Emmi purchases Athenos feta cheese brand

Swiss dairy company Emmi has acquired Athenos from Lactalis Group, as the company looks to strengthen its position in the US.

According to the statement, Athenos generated sales of almost $90 million last year. The US-based feta cheese brand will be managed by Emmi Roth USA, which operates three production facilities in Wisconsin and provides the retail and foodservice channels nationwide with cheeses produced locally as well as those imported from Switzerland.

“We’re continuing to focus on the speciality cheese industry that we really care about,” said Emmi Roth’s president and managing director, Tim Omer. “We take pride in providing the best speciality cheeses to our customers and consumers, and adding Athenos to our family will strengthen our product range and allow us to offer another great line of products.”

He continued: “With the addition of this business, we are investing in our company’s long-term future, our business, people and resources”.

Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed, and the transaction is subject to approval by the US competition authorities.