Swiss Valley Farms

You don't need to be a mountain climber to view a Swiss valley. Just go to Iowa where Swiss Valley Farms operates a rather large and expanding dairy cooperative. The cooperative, which represents more than 1,000 member/farmers in the upper Midwest, offers milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, dips, and soft-serve and shake mixes. The organization also sells orange juice, lemonade, fruit drinks, and bottled water. Swiss Valley's customers include retail food outlets and school lunch programs, as well as other foodservice providers. As part of its operations, the co-op manages several manufacturing and packaging plants in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Despite an economic downturn, Swiss Valley Farms has worked to expand its cooperative. To strengthen its position in the artisanal blue cheese category, the group acquired the assets of Minnesota-based Faribault Dairy in 2010. The deal brought onboard Faribault's cheese brands (including the popular Amablu brand), retail operations, and blue cheese production facility in Minnesota. The Faribault facility, which features sandstone caves for aging cheeses, complements Swiss Valley's other blue cheese plant in Wisconsin.

Swiss Valley Farms also has concentrated on expanding its capacity in Swiss cheese-making. The company partnered with Emmi-Roth Kase in 2010 through a joint venture agreement. The collaboration, operating under the name White Hill Cheese Co., enables the pair to manufacture cheese in Shullsburg, Wisconsin, and tap the growing Swiss cheese business.