GREEN BAY, WIS. — BelGioioso Cheese, Inc. plans to acquire Campbell, NY-based Polly-O, a manufacturer of Italian cheese. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

The Polly-O brand of cheese will expand BelGioioso’s footprint in the dairy category in addition to its existing Casaro brand. Last year, Polly-O recorded net sales of approximately $177 million. The brand is known for its ricotta, mozzarella and string cheeses.

“We are thrilled to add the Polly-O brand to our portfolio and want to thank the teams at Kraft Heinz and Lactalis Group for their assistance and dedication to finalizing the agreement in such a short time,” said Errico Auricchio, president of BelGioioso Cheese. “I am confident this will benefit consumers thanks to healthy competition in the category as a result of this acquisition.”

Kraft Heinz agreed to sell the Polly-O business to the Lactalis Group in autumn 2020 as part of a natural cheese transaction previously announced by Kraft Heinz and the Lactalis Group. 

In fulfillment of conditions identified during an antitrust review of that transaction by the US Department of Justice, the Lactalis Group agreed to sell the Polly-O business to BelGioioso Cheese. BelGioioso’s acquisition of the Polly-O business also remains subject to approval by US regulators.

Earlier this month, and for the same antitrust reasons, the Lactalis Group also agreed to sell feta cheese manufacturer Athenos to Emmi Roth USA, Fitchburg, Wis. Terms of the agreement were not announced.