Gaetano Auricchio

Q. Can you tell us a bit about your upbringing and how it has shaped you?

In 1979, my father and mother, with my sisters and I in tow, moved to America to start a new life. Along with my father he brought our two head cheesemakers, Mauro and Gianni, to continue the family legacy and start crafting Italian style specialty cheeses here in America.

As a child, I remember going to the cheese plants with my father on the weekends. He would teach me the importance of doing things right and not cutting corners. He would say, it’s easy to make a good cheese once, the challenge, and our goal, is to make great cheeses consistently, day in and day out.

Over the summers in high school, I worked in the plants and learned how to make cheese and take care of it. I cleaned cheese drying racks, flipped American Grana wheels on wood aging boards, and packed a lot of fresh mozzarella over that time.

While the work was hard, it was rewarding. At the end of the day, I could see the fruits of my labor on the dinner table in my mom’s delicious dishes.

Q. What were some of the pivotal moments that led you to where you are today?

Growing up in a family cheese business, there had always been somewhat of an expectation to come back and work in the business. I went to college in Chicago, then after graduation, I moved out East, working in consulting and getting some outside experience.

In the back of my mind, however, going back to the family business was always calling me.

Q. How has your career evolved over the years?

I started working at BelGioioso in 2000. I began on the operations side of the business, working closely with our plant managers and cheesemakers on improving quality and efficiency and helping bring new lines and new products to life.

After that, I was involved with the sales side of the business. I traveled to visit our broker partners, met with customers and attended national trade shows. This was a whole new world for me, and very exciting to learn and be a part of.

There is nothing better than getting out into the market and seeing your cheese beautifully merchandised on the shelves of a retailer or served on a tasty dish in a great restaurant.

It is great to hear directly from customers on what they see as opportunities and challenges. Working hand and hand with our customers, brokers and sales managers to grow and expand our cheeses in the market is very rewarding.

Q. What is the best advice you ever received and why?

One of the guiding principles I learned early on from my father, and echoed by our head cheesemakers, is that everything we do is “per il bene del formaggio” (for the good of the cheese).

What this means is that whatever decision we make from a production change, ingredient change, or efficiency change, should be made under the lens of making sure it is for the good of the cheese.

The change must improve the consistency or quality of our finished cheese for us to make it. We are not interested in saving a few pennies if it means the quality will be compromised.

Q. What deli retail trends have impacted the industry most over the last year?

In my opinion, we have been seeing a surge in consumers looking for higher quality, artisanal cheeses. People are traveling the world and when they come back, they want to experience the flavors of the cheeses they had abroad. A great specialty cheese is an affordable luxury. It is something you can treat yourself to and not break the bank.

Another trend we are seeing is healthy snacking. We have seen a large increase in demand for our snacking line of cheeses, like Fresh Mozzarella, Parmesan, Fontina, Mild Provolone, Artigiano and Asiago Fresco.

More people are moving away from sugary snacks with empty calories. Our snack cheeses are a great source of protein and calcium and are filling and very satisfying.

Q. What hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy going on hikes with my family. I love being out in nature — it is calming and energizing.

My other passion is road cycling. I love being out in the countryside, and experiencing the sights and sounds of summer.

Q. Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?

My favorite place to go for vacation is Italy. As a child I spent my summers there with family and friends. Going back now with my family helps me reconnect with my heritage and eat some great food! It is also interesting to walk the supermarkets there and see the latest cheese trends and packaging innovations.