Edelweiss

Edelweiss GmbH & Co. KG is a German cheese manufacturer headquartered in Kempten (Allgäu). The company makes several kinds of cheese, including soft cheese and processed cheese. Its history is associated with founder Karl Hoefelmayr, whose experiments involved cultivating microorganisms from Camembert in milk and producing Camembert with cultures he had grown. The company’s history includes a move of production from Haslach, near Wangen, to Kempten in 1894. In 1907 it began producing Edelweiss milk powder, entering a new market for infant nutrition. The business was sold by the Hoefelmayr family to Unilever in 1962. Unilever sold the cheese manufacturer to the French group Bongrain in September 2003; Bongrain has operated under the name Savencia Fromage & Dairy since 2015. Edelweiss products have been sold under different brands in Germany and international markets. The cited company profile names Bresso for soft and fresh cheese and Milkana for processed cheese. Brunch, a spread brand launched in 1995, was sold by Unilever to Bongrain in 2010. The Kempten site has also been used for contract packing, in which products are packed there. The available source describes the company’s products and history but does not specify its current leadership or provide current production and staffing figures.

Edelweiss GmbH & Co. KG’s history is connected to the work of Karl Hoefelmayr. The supplied German-language company article describes his experiments with microorganisms taken from Camembert and cultivated in milk, and says he was the first to make Camembert using cultures he had grown himself. The article does not provide a company founding year. In 1894, production moved from Haslach, near Wangen, to Kempten, where the company became a supplier to the Bavarian royal court. In 1907, production of Edelweiss milk powder began, opening a market for infant nutrition. After Karl Hoefelmayr died on 9 June 1940, his sons took over the company. In 1962, Hoefelmayr’s sons sold the business to Unilever. That year, the Ramee Camembert product was introduced. In 1974, the fresh-cheese brand Bressot entered the market; it was renamed Bresso in 1987 or 1988. The Brunch spread was launched in 1995. The source says that Brunch was sold by Unilever to Bongrain in 2010. The company introduced TPM in 1996 and received the Award for TPM Excellence, first category, in 1999. In 2000, soft-cheese ripening and packing operations from Schlachters and processed-cheese production from Neu-Ulm were integrated into newly built facilities in Kempten. Milk-sugar production was discontinued in 2002. In September 2003, Unilever sold the cheese manufacturer to Bongrain, a French group that has used the name Savencia Fromage & Dairy since 2015. The company article describes Edelweiss as making several kinds of cheese, including soft and processed cheese. It names Bresso for soft and fresh cheese and Milkana for processed cheese, and notes that products are sold under partly different brands in the German and international markets. The Kempten plant is also used as a contract packer. The article reports that in 2008 the factory had 520 employees and produced approximately 41,000 tonnes; these are historical figures, not current operating data.

• 2015

  Bongrain adopts the Savencia Fromage & Dairy name

• 2010

  Brunch sold to Bongrain

• 2008

  Reported factory workforce and production

• 2003

  Unilever sells the cheese manufacturer to Bongrain

• 2002

  Milk-sugar production discontinued

• 2000

  Operations consolidated in Kempten

• 1999

  TPM Excellence award

• 1996

  TPM introduced

• 1995

  Brunch spread launched

• 1987

  Bressot renamed Bresso

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A cheese manufacturer whose products are marketed under different brands in Germany and international markets; the Kempten site is also used for contract packing.

• Bresso

  The company article identifies Bresso as a brand for soft cheese and fresh cheese.

• Milkana

  The company article identifies Milkana as a brand for processed cheese.

• Edelweiss milk powder

  Production began in 1907; the source describes it as opening a market for infant nutrition.

• Brunch

  A spread launched in 1995; the source says Unilever sold the brand to Bongrain in 2010.

• Ramee Camembert

  Introduced in 1962.

1. 1Edelweiss (Unternehmen)de.wikipedia.org
2. 2Edelweiss (Unternehmen)wikidata.org
3. 3Edelweiss official websiteedelweiss-gmbh.com