Packers now own Cheesehead brand, lock, stock and big yellow wedges
GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers and the Cheesehead hat have long been associated in the public mind. Now that association is real. The Packers purchased Foamation Inc., the owner of the Cheesehead brand.
The Packers are the largest buyer and distributor of Cheeseheads, those triangular, yellow, Swiss cheese-looking hats that are emblematic of Packers fans specifically and of Wisconsinites in general.
Ralph Bruno invented the Cheesehead hat in 1987. He got the idea while he was reupholstering his mother's couch. He burned holes in the foam to look like Swiss cheese and painted it yellow to look like cheddar. It was for Milwaukee Brewers games in response to taunts from Illinoisans and not with business creation in mind. He wore it to a game, where his friends shunned him, but other fans wanted to know where they could get one.
"We never really had plans it was going to turn into a career," Bruno said at a press conference Monday at Lambeau Field before the Packers shareholders' meeting. "It's always been organic in that sense, where it has gone."
That original Cheesehead was displayed at the press conference announcing the sale to the Packers.
Though it debuted at a Brewers game, the Cheesehead over the course of time became indelibly a Packers icon.
Bruno had plans in 2017 to expand the operation, moving to a spiffy building in Milwaukee's Walker's Point district, where customers could shop, tour, have parties and conferences, eat and make their own Cheesehead products. He had to shut down operations during part of the COVID year of 2020. He reopened after several months, but the business never really recovered. He said selling to the Packers was an easy decision.
The Packers took over distribution of Cheesehead products in 2022.
"It's been a challenge to be in business for over 30 years," he said. "Like all businesses, big businesses and small businesses, but especially small businesses, there's always a challenge."
Bruno said he went to the bank to get a loan for equipment, they asked what he made, and when he said "Cheeseheads," they said no thanks. He expects the Packers won't have that problem.
Cheesehead products — which include items such as Cheesehead bow ties, seat cushions, cozies, hanging dice, top hats and daggers — are among the more popular items in the Packers Pro Shop, so the team was willing to talk. The Packers on Monday unveiled new products, including a Cheesehead with "Owner" on it, for Packers shareholders, and shirts with Packers and the Cheesehead logo on them.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
More: Cheesehead and its maker get better with age
"We're looking forward to building upon the legacy the Bruno family has created over the years and offering our fans even more Cheesehead items to have," said Gabrielle Dow, Packers vice president of marketing and fan engagement.
Cheesehead products are manufactured in Milwaukee and will continue to be made in Wisconsin, said Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy.
"We have had a very special relationship with the Packers over the years and my wife, Sue, and I are both very excited about what the Packers can do with the Cheesehead going forward," Bruno said.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Packers now own Cheesehead brand, lock, stock and big yellow wedges
