Emmi AG

Emmi AG is a Swiss milk processor and dairy products company headquartered in Lucerne. The company employs a total of around 8,900 people in Europe (including Switzerland), North America (USA and Mexico), South America (Brazil and Chile) and North Africa (Tunisia). Emmi AG is listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange. The company generates about 42.5 percent of its sales locally and the other 57.5 percent abroad. Numerous production companies in Switzerland belong to the Emmi Group. Outside of Switzerland, Emmi has production facilities, in Chile, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Tunisia, Brazil, Canada and the USA. Emmi is one of the 500 largest companies in Switzerland.

History
In 1907, 62 cooperatives founded the Central Switzerland Milk Association in Lucerne (MVL). In 1947 they produced soft cheese and yoghurt for the first time in Emmen under the brand name Emmi, which was derived from the name of the town. In 1993, the MVL founded Emmi AG in order to separate commercial activities from association activities. Since December 2004, Emmi has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange in the Swiss equities segment.

In 2003, the four processed cheese manufacturers Gerberkäse AG, Chalet Käse AG, Tigerkäse AG and Zingg AG merged to form Emmi Fondue AG, which is a member of the Association of the Swiss Processed Cheese Industry(SESK).

In March 2004, Caffè Latte was added to the Emmi product range. The mixed drink made from milk and coffee is Emmi's most successful branded product. Since March 2018, Coop also offers a version in Bio Suisse quality. In April 2019, it was announced that the name Caffè Latte would be replaced by Emmi Republic of Blends for some markets, as the previous name was also used by the competition. With a market share of 17.2%, Emmi is the market leader in Western Europe for cold coffees. In 2010, Emmi entered the business of goat milk by taking over the Le Petit Chevrier brand in Switzerland. Since then, a number of other acquisitions have been made, including in the sheep milk sector. In 2019, the Austrian company Leeb, which through the Hale company also sells organic vegan milk substitutes under the MyLove-MyLife brand, was taken over. In 2020, the vegan milk substitutes brand Beleaf was launched. Emmi has been using Swiss oats for its Beleaf oat milk since 2021. While this means the Beleaf oat milks are of IP-Suisse quality, the Coop owned-brand Karma oat milk has been produced from Swiss organic oats since 2023 and is of Bio Suisse quality.

In March 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Emmi said it had ceased doing business with Russia. In October 2022, Denner added Emmi's Knospe organic milk to its range. In 2023, Emmi took over the marketing of Sprinz AOP.

Presidents and CEOs
From 1993 to 2003, Franz Jung, President of MVL, was President of the Board of Directors. From 2004 to 2009 Fritz Wyss held this position. At the Annual General Meeting on May 20, 2009, Konrad Graber was elected the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Emmi AG. In 2023 the former CEO Urs Riedener was elected as President of the Board of Directors.

Ricarda Demarmels has been CEO since January 2023. She succeeded Urs Riedener, who had headed the company since March 2008. He was preceded by Walter Huber (2004–2008) and Fritz Wyss (1998–2004).

Facts and Figures
With the collapse of Swiss Dairy Food (SDF) in mid-2002, Emmi became the leading food group in the Swiss dairy industry, followed by Cremo, Hochdorf, Estavayer Lait and Züger Frischkäse. As of February 2023, Emmi had subsidiaries in 13 countries. In 2020, the company employed almost 8,700 people, more than two-thirds of them abroad. In 2022, net sales by product group were:


 * 30.3% cheese
 * 27.7% dairy products
 * 26.3% fresh produce
 * 5.8% cream cheese
 * 4.4% powder/concentrates
 * 1.5% plant-based products
 * 4% other products/services

In 2008, the foreign share of sales, with exports from Switzerland and products manufactured by foreign subsidiaries, was 23 percent and increased to 57 percent by 2021. In contrast, sales in Switzerland have fallen by around a fifth since 2008. Since the IPO in 2004, the share price has increased from 100 to over 1,000 francs.

Distribution of shares
Holding shares in Emmi AG (as of the end of 2022, nominal capital):


 * ZMP Invest AG 53,2%
 * Zentralschweizer Käsermeister Genossenschaft 4,0%
 * MIBA Genossenschaft 3,3%
 * Other 39,5%

Miscellaneous

 * In 2012, Emmi received more than 43 million francs from the federal treasury solely for the Verkäsungszulage (Cheesemaking bonus).
 * Emmi is heavily involved in the processing trade. For example, in 2020 Emmi imported more than 100 tonnes of butter in order to then process it and export it again as cheese spread.
 * The use of the Nutri-Score for Emmi Caffe Latte products led to criticism, as these were awarded a green B despite their high sugar content. The BLV is searching for a solution.