MONROE - A Swiss corporation that builds cheese-manufacturing equipment opened its first U.S. branch in Monroe this year.
Sulbana AG, a Switzerland-based company with divisions in Finland and Italy, founded American branch Sulbana Inc. on Jan. 1. The Sulbana Group began in Switzerland in 1983 and has about 90 employees among the four locations.
The company manufactures cheese- and meat-processing equipment, food packaging technology and employee hygiene systems, among other items.
The U.S. branch has three employees, including president Ruedi Bucher.
Sulbana chose Monroe as the location for the company's American division "because of its Swiss heritage," Bucher said. Bucher said Sulbana founder Andreas Hugi visits Monroe several times a year on business.
Furthermore, Monroe is strategically located within the nation's prime cheese-producing states. From Monroe, Sulbana can easily reach producers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Ohio, Bucher said.
Bucher said the American cheese industry is a growing market but isn't significantly different from the European industry.
"Cheddar and mozzarella have always been the most popular in the U.S.," Bucher said. "But the specialty cheese market is growing as well."
Sulbana services medium- to large-scale factories, Bucher said, and so primarily provides equipment for producing popular cheeses like mozzarella, cottage cheese and pizza cheese.
Bucher said Sulbana Inc. has already worked with about five cheese plants in the U.S. since the branch opened. As the company grows, its range will expand to plants outside of the Midwest.
Bucher said he knew of about 10 companies that offer similar services for medium- to large-scale manufacturers.
"But it's our high quality, our hygiene and our automation that sets us apart," Bucher said.
Sulbana's products are manufactured at the company's Finland branch in Kauhajoki, but the prospective customers in the U.S. can view product demonstrations.
One such demonstration took place at the International Cheese Technology Expo in Milwaukee in March. The company demonstrated a system to efficiently sanitize employee footwear.
Sulbana AG, a Switzerland-based company with divisions in Finland and Italy, founded American branch Sulbana Inc. on Jan. 1. The Sulbana Group began in Switzerland in 1983 and has about 90 employees among the four locations.
The company manufactures cheese- and meat-processing equipment, food packaging technology and employee hygiene systems, among other items.
The U.S. branch has three employees, including president Ruedi Bucher.
Sulbana chose Monroe as the location for the company's American division "because of its Swiss heritage," Bucher said. Bucher said Sulbana founder Andreas Hugi visits Monroe several times a year on business.
Furthermore, Monroe is strategically located within the nation's prime cheese-producing states. From Monroe, Sulbana can easily reach producers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Ohio, Bucher said.
Bucher said the American cheese industry is a growing market but isn't significantly different from the European industry.
"Cheddar and mozzarella have always been the most popular in the U.S.," Bucher said. "But the specialty cheese market is growing as well."
Sulbana services medium- to large-scale factories, Bucher said, and so primarily provides equipment for producing popular cheeses like mozzarella, cottage cheese and pizza cheese.
Bucher said Sulbana Inc. has already worked with about five cheese plants in the U.S. since the branch opened. As the company grows, its range will expand to plants outside of the Midwest.
Bucher said he knew of about 10 companies that offer similar services for medium- to large-scale manufacturers.
"But it's our high quality, our hygiene and our automation that sets us apart," Bucher said.
Sulbana's products are manufactured at the company's Finland branch in Kauhajoki, but the prospective customers in the U.S. can view product demonstrations.
One such demonstration took place at the International Cheese Technology Expo in Milwaukee in March. The company demonstrated a system to efficiently sanitize employee footwear.