Posted on 05/27/2017 9:54:55 AM PDT by Trillian
AN AVALANCHE OF CHEESE pours into the test kitchen at the Denver headquarters of Leprino Foods, the mozzarella supplier to Pizza Hut, Domino's and Papa John's. First, thin wisps of low-moisture mozzarella, then a diced alternative, followed by an "artisanal" version, cut short and wide. Then come flavored cheeses made with a mozzarella base, as well as provolone, cheddar and Monterey Jack.
Cooks bring out a take-and-bake pizza, a New York-style pie and a stuffed crust, fresh from nearly a dozen ovens. Another course features frozen food made with Leprino products, including ham-and-cheddar Hot Pockets, Stouffer's lasagna and Smart Ones baked ziti. Then come the cheese cubes marketed as snack pairings: pear flavor with nuts or Gorgonzola with pretzels. Team Leprino next brings out dessert: salted-caramel-flavored mozzarella wrapped in hot dough, rolled in cinnamon sugar. After an hour, the plastic shot glasses appear for sampling the company's lactose and whey powders, which end up in protein bars, Yoplait yogurt, Pillsbury Toaster Strudel and baby formula consumed by millions of infants annually.
Two floors above this dairy deluge, in a dark-wood-paneled office with white marble floors, Corinthian columns and gold accents, sits James Leprino, the Willy Wonka of cheese. "It's hard for me to believe I agreed to this," the 79-year-old billionaire says. "I really like to keep my privacy."
Indeed he does, to a nearly unprecedented degree, given the way he dominates his industry. Leprino has somehow eluded photographers for decades: A Google search picks up photos of fellow Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz and cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder. There isn't a single image of Leprino on his company's website. But after nearly 60 years running the business and more than a decade on Forbes' list of billionaires, Leprino, worth an estimated $3 billion, is finally willing to be interviewed about
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
I didn’t even read much of the article and I’m hungry.
Of course he’s “secretive.” The cheese stands alone.
It is. But Domino’s pizza is awful. I try to tell everyone I know. I don’t eat pizza much, but there’s a Little Caesar’s around the corner that I frequent a couple of times a year,
Mostly I eat frozen pizza: DiGiorno’s, the Aldi’s take-off of DiGiorno’s, or Jack’s bacon cheeseburger pizza.
When I worked at Pizza Hut, we used Lucille’s prediced mozzerella. It might have changed since 1982, though.
There’s a Leprino location in Greeley, north of Denver, which is constantly expanding and hiring more people. I know a guy who was a Department Supervisor at Home Depot who left to be a forklift driver at Leprino.
Yes, but nacho cheese.
Try the aldi refrigerated fresh pizza. So much better than any frozen.
We got bags of 'high performance cheese' from Domino's Farms in Ann Arbor. That was about 9 years ago. I've heard nothing but good things about Leprino.
We love Dominoes and always get the linguica with pineapple mix, with extra sauce.
Delicious, far better than Kittle Caesars!
Ed
I think they put Assagio cheese on my last pizzas. I didn’t ask for it and it made them inedible.
“Try the aldi refrigerated fresh pizza. So much better than any frozen.”
I shall. Thanks for the tip!
If you ever find yourself going thru Windsor Ont., stop at Sam’s,Franco’s or Riviera’s for the best pizza you will ever eat in your life!!
Good for this guy. Me? I’ve been too picky and too proud.
But I’ve learned a lesson today - never be too proud or too picky that you wouldn’t make a million bucks making the cheese that goes on bad pizza. Perfection and quality ain’t everything.
Thanks, Cheese Man! I mean that sincerely, no sarcasm. If I can’t win trying to be great I might win trying to be mediocre. And I could use a serious win.
When I was there we only had mozzarella and provolone. I do agree with you about DiGiorno.
Little Caesars isn’t the best, I agree. There used to be a Papa John’s nearby but it closed. I used to get Hungry Howies once in a while but got ticked off because they wouldn’t deliver a small pizza a half mile away. Why do you like Domino’s?
I get the 5 cheese pizza from Tombstone some.
There is a local chain called Schainos that makes a killer boli.
There’s a big Leprino factory in Roswell. No joke.
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