DCI Cheese Company

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DCI Cheese Company is a United States food industry company specializing in cheese, headquartered in Richfield, Wisconsin (in Mayville, Wisconsin before 2005). Established in 1975 as Dan Carter, Inc., a consulting firm for cheesemakers,^[1] it grew into a cheese marketer and manufacturer, and changed the name to the current one in 2003. It was acquired by the Fairmount Food Group in 2005, but continues to operate under its old identity. As of 2007 the company is a $500 million business with over 20 company-owned cheese brands.^[2]

[edit] Brands

Fully owned or exclusively-held brands include:^[3]

Alpenhaus
Black River
Chevrion
Danamark
Dutchmark
Floralie
Great Midwest
Mun-chee
Nikos
Organic Creamery
Salemville, first company-owned brand, launched in 1991.
Timber Lake

Supplier partnerships:

agent for Black Diamond since 1992; as of 2007, claims to hold 70% of the total U.S./Canadian imported Cheddar market.^[3]
Klondike Cheese Company (Odyssey brand Feta cheese)
Park Cheese Company (Casaro brand Italian-style cheeses)
Michigan’s Old Europe Cheese Company (Reny Picot brand classic Gouda, Fontina, Edam, Brie, Camembert, and its artisanal cheeses, Camembert Fermier and Carre St. Joseph)

In 2004 the company was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Wisconsin for its excellence in the Wholesale/Retail Distribution category.^[4]

In 2007 the company won Refrigerated & Frozen Food Retailer magazine's Category Colonel Award for Specialty Cheese.^[2]