CONCORD, Calif. — You could call Mozzarella Fresca the little company that could. In fact, that is how some executives of the company internally refer to this business that has grown from being a tiny, struggling Italian cheesemaker into a respected award-winning specialty cheese industry presence. A decade and a singular focus on quality have made all the difference.

It was late 1995 when friends Andrew Branagh and David Wignall purchased a troubled California cheese company plagued by both quality and financial problems. The difficulties they faced soon threw the business into bankruptcy. In order to survive, the duo quickly restructured the management team and turned their focus to improving quality. A few years later, the “new” Mozzarella Fresca began to emerge and since then the company has stayed on the same path, focusing on quality product and customer service. Branagh, president and CEO, has hired top executives to work with him to expand the business. Wignall remains on the company’s board of directors.

“Over the past decade, the Mozzarella Fresca family has grown up,” Branagh says. “With the continued strength of our core products and planned new product launches, we are looking forward to a bright and exciting new year.”

Fresh Mozzarella, sold at both retail and foodservice, is Mozzarella Fresca’s mainstay. However, the company has gotten creative with the product, producing multiple sizes of balls from little to big.

Perlini, a 1-gram ball of Fresh Mozzarella that the company describes as being “as close to shredded, fresh Mozzarella as you can get,” is designed for pizza and tacos and a variety of other cooking applications. Smaller than a pearl, the cheese is the tiniest Mozzarella ball ever produced by Mozzarella Fresca and will be introduced at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco next week. Perlini will be available in 8-ounce retail cups and larger foodservice packaging.

Also being introduced at the show in packaging for foodservice is the Perle, a 4-gram ball of Fresh Mozzarella that is approximately the size of a pearl. The industry standards tend to be Ciliegine, a 1/3 ounce ball which means cherry-sized, Bocconcini, a 2-ounce ball which means bite-sized, and Ovalini, a 4-ounce ball which means egg-sized. While Mozzarella Fresca makes these, too, the smaller sizes will give consumers and chefs alike more versatility, says Jason Knight, who joined the company this past year as vice president of marketing. Mozzarella Fresca also makes 8-ounce balls and 1-pound balls and logs.

Mozzarella Fresca produces two distinct styles of Fresh Mozzarella: acidic (American-style), which is sweet and creamy and sold under the Mozzarella Fresca brand, and cultured (imported Bufala culture), which has a slightly stronger flavor most similar to imported Bufala Mozzarella and is sold by the company under the Ital Cheese brand.

In addition, at the Fancy Food Show, Mozzarella Fresca will be introducing a pre-sliced Fresh Mozzarella that Knight describes as being “ideal for foodservice” because of portion control and ease of use. About 40 percent of the company’s business is in foodservice, with most of the remainder in retail and a small fraction in ingredients.

“Foodservice continues to be an area of great opportunity,” Knight says.

Other than new products, the Fancy Food Show will give Mozzarella Fresca the opportunity to showcase some of its other items. The company offers marinated Mozzarella, which has done well over the past few years both in terms of sales and contests. There was a gold medal finish for Fresh Mozzarella in olive oil with spices and herbs in the Flavored Soft Cheeses Class at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest this past year as well as a first place in its class at the American Cheese Society’s annual competition.

In addition, the company offers Ricotta and Mascarpone and a newer product in partnership with Caramel Sin Inc.: Dolce. A marriage of caramel blended with pure cream Mascarpone creates Dolce, an Italian caramel cream perfect for desserts. The product won first place in the Flavored Spreadable Cheeses Class at the 2005 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest.

Showing consumers and chefs how to use all of these products is key to the company’s marketing plan, and the company hosts a rather extensive website, complete with showing consumers how to stretch curd.

Knight and Jeff Strah, vice presidents who head up marketing and sales, respectively, use a number of other venues as well to reach potential customers, including point-of-sale materials and advertising in consumer and trade publications.

Most important, though, is getting consumers to try the cheese through sampling at stores and a variety of events.

“Anywhere where we can get product in consumers’ mouths, we know we can win sales because our product is so good,” Knight says.

Because a critical component of the company’s marketing plan is getting consumers to try cheese, the company has had a corporate chef on board for a number of years. The current corporate chef is Stephen Morvay, who joined the company in August. Morvay’s duties include developing recipes, conducting cooking demonstrations and traveling to both trade and consumer events.

Since basically restarting over 10 years ago, Mozzarella Fresca has grown from being a company with primarily local sales to a company with customers nationwide. While Mozzarella Fresca’s strongest presence still is on the West Coast, it has growing strength on the East Coast, Knight says, noting such national customers as Costco and Trader Joe’s.

Company executives declined to disclose Mozzarella Fresca’s sales figures, but do say that in the past decade the company has grown nearly 5,000 percent. But even though the company has grown significantly and enjoys national distribution, it still positions itself as a specialty cheesemaker.

“We started as a gourmet manufacturer, and we have invested heavily to continue to meet those standards,” Knight says, adding that the company targets customers who are looking for the best cheeses they can buy.

Part of maintaining the company’s focus on quality included closing its small and aging production facility in the Los Angeles area in late 2003 and moving into a new, state-of-the-art cheese plant in Central California that has been certified by numerous organizations, Knight says. All Mozzarella Fresca products are 100 percent natural, made of rBST-free milk and are certified kosher.

“Mozzarella Fresca has set the industry standard for great taste, innovation and customer service by raising the bar above all others,” Branagh says. “The investment into our manufacturing facility has helped us produce superior quality Fresh Mozzarella, Ricotta and Mascarpone.”

Local leaders have recognized the growth and success of the company as well. Recently the company was selected as the 2005 Business of the Year by the Tipton City Council and received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, Business of the Year.

CMN