gallery Foods, Inc.

Masters Gallery Foods is a family-owned company that specializes in producing and supplying high-quality cheese products. With a commitment to sustainability and community involvement, Masters Gallery Foods aims to provide cheese that inspires and meets the evolving tastes of its customers.


5. Briess Malt & Ingredients Co.

  • Website: briess.com
  • Headquarters: Chilton, Wisconsin, United States
  • Founded: 1876
  • Headcount: 201-500
  • LinkedIn

Briess.com offers a wide range of natural, specialty ingredients that can help improve the quality and taste of food products. Their minimally processed ingredients maintain the integrity of the raw grain or starch, while enhancing flavor, color, and functionality.


6. Abbyland Foods, Inc

  • Website: abbyland.com
  • Headquarters: Abbotsford, Wisconsin, United States
  • Founded: 1977
  • Headcount: 501-1000
  • LinkedIn

Abbyland Foods, Inc. is a meat and sausage manufacturing company that offers a full line of specialty sausages made from select cuts of meat and hand-selected spices. Their sausages are slow cured, naturally smoked, and cooked using traditional methods that have been recognized with blue ribbons at country fairs for over 100 years.


7. Food Manufacturing

Food Manufacturing is a Minnesota-based company that has been operating in Creston for over 30 years. They offer meat processing services and produce well-known candy brands such as Brachs, RedHots, Jujyfruits, Lemonheads, and Trolli Gummi candies. The company is closing its unionized Creston plant in December, leading to the loss of over 250 jobs in the area.


8. Ornua Ingredients North America

Ornua Ingredients North America is a company that specializes in providing custom flavors, standard flavors, and packaging solutions to food manufacturers and foodservice operators nationwide. With over 80 years of experience in the industry, they cater to Fortune 100 companies as well as small businesses in the food processing and foodservice markets.


9. Echo Lake Foods, Inc.

Echo Lake Foods is a family-owned frozen foods manufacturer, specializing in high-quality egg products and breakfast-style entrees. With a commitment to producing the best in pre-cooked egg entrees, French toast, heat and serve round dinner rolls, and more, Echo Lake Foods has been satisfying customers since 1941.


10. Whitehall Specialties

Whitehall Specialties Inc. is a small town company with world-class capabilities offering a broad range of high-quality cheese products, including natural and imitation cheese blends, substitutes, and analog cheese. With over 200 base recipes and customization capabilities, they strive to meet unique customer requirements for functionality, flavor, packaging, and more.


11. Reynolds Packaging

Reynolds Packaging is a manufacturer of food packaging products, offering a wide range of stock products and custom designed packaging solutions. With over 20 years of experience, they serve thousands of companies throughout North America. Their products include food packaging bags and pouches, stand-up pouches, child safety packaging, cosmetic web pouches, cello bags, poly bags, roll-stock, labels, and packaging equipment. They also specialize in eco-friendly compostable packaging, ensuring a sustainable future.


12. Masterson Foods

Masterson Foods is a food ingredient manufacturer specializing in developing unique dessert ingredients and savory sauces. They offer customized dessert formulations for pre-bake, post-bake, and microwave applications, packaged in various sizes ranging from pouches to pails, drums, or totes.


13. American Pasteurization Company LLC

American Pasteurization Company (APC) is a leading provider of High Pressure Processing (HPP) services to the food manufacturing industry. They collaborate with food manufacturers to guide them through the entire process of applying HPP to their products, resulting in foods and beverages with a fresher taste, better appearance, texture, and nutrition. HPP pasteurizes foods and beverages by uniformly applying extreme hydrostatic pressure, killing bacteria and extending shelf life. APC helps customers create high-quality, safe, and long-lasting food products.


14. ALKAR Inc.

  • Website: alkar.com
  • Headquarters: Lodi, Wisconsin, United States
  • Founded: 1962
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • Latest funding type: Acquired
  • LinkedIn

ALKAR is a manufacturing company specializing in the production of batch and continuous cooking, chilling, and thermal processing equipment for the protein and alternative protein products industry.


15. Hart Design & Manufacturing, Inc.

  • Website: hartdesign.com
  • Headquarters: Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States
  • Founded: 1975
  • Headcount: 51-200
  • LinkedIn

HART Design & Manufacturing is a global leader in the design and construction of standard and customized stainless steel, servo-controlled equipment for use in the food and dairy industry, with an emphasis on process and natural cheese production lines.


16. Cedar Valley Cheese, Inc.

Cedar Valley Cheese, Inc. is a family owned cheese company located in Wisconsin. They specialize in the production and distribution of mozzarella, provolone, string cheese, and shredded cheese, primarily serving the pizza industry, frozen entree business, and shredding and slicing industry.


17. Wenzel's Farm, LLC

Wenzel's Farm is a small-batch meat manufacturer that produces high-quality beef and pork sticks, sausages, and other meat-based snacks. Their products are custom-crafted with only quality cuts of meats and naturally hardwood smoked, with no fillers, binders, or artificial flavors.


18. Parsons-Eagle Packaging Systems

Parsons-Eagle Packaging Systems is a division of Campbell Wrapper Corporation that provides net weigh scales, pre-made bag handling and filling systems, and vertical form/fill/seal machines for packaging various products such as pet food, agricultural seeds, bakery items, detergents, and more.


19. Create-A-Pack Foods Inc.

Create-A-Pack is a full-service, SQF Quality Certified food contract packaging and manufacturing company that specializes in liquid and dry food products. They offer food processing, blending, cooking, and co-packing services, as well as private label packaging options.


20. Coenen Mechanical, LLC

Coenen Mechanical LLC is a company based in Appleton, WI that specializes in providing fabrication services for various industries including converting & packaging, food processing, general industry, pulp & paper mills, and water treatment. They offer expertise in both pipe and sheet metal fabrication, with a focus on improving cost and timeliness for their customers.


21. Van Asten Painting Inc.

Van Asten Painting Inc is an industrial painting contractor specializing in large manufacturing and production facilities operating at full capacity. They provide on-site inspections, consulting services, and free quotes for their clients and use the best in Epoxy and Urethane Coatings.


22. Graf Creamery Inc.

Graf Creamery is a USDA approved butter manufacturing facility that produces the award-winning Graf butter. It has been in operation for 75 years and maintains a family-owned approach to production.


Want to find more food manufacturing companies?


If you want to find more companies that offer a wide range of products, including dairy and artisan cheeses you can do so with Inven. This list was built with Inven and there are hundreds of companies like these globally.


With Inven you'll also get to know the company's:


  • Ownership: Which of these are private equity backed? Which are family-owned?
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...and a lot more!