Heartisan Foods, Barron, Wisc., a manufacturer of specialty & flavored cheese, is buying North Country Packaging, also based in Barron County. The deal will triple Heartisan’s manufacturing capacity, support the fast-growing Cheese Brothers online brand with expanded fulfilment capabilities, and allow Heartisan to launch new, innovative products across cheese spreads and cheese curds, both of which help support Heartisan’s growth in the fast-growing cheese snack category. North Country’s co-founders, Kendall Goossen (taking a senior executive role at Heartisan) and his wife Maria will retain a significant stake in the combined entity.
To finance the purchase of North Country, Ronin is using a $10 million revolving credit line established for Heartisan when the latter was formed in 2021. Ronin created Heartisan through the simultaneous acquisition and merger of flavored & smoked cheese specialists Red Apple Cheese, Barron County Cheese, and the direct-to-consumer eCommerce business Cheese Brothers. That original transaction was financed by institutional investors and family offices including Landon Capital, Cardinal Equity and First Haven Capital.
