One of Ohio's largest companies is privately held, not widely known, yet makes something consumed by nearly every resident of the state — or nation, for that matter.
Great Lakes Cheese, in the small town of Hiram, sold $2.4 billion worth of cheddar, provolone, mozzarella and other cheeses last year. It accounts for about 25% of all packaged cheese sold in the United States and about 35% of all cheese sold in the eastern portion of the country, said John Epprecht, the company's vice president and a member of its founding family.
“If you go from Illinois south and east, we're dominant,” said Epprecht, who helps run the company along with his brother Kurt, and other family members. The Epprecht family collectively owns about 80% of Great Lakes Cheese. The company's workers own the rest through an employee stock ownership program.
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