MONROE - Colony Brands, parent company of The Swiss Colony, in Monroe is adding Wisconsin Cheeseman to its family of food and non-food catalogs, Internet and subsidiaries.
Colony Brands paid about $550,000 for the intangible assets and the inventory of Wisconsin Cheeseman, whose parent company, Wisconsin Food Gifts Co., went into receivership in February.
The Wisconsin Cheeseman catalog was acquired through a Chapter 128 proceeding filed in the Wisconsin Circuit Court and approved Monday.
John Baumann, Colony Brands president and CEO, said Wisconsin Cheeseman is one of the best-known catalog businesses, whose high-quality food gift items fit perfectly with those offered by the Colony.
Wisconsin Cheeseman was founded in 1946 by Garvin and Helen Cremer.
"They are like a smaller clone of Swiss Colony," Baumann said Tuesday.
Colony Brands plans to bring Wisconsin Cheeseman, headquartered in Sun Prairie, to Monroe, which would be more efficient for its offices and kitchens, Baumann said.
According to Baumann, the Wisconsin Cheeseman website will be "back up and running soon."
"I am certain the catalog will be ready by September, and we will get Wisconsin Cheeseman back in the mail," he said. "It's a very well-known catalog."
Baumann expressed his sadness to see Wisconsin Cheeseman and Wisconsin Food Gifts go into bankruptcy.
"They were a very friendly rival (of Colony Brands) and great people," he said.
"We hope to breathe new life into the catalog."
Another Wisconsin Food Gift businesses, Mille Lacs Gourmet Foods, was sold to Steve's Wholesale Dairy Company in Sun Prairie for $125,000.
Remaining assets are to be auctioned Wednesday and Thursday at the Wisconsin Cheeseman facility in Sun Prairie.
Colony Brands paid about $550,000 for the intangible assets and the inventory of Wisconsin Cheeseman, whose parent company, Wisconsin Food Gifts Co., went into receivership in February.
The Wisconsin Cheeseman catalog was acquired through a Chapter 128 proceeding filed in the Wisconsin Circuit Court and approved Monday.
John Baumann, Colony Brands president and CEO, said Wisconsin Cheeseman is one of the best-known catalog businesses, whose high-quality food gift items fit perfectly with those offered by the Colony.
Wisconsin Cheeseman was founded in 1946 by Garvin and Helen Cremer.
"They are like a smaller clone of Swiss Colony," Baumann said Tuesday.
Colony Brands plans to bring Wisconsin Cheeseman, headquartered in Sun Prairie, to Monroe, which would be more efficient for its offices and kitchens, Baumann said.
According to Baumann, the Wisconsin Cheeseman website will be "back up and running soon."
"I am certain the catalog will be ready by September, and we will get Wisconsin Cheeseman back in the mail," he said. "It's a very well-known catalog."
Baumann expressed his sadness to see Wisconsin Cheeseman and Wisconsin Food Gifts go into bankruptcy.
"They were a very friendly rival (of Colony Brands) and great people," he said.
"We hope to breathe new life into the catalog."
Another Wisconsin Food Gift businesses, Mille Lacs Gourmet Foods, was sold to Steve's Wholesale Dairy Company in Sun Prairie for $125,000.
Remaining assets are to be auctioned Wednesday and Thursday at the Wisconsin Cheeseman facility in Sun Prairie.