Swiss dairy major Emmi is acquiring The English Cheesecake Company, a UK-based producer of "premium" desserts.

Emmi said the “bolt-on” acquisition is intended to “strengthen” its desserts portfolio and its position as “category captain” in the wake of a deal last year for Mademoiselle Desserts in France.

Founded in 2000 as a family business, The English Cheesecake Company makes cheesecakes based on traditional British recipes. Its range spans classic varieties, vegan and frozen products, as well as snack formats.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The London-headquartered company generated sales of around £23m ($30.1m) in its last financial year and is listed with all “major” UK retail chains. It also supplies the foodservice channel, according to the statement.

Accounts filed with Companies House showed The English Cheesecake Company posted a turnover of £22.8m in the year to 31 March, up from £19.8m in the prior 12 months.

Operating profit climbed to £1.6m from £1.4m, while net profit rose to £1.1m from £925,622.

Emmi acquired the frozen-bakery business Mademoiselle Desserts last year in a transaction valued at €900m ($974.3m).

When the deal was first announced, London-based private-equity firm IK Partners confirmed it had reached an agreement with Emmi to sell its undisclosed “stake” in Mademoiselle Desserts.

At the time, Emmi said the company had entered a “put option agreement” for Mademoiselle Desserts, suggesting a combination of the IK Partners’ stake and the rest from other shareholders.

In the statement issued today (25 November), Emmi said: “While the cheesecake offering of the Mademoiselle Desserts Group is strongly positioned in the British foodservice market, The English Cheesecake Company’s retail business is the ideal extension to the distribution strategy.”

Didier Boudy, EVP of Emmi's desserts arm, added: “The bolt-on acquisition increases our presence in the fast-growing premium cheesecakes segment and contributes to the global indulgence megatrend. This represents a further step towards advancing our strong market position in the global premium desserts market and creating synergies within our portfolio.”

Boudy was previously Mademoiselle Desserts CEO.

Emmi distributes its products in around 60 countries and operates 72 production sites across 13 markets, employing about 12,000 people.

In the first half of 2025, its group sales rose 12.7% to SFr2.27bn ($2.8bn), driven largely by a positive acquisition effect of 11.8%. Despite a negative currency impact of 3.5%, organic growth reached 4.4%.

The company reported strong sales momentum in Brazil, Chile and Mexico, and in “strategic niches” such as ready-to-drink coffee under the Emmi Caffè Latte brand and premium desserts.

EBITDA increased to SFr223.1m from SFr197.8m, while EBIT climbed to SFr145.4m from SFr140.3m.

When the results were issued in August, Emmi lifted its full year organic growth outlook to 2-3% from the previous 1.5-2.5%, supported mainly by its Americas division.

The group maintained its EBIT guidance at SFr330-350m and its net profit margin forecast at 4.8-5.3%.