DENMARK, Wis. — Consumers don't have to give up convenience if they want good specialty cheese. That's the belief of the management of BelGioioso Cheese, a specialty Italian cheese manufacturer here.

First and foremost, BelGioioso Cheese Owner and President Errico Auricchio believes that the company's cheese must be of the highest quality.

"The focus of the company is to produce everything we sell," he says, explaining that such a philosophy allows the company to have a greater say in the quality of its products. "We like to keep control of the product from the milk to the mouth of the consumer."

All of the company's domestic specialty Italian cheese is produced in Wisconsin at four different sites. The company recently closed a tiny California facility where curd produced in Wisconsin was being packaged.

The philosophy of keeping all production — including packaging — in-house has led BelGioioso through an interesting transition over the last few years. Where once nearly all of the company's cheese was sold in a bulk format, now less than half is bulk cheese, he says. As consumers and foodservice customers have demanded more and more convenience, BelGioioso Cheese has worked to provide its cheeses in formats, such as shreds and grates, that consumers find easy to use.

Auricchio says he always strives to stay one step ahead of consumers.

"You have to believe what you're doing is right, even if the market takes time," he says.

Most recently this focus on consumers has included installing a new slicing line.

"We are gradually rolling out a sliced Provolone, a medium sliced Provolone and a sharp sliced Provolone," he says. "We're marketing it in the self-service deli in 8-ounce packages."

Also being introduced is a sliced Asiago. Consumers want the convenience of sliced cheeses for their sandwiches and are becoming increasingly familiar with specialty cheeses like Asiago, he explains. And while Provolone still is the company's No. 1 seller, "Asiago has grown incredibly over the last few years," he adds.

The more BelGioioso can provide cheese in formats that its customers want, the more cheese the company expects to sell because often consumers won't try certain cheeses, like Asiago, on sandwiches because it's not convenient to slice, he says.

Another new item the company has introduced is fresh Mozzarella in Cryovac packaging. While Auricchio concedes this cheese, which comes in 8-ounce and 16-ounce sizes, isn't the same as fresh Mozzarella packed in water, it still tastes very good and has the added bonuses of a longer shelf-life and greater convenience.

"They want the quality," he says of consumers. "And they very much want the convenience."

In fact, the demand for convenience is leading the company to consider adding a cubing line at some point, he adds.

The company never forsakes its focus on convenience but not all of the company's products are about convenient packaging; some of the latest additions at BelGioioso Cheese are most importantly about BelGioioso's other chief goals — good taste and quality. Then again, a tiramisu-flavored Mascarpone arguably could fit the bill for both good flavor and convenience, depending upon the chef's needs. It's a product that the company has experimented with over the past couple of years and now is marketing, Auricchio says, particularly for foodservice.

The company also has introduced fresh Mozzarella curd as a niche product for small restaurant chains that might be interested in such a product, he says.

And for retail, there is Peperoncino™, a cheese that Auricchio describes somewhere between an Asiago and a Parmesan with hot peppers. The item is sold mainly in wedges at retail.

The company's products range from what is considered "commodity" Italian cheese such as Provolone to specialty products like its CreamyGorg®. But Auricchio considers all of the company's products high-quality and specialty, noting that the definition of specialty cheese is nebulous and changes depending upon who is asked.

"Eighty percent of consumers want price. Twenty percent want quality. Our goal is to always service the 20 percent," he says. "And even in commodity there is 15 percent of the market interested in quality, non-commodity product."

BelGioioso does a great deal of work with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board in marketing its products. The company doesn't do a lot of advertising, but rather focuses on wine and cheese events and in-store sampling with additional recipe pads and signage.

"In-store sampling is expensive, but it's an effective way to reach consumers," he says. "People taste it and like it and buy it. If they like it, they're customers for life."

The company also raises awareness about its products through public relations efforts, such as press releases to editors offering a "primer" on Italian-style cheeses. Auricchio believes in educating consumers about cheese, although he also believes that the consumer is always right when it comes to flavor preferences.

"What makes a cheese is a combination of milk, equipment and people," he says. "Whenever you change one of these ingredients, the cheese takes on different characteristics. My Provolone is different from others. The better one is the one you like."

Auricchio, whose family is in the cheese business in Italy, started working in the United States in 1979 and bought the assets of the American operations six years ago. The BelGioioso cheesemakers make product to Auricchio's specifications and he believes his company's cheese is of the highest quality, but he also notes the cheese isn't the same as cheese made in Europe. That's OK as long as the cheese meets consumers' needs, he says.

For instance, Auricchio says he prefers the Parmesan he was raised on in Italy even to his company's own Parmesan. But his daughter, who grew up eating Parmesan made in the United States, prefers BelGioioso's Parmesan.

Auricchio acknowledges some people consider imported cheeses superior to domestic cheeses simply because they are imported. But when he gets the opportunity, he cautions consumers to be their own judges.

"The problem in the United States is people read an article and think that's the best cheese," he says. "Your mouth should be the judge."

CMN