Swiss dairy giant Emmi Group has acquired domestic roaster Hochstrasser for an undisclosed amount.

The two companies are both based in Lucerne, Switzerland, and Hochstrasser has been a roasting partner for the Emmi Group for 20 years.

Hochstrasser will continue to operate as an “independent” company, Emmi Group said. Board members René Vesti and Gery Camenzind will remain in place, as will managing director Kevin Heer. Hochstrasser has approximately 50 staff members.

“With the acquisition of the renowned coffee roaster Hochstrasser in Lucerne, we are elevating our coffee expertise to further strengthen our iconic and innovative Emmi Caffè Latte brand,” Emmi Group executive VP Marc Heim said. “This will bring together strong expertise in producing highest-quality premium coffee, freshly roasted in Lucerne, with the best Swiss milk.”

Founded in 1852, Hochstrasser roasts and packages coffee products and sells coffee machines and related services. Its operations and sales are predominantly based in Switzerland. The coffee roaster reported net sales of approximately SFr17m ($18.9m) in 2023.

The deal is still awaiting approval by relevant competition authorities. Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed by either party.

Emmi Group is a Swiss dairy and coffee producer with production facilities across the world including Germany, Brazil, Tunisia, US and Canada. It has roughly 9,000 employees across its global operations.

In its financial year 2023, Emmi Group posted net sales of SFr4.242bn ($4.72bn), down from SFr4.23bn in 2022. The Swiss dairy giant’s net profit stood at SFr186.3m, an increase on the previous year’s SFr182.5m.

Last year, Emmi Group partnered with US-based Equator Coffee to release four ready-to-drink cold-brew coffees.

Emmi Equator RTD Coffee has four SKUs: Pure Black, Hint of Milk and Sugar, Velvet Mocha and Hint of Vanilla. The coffee is sourced from a combination of Colombia, Ethiopia and Indonesia, and roasted in California.