Sartori Expands Cheese Empire With Rumiano Acquisition

Fourth-generation cheesemaker Sartori announced its acquisition of organic cheese and butter producer Rumiano on Monday, bringing together two legacy, family-owned businesses.

Sartori will now operate and market the California-based cheese brand alongside its own namesake products and has purchased Rumiano’s Crescent City, Calif., cheesemaking facility. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The Rumiano family has been dedicated to crafting exceptional cheese and butter with unwavering integrity,” said the company’s owner Baird Rumiano, in a statement. “Sartori shares our core values and commitment to quality, tradition, and responsible stewardship. We’re confident this next step in our journey will bring many exciting opportunities to our team, our local farmers, our customers, and to the communities we’ve proudly served for generations.”

Alongside the deal, Rumiano divested its converting and distribution facilities in Willows, Calif., to Wisconsin-based cheese packaging and distribution business, Masters Gallery Foods, which produces for private label retail, food service and industrial use. The facility, constructed in 2021, will give Masters Gallery a foothold on the West Coast, allowing it to reduce shipping and freight costs associated with transporting products to and from Wisconsin.

According to a press release, the 200 employees currently working at those facilities will be integrated into Masters Gallery, which boasts a headcount of over 1,100 workers across its Plymouth and Oostburg, Wis., facilities. Both Sartori and Masters Gallery are based in Plymouth, Wis.

Sartori will also retain all Rumiano employees at its creamery facility and “continue normal operations,” Ryan Gillespie, Sartori VP of marketing, told Nosh via email. Rumiano, which sources milk from small, family farms located within a 100-mile radius of its Crescent City facility, is well-aligned with Sartori’s sourcing principles as well; Sartori also sources from family farms within 70 miles of its Wisconsin facility.

Both companies emphasized the importance of these supply chain models to reduce carbon emissions from diesel fuel as well as to support local economies around their respective headquarters.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rumiano Cheese into the Sartori family,” said Bert Sartori, CEO of Sartori Cheese, in a statement. “This acquisition aligns with our mission to make the Best Cheese in the World. We look forward to building upon Rumiano’s commitment to their Redwood Coast family farm partners and local community. Rumiano’s dedication to excellence and innovation makes them a perfect fit for our company.”