Lakeside Foods buys Cher-Make

Lakeside Foods, Inc. of Manitowoc, a frozen and canned foods manufacturer that has a plant in Belgium, has purchased Cher-Make Sausage Co., a 93-year-old sausage maker that produces summer sausage, hot dogs, ring bologna and bratwurst at its Manitowoc-based plant.

The acquisition offers Lakeside a new product category that will benefit its customer base, according to a release from Lakeside.

“Cher-Make is a respected maker of premium sausage and meat products with a long history in the Manitowoc community, and we’re honored to carry on the Cher-Make legacy,” Joe Yanda, president and CEO of Lakeside Foods, said. “The acquisition will further diversify our product offerings for Lakeside customers and open up new avenues for business growth and product innovation.”

Cher-Make will benefit from business growth opportunities through Lakeside, Cher-Make Sausage President Tom Chermak said.

“Joining the Lakeside Foods family will give Cher-Make a bright future to continue making authentic sausage products and expand our distribution footprint,” he said.  “Lakeside’s solid reputation in the industry for operational excellence and quality food products means Cher-Make employees will enjoy strong, stable ownership to continue building on what my grandfather began nine decades ago.”

Under the deal, Cher-Make’s management team, including Chermak, will remain in place. Day-to-day operations will continue uninterrupted, and Lakeside plans to retain all Cher-Make employees at its Manitowoc location.

Lakeside Foods started in 1887 as a small pea-canning plant and has since expanded to 13 production facilities.

Founded by Emil and Regina Chermak in 1928, Cher-Make Sausage Co. employs 150 people.