Verona, Wi – Northwoods Cheese Company, LLC. Is pleased to announce the acquisition of the brand and assets of Mille Lacs Foods, including Mille Lacs, Heart of Wisconsin and The Laze Spa. The brands will fall under the new corporate umbrella of Northwoods Food and Gift Enterprises, Verona, WI.
Owners of Northwoods Cheese Co. and Rustic Wraps, Derek and Angela Thielke, are positioned to utilize the strengths of the combined companies to continue to expand growth within the United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. The new enterprise will partner with Greenco Industries in Monroe, WI as well as other workshops in WI that employ persons with disabilities.
Derek Thielke, President of Northwoods Cheese Co., remarks, “One of the main strengths of Mille Lacs Foods is its offering of fine food gifts, such as delicious cheese, chocolate, olives, sausage and other gourmet items. We are excited to continue to build that brand together with Laze Spa—a line of bath and body products—all under the Northwoods umbrella. The strategic move allows us to expand our services and product categories. Competitive pricing, quick shipping and attention to the customer needs position us to strategically build growth in the market.”
Northwoods Cheese Company was founded in 2002 after Derek Thielke left Mille Lacs Foods. It had always been Derek’s dream to own Mille Lacs Foods, which was founded in 1946 and had operated as of subsidiary of The Wisconsin Cheeseman Inc. Rustic Wraps, which was founded by Angela Thielke in 2018, will benefit from this acquisition by allowing new product offerings such as chocolate and bath and body products, enhancing the line of gourmet gifts which utilize custom wooden cutting boards and crates that are also made by adults with disabilities with American Hardwoods.