Generational Equity, an advisor to privately-held and family-owned businesses for exit planning, business valuation, and mergers-and-acquisition services, has announced the sale of their client, Wisconsin Farmers Union Specialty Cheese Co. LLC (WFYSCC) to Arthur Schuman, Inc. (ASI) of Fairfield, NJ. ASI plans to continue production of cheese from Wisconsin milk at the Montfort plant in southwest Wisconsin.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Wisconsin Farmers Union, based in Montfort, WI was founded in 1930 by Wisconsin farmers to enhance the economic and social well being of farm families in America's dairyland by adding value to milk produced by Wisconsin farmers and to make the finest Wisconsin cheeses available direct to consumers from farmers. Arthur Schuman Incorporated. ASI is a 60-year-old, family-owned company based in Fairfield, New Jersey with cheese processing facilities in Fairfield and Elgin, Illinois.

The company is the nation’s largest producer of hard and semi-hard cheeses as well as the largest importer of hard cheeses. It has been the exclusive distributor of Wisconsin Farmers Union Montfort Bleu and Gorgonzola cheeses since January 2009 and will continue to operate the Montfort, Wisconsin plant with no major changes in regards to the plant or the employees. "The WFUSCC board of managers felt now was an appropriate time to sell the company and focus on the Wisconsin Farmers Union mission and main purpose, and the needs of its members" Sue Beitlich, WFUSCC president, said in a press release. "The sale of the cheese company will allow more time and resources to be put toward the general farm organization to improve the quality of life for family farmers and rural communities."