Our StoryOur Cheese
We believe in the power of real
For over 70 years, Sargento has believed in what's real. It's why every slice, every shred, every snack, every bite is made with real, natural cheese. Because we know what real has the power to do. It can transform lunches and dinners, breakfast and snacks. But more importantly it can transform you. Real is something you can feel - on plates, on faces, in homes, in people, in families. It lives from one generation to the next.
At Sargento, we believe in the power of food to bring people together. From the Sargento Family of employees, to our customers, vendors and neighbors to us, we’re all family.What has mattered since we began in 1953, still matters today, three generations later. We built our business on our founder Leonard Gentine’s belief that we hire good people and treat them like family. We have an insatiable winning spirit and are grounded in our faith in God. We share the results of our success with those who contribute to our success.
We’re passionate about serving our customers the best real food through our innovation, service, and quality. Our Sargento family drives value for the long term, and we believe that the power of real food can connect us all to what matters most today and every day.
Family Owned
Sargento Foods has been a leader in cheese since 1953. We created the world's first successful prepackaged sliced and shredded natural cheeses. Today, we manufacture and market amazing shredded, sliced and snack natural cheese products, as well as ingredients. Our third-generation family owners live to serve local communities and employees, who are part of the Sargento Family.Continuing to Grow Forward
Since our founding in 1953, Sargento has been dedicated to innovation. What we do is for the love of 100% real, natural cheese and adding value for the Sargento Family. From ahead-of-its-time packaging and unique varieties, to industry firsts and industry bests.Our Stakeholder Philosophy
To fulfill our purpose, we call on our values of People, Pride & Progress – that’s how we ‘treat people like family.’ We consider everyone who has a stake in the success of our company part of the Sargento Family. That family includes our employees, customers, vendors and our neighbors in the community. We strive to create meaningful, lasting stakeholder value by:
- Providing great jobs for our employees so they and their families can thrive
- Creating innovative products for our customers to make their lives easier
- Offering great service to our business partners to fuel their success
- Building trust in our brand through high-quality, safe and legal products
- Sharing our success with our community through philanthropic donations
Our Vision
To be the most innovative, best-loved real food company.Our Values
We’re guided by 20 principles we call People, Pride & Progress. These values stem from our founder Leonard A. Gentine’s philosophy of "hire good people and treat them like family."People come first at Sargento
Our Stakeholder Philosophy means we share our success with those who contribute to our success. We carefully consider the impact of our decisions on the Sargento Family which includes our employees, customers, vendors and neighbors in our communities. Here are the values that comprise 'People'
- Ethics – Requiring ethical behavior makes us a better company and better people.
- Trust – We practice collaboration to build a workplace of trustworthy people.
- Balance in Life – We encourage employees to put their families first.
- Employee Equality – In making decisions, we strive for objectivity and seek employee input.
- Creativity – Fostering an environment of creativity will take our company from here to tomorrow.
- Humor and Fun – We take our business seriously, not ourselves.
- Accountability – We expect employees to take responsibility for their actions.
We Take Pride In All We Do and Represent
Pride at Sargento represents quality, customer service, responsiveness as well as team and individual accomplishments. It’s our goal to exceed the expectations of our stakeholders in all that we do. Here are the values that comprise 'Pride'
- Excellence – Our commitment to excellence runs through every facet of our business.
- Sense of Ownership – Building a sense of responsibility is reflected in the quality of our work.
- Effective Communication – We believe that good communication creates an environment of trust. Listening and learning from each other is fundamental to success.
- Recognition – Achievement, whether great or small, is worthy of celebration.
- Mutual Support – As a family of employees, we depend on each other for support and cooperation to achieve the best efforts and results to perform their jobs.
- Community Outreach – We give back to our community in many ways and encourage employees to do the same.
- Fair Compensation – It’s not just the paycheck. We offer Total Rewards to fully compensate our employees.
Becoming Our Best as a Company and Individuals
Progress describes the ways we meet daily challenges and continue to grow as a company and as individuals. It includes new products and processes, sound financial management, and a willingness to accept diversity of opinion, continuously improve, and take a fresh approach to problem-solving. Here are the values that comprise 'Progress'
- Career and Personal Development – We encourage lifelong learning and offer support to help our employees reach their goals.
- Customer Focus – We are committed to service and meeting customer needs be they inside or outside our company.
- Innovation – Our spirit of innovation challenges all of us to dream, learn, and grow and is a hallmark of Sargento.
- Risk-Taking – Stepping into the unknown allows us to compete in the marketplace.
- Profitability and Growth – We share our success with those who contribute to our success.
- Enlightened Leadership – We believe good leaders are good listeners, teachers and visionaries.
Our Stats
Continuing To Grow Forward
- $1.5B Net Sales
- 2000+ Employees
- 65+ Years Private, Family-Owned
- 4 Locations
Our Locations
Sargento has four Wisconsin locations.Plymouth
Our headquarters in Plymouth is in the middle of it all – one hour north of Milwaukee and an hour south of Green Bay. Working here, you benefit from easy commutes, low cost of living, excellent schools and four seasons of outdoor activities. You can choose between a range of living options from urban to suburban to rural.Elkhart Lake
Elkhart Lake is home to our technical center. Our Innovation, Quality and Engineering teams work here. Elkhart Lake is just 15 minutes north of our Plymouth headquarters.Kiel
Our Kiel location is a production facility with manufacturing and office teams. All of our production facilities have on-site Health & Wellness Centers as well as a Company Store. Kiel is 25 minutes north of our Plymouth headquarters.Hilbert
Our Hilbert location is a production facility with manufacturing and office teams. All of our production facilities have on-site Health & Wellness Centers as well as a Company Store. Hilbert is 45 minutes north of our Plymouth headquarters.Sharing Our Success
No matter how busy he was with his company and his family, Sargento founder Leonard Gentine always made time to give back to his community. Today, Sargento carries on our tradition of Community Outreach that Leonard held so dear. It is a tradition we vow never to change.Leonard taught the Sargento Family that we have an obligation to do what is right rather than what’s right for the moment. Today, our company’s unique culture encourages and facilitates Community Outreach – both corporately and individually. We are very proud of our ability to help the community and particularly proud of our employees, who put heart and muscle into helping us reach out to others.
Our company philanthropy focuses on hunger relief, housing and education. We understand that helping to meet these basic needs makes families and communities thrive. Sargento gives generously to these causes because our founder believed in sharing our company’s success with our community neighbors who we consider part of the Sargento Family.
