Lifeway Foods, Inc.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWAY) is the largest producer and marketer of kefir in the United States, operating through a single reportable segment focused on cultured dairy products. Founded in 1986 by Michael Smolyansky, the company pioneered the commercial introduction of kefir to American consumers and has since… From the company’s description.
Margins and return on equity change in ; everything else in percent. Fewer shares and less debt are shown plainly, not as bad news — it depends what you make of buybacks. Dotted labels explain each measure. is shown separately from the annual figures.
What Lifeway Foods, Inc. does
In the company’s own words
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWAY) is the largest producer and marketer of kefir in the United States, operating through a single reportable segment focused on cultured dairy products. Founded in 1986 by Michael Smolyansky, the company pioneered the commercial introduction of kefir to American consumers and has since expanded into a recognized leader in probiotic-based products and natural, better-for-you foods. The company's website is www.lifewayfoods.com.
The company's product portfolio includes drinkable kefir, which represents approximately 85 percent of net sales, along with European-style soft cheeses, cream products, drinkable yogurt, ProBugs kefir products designed for children, and other dairy items. Lifeway manufactures approximately 95 percent of its products at four owned facilities located in Morton Grove and Niles, Illinois; Waukesha, Wisconsin; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The remaining production is handled through co-packing agreements with manufacturers in California and Ireland. The company operates under the Lifeway, Fresh Made, and GlenOaks Farms brand names, as well as private label arrangements for certain customers.
Lifeway distributes its products through three primary channels: retail-direct sales representing approximately 51 percent of net sales, distributor channels accounting for 47 percent, and direct store delivery in the Chicago metropolitan area comprising 2 percent. International sales, primarily through distributors and co-manufacturing arrangements in Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, France, Ireland, and the Middle East, represent 7 percent of total net sales. The company generated net sales of $212.5 million in 2025 and employed 293 full-time and two part-time employees as of December 31, 2025, including 97 union members in Illinois.
Lifeway competes with established dairy producers and increasingly with non-dairy probiotic alternatives. The company maintains valuable intellectual property through its Lifeway trademark family and proprietary formulations. The business is not seasonal and benefits from strong brand recognition developed through decades of market presence and consumer marketing efforts emphasizing the nutritional benefits of kefir and probiotics.
Company details
- Sector
- Consumer Staples
- Industry
- Food Products
- Headquarters
- MORTON GROVE, IL
- Fiscal year end
- December
- CIK
- 814586
- SIC
- 2020
Financial performance, year by year
Fiscal 2013–2025 · USDThe full income statement, balance sheet and cash flow for each of these years — every figure traceable to its filing — is on the Financials tab with a free account.
Who owns Lifeway Foods, Inc. — and what changed
Funds as of 2026Q2 · superinvestors as of 2026-06-30
Largest fund holders · Lifeway Foods, Inc.’s weight in each
Fund ownership is a floor, not a census — pensions, insurers and people holding shares directly are not visible here.
Fund ownership counts N-PORT filers only, so it is a floor rather than a census — pensions, insurers and direct holders are not visible here, and the remainder is not “held by individuals”.
Could not be determined for this company: bond issues.
Every fund and institutional holder, quarter by quarter, is on the Ownership tab with a free account.
Recent filings
All filings →Each filing opens into its own statements and disclosures here.
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