Bavarian family business producing Camembert, Obazda, baked and grilled cheese specialties from fresh Alpine milk.
Alpenhain Käsespezialitäten GmbH
Pfaffing (Lehen)New on Amplifa
Alpenhain at a glance
Alpenhain Käsespezialitäten GmbH is a fourth-generation Bavarian family business headquartered in Lehen near Pfaffing. Since 1905, the company has refined fresh Alpine milk from around 215 farm partners within a radius of at most 50 kilometres into cheese specialties. The product range includes Camembert, Brie, Obazda, Camembert Creme, grilled cheese, baked cheese snacks and the vegan bread-spread specialty Opflanzda. Production takes place on modern, fully automated dairy plants, some developed jointly with the sister company ALPMA Alpenland Maschinenbau; around 225,000 litres of milk are processed daily and up to one million cheese specialties are produced. Customers include food retail, foodservice and system catering, bakeries, catering and industrial customers; the products are exported to more than 40 countries. In 2025, revenue amounted to 168 million euros; around 450 employees work at the Lehen site.
- Site
- Pfaffing
- Processes
- Camembert production (dairy: pasteurisation, separation, curdling, curd cutting, moulding, draining,, Production of cheese spreads (Obazda, Camembert Creme): mixing in the cooking-stirring vessel,, Production of breaded baked/grilled cheese specialties (breading, pre-baked, frozen products), Shelf-life extension of Camembert (process for unrefrigerated export, since 1970), Pasteurisation of milk (75°C for approx. 15 seconds), Cutting, portioning and block moulding of cheese, QS laboratory testing of milk and raw materials (rapid test on delivery, external laboratory, Foodservice / large-consumer support
- Materials
- Fresh Alpine milk, Camembert, Brie, Mozzarella, Gouda, Emmental, Shepherd's cheese, Kashkaval
- Certificates
- IFS, BRC, AIB, VLOG (GM-free, for numerous products), VLOG (GM-free), PGI (EU, Obazda), QM milk standard (suppliers)
- Founded
- 1905
- Employees
- 450
- Industries
- Food retail (Retail), Foodservice / system catering, Bakeries, Catering, Industrial customers, International Business / Export
- 01
Milk intake and quality inspection
- 02
Pasteurisation (75 °C, approx. 15 sec.) and separation
- 03
Curdling, cutting the curd, moulding, draining
- 04
Dry salting
- 05
Ripening (ripening clock)
- 06
Cutting, portioning, block moulding
- 07
Breading or further processing (baked/grilled cheese, Obazda, Creme)
- 08
Filling and packaging
- 09
Fully automated high-bay warehouse / cold storage warehouse
- 10
Shipping and export
Milk, raw materials and production methods
Fresh Alpine milk
Regional milk from around 215 family farms is the basis of all cheese specialties; approx. 90 million litres per year.
Camembert
Produced since 1925, the heart of the product range and the basis for Baked Camembert, Obazda and Camembert Creme.
Brie
Creamy-mild soft cheese, also with long shelf life for export.
Mozzarella
Processed into Baked Mozzarella Sticks, Pattys and Tomato-Mozzarella Bites.
Gouda
Delicate-mild semi-hard cheese for Baked Gouda Rounds and Nuggets.
Emmental
Nutty-aromatic, sliceable cheese for baked products.
Shepherd's cheese
Aromatic cheese in a crispy potato-strip breading as Baked Shepherd's Cheese.
Kashkaval
Delicately melting cheese in a golden-brown breading as Kashkaval Pane.
Obazda / Camembert Creme
Spreads made from house-made Camembert with cream, butter, cream cheese and spices, produced in the cooking-stirring vessel.
Faba bean protein and plant-based fats
Basis of the vegan Opflanzda; plant-based fats such as coconut and shea fat, oils from rapeseed and sunflower.
Location
Lehen near Pfaffing
DEHeadquarters, dairy, production, administration
- Lot size
- Up to 1 million cheese specialties per day
- Materials
- Alpine milk, Camembert, Brie, Mozzarella, Gouda, Emmental, shepherd's cheese, Kashkaval
- Dairy production plants (developed with ALPMA)
- Dry salting system (fully linked crate-stacking dry-salt block-mould cleaning system)
- Cutting line and portioning system
- Production line TK5 for baked/grilled cheese specialties
- Cooking-stirring vessel for Obazda
- Pasteurisation and separation system
- Fully automated high-bay warehouse (through-flow warehouse)
- Deep-freeze warehouse
- Production facility for convenience products
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camembert production (dairy: pasteurisation, separation, curdling, curd cutting, moulding, draining,Casting | – | – | – | ca. 1 Mio. Käsespezialitäten pro Tag | fresh Alpine milk, microbial rennet substitute, lactic acid bacteria, noble mould, calcium |
| Production of cheese spreads (Obazda, Camembert Creme): mixing in the cooking-stirring vessel,Assembly | – | – | – | – | Camembert, cream, butter, cream cheese, spices, fried onions, spring onions, faba bean protein (Opflanzda, vegan), plant-based fats (coconut, shea) |
| Production of breaded baked/grilled cheese specialties (breading, pre-baked, frozen products)Surface | – | – | – | – | Camembert, Mozzarella, Gouda, Brie, Emmental, shepherd's cheese, Kashkaval, breadcrumbs/breading, flour (wheat, rye), plant-based oils (rapeseed, sunflower) |
| Shelf-life extension of Camembert (process for unrefrigerated export, since 1970)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | Camembert |
| Pasteurisation of milk (75°C for approx. 15 seconds)Heat treatment | – | – | – | ca. 225.000 Liter Milch täglich | fresh Alpine milk |
| Cutting, portioning and block moulding of cheeseMachining | – | – | – | – | cheese (soft cheese) |
| QS laboratory testing of milk and raw materials (rapid test on delivery, external laboratoryTesting | – | – | – | – | milk, raw materials |
12 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dairy production plants (state-of-the-art facility park, fully automated, partly developed with | ALPMA Alpenland Maschinenbau | – | – | – | Lehen near Pfaffing |
| Dry salting system (fully linked crate-stacking dry-salt block-mould cleaning system) | – | – | – | – | Lehen |
| Cutting line and portioning system for cheese and block moulds | – | – | – | – | Lehen |
| Production line for restructured soft cheese preparations | – | – | – | – | Lehen |
| Production line TK5 for chilled baked/grilled cheese specialties | – | – | – | – | Lehen |
| Cooking-stirring vessel for Obazda production | – | – | – | – | Lehen |
| Pasteurisation and separation system | – | – | – | – | Lehen |
| Fully automated high-bay warehouse (through-flow warehouse) | – | – | – | 2020 | Lehen |
| Deep-freeze warehouse | – | – | – | 1983–1990 | Lehen |
| Production facility for convenience products | – | – | – | 2000 | Lehen |
| Village dairy with capacity of 1,000 litres of milk per day | – | – | – | 1925 | Lehen |
| Ripening clock (patented ripening control system, historical) | – | – | – | 1940 | Lehen |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Certifications
The quality of the milk and all raw materials is inspected from the moment of delivery by the company's own laboratory; in addition, external laboratory analyses, sensory tests and regular supplier audits ensure consistent quality. Suppliers must provide GFSI certificates (IFS, BRC, FSSC 22000).
| Evidence | Lehen near Pfaffing |
|---|---|
| IFS | |
| BRC | |
| AIB | |
| VLOG (GM-free) | |
| PGI (EU, Obazda) | |
| QM milk standard (suppliers) |