September 9, 2011
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ITALIAN CHEESE VARIETY ­— Miceli Dairy Products makes a variety of Italian-type cheeses. The company has been a family-owned business in Cleveland for more than 60 years.

OLD FASHIONED RICOTTA — Miceli Dairy Products is known for its Ricotta, and the company is just beginning an expansion project that will allow its Ricotta production to double.

By Kate Sander

CLEVELAND ­— In an effort to keep up with demand and with an eye on becoming one of the nation’s largest Ricotta producers, Ohio’s Miceli Dairy Products Co. breaks ground this month on an expansion project that will allow the company to significantly increase its Ricotta production as well as add to its Mozzarella and Provolone production capabilities.

Miceli Dairy Products, founded by John Miceli Sr. in 1949 and still owned and operated by the Miceli family, specializes in soft Italian cheeses: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Fresh Mozzarella, String cheese, Mascarpone, shredded cheeses and Italian specialty cheeses.

Overall, the company offers more than 60 different items for retail and food ingredient use for private industry as well as schools and other government institutions. Products range in size from consumer-sized 1-ounce packages of String cheese to 30-pound bags of Ricotta for food ingredient use and everything in between.

Jonathan Miceli, son of company CEO Joseph Miceli and grandson of founder John Miceli Sr., says the company currently produces more than 60 million pounds of cheese annually. The first phase of the expansion project, which includes additions to the current plant, is expected to be complete by mid-2012, enabling the company to double production of Ricotta.

“Our prime goal is to become the No. 1 supplier of Ricotta to the food ingredient industry, while growing the Miceli’s brand and increasing our private label brands,” Jonathan Miceli says.

Also as part of the expansion project, a new visitor center will be constructed, along with a test kitchen and a research-and-development center. The test kitchen, Miceli says, will include an old-fashioned Italian style, complete with wood pizza ovens imported from Italy, where chefs will rework classic Italian favorites. The test kitchen is being designed by two top Cleveland chefs, he says.

The city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the state of Ohio have been supportive of the cheese company and the expansion project, and the new visitor center is just one way the company can expand upon and improve its presence for those in the city as well as its current and future customers. It was important for the company to grow within the city and maintain its roots, Miceli also notes.

At the facility, visitors will learn about how the company remains true to Old World craftsmanship equipment but also takes advantage of the latest in production and packaging technology and innovation to extend shelf life without compromising product quality or flavor.

Ricotta presently comprises about two-thirds of the company’s cheese production, and that percentage will increase with the completed expansion. However, phase two, to be completed by 2016, will bring with it needed additional capacity for other cheeses. The second phase of the expansion project includes a new Mozzarella and Provolone factory as well as a bio-digester. The $20 million project will add 60 workers to the company’s 135-employee work force over the next five years.

In addition to expanding production, the company is looking at increasing the amount of cheese it exports and starting a line of imported Italian cheese as well.

“Like any business, we have to keep moving forward and adapting to the changing marketplace,” Jonathan Miceli says.

The updates and expansion will further support Miceli’s mission of producing high-quality products at an affordable price.

“What differentiates Miceli’s from other cheese companies is the authenticity of our cheese flavors and our outstanding customer service. With generations of experience, we pride ourselves on customer satisfaction,” Miceli says.

The Miceli family entered the U.S. cheese business when John Miceli Sr., who learned to make cheese from previous generations of the Miceli family who originated from Sicily, began selling Fresh Ricotta and Scamorza cheeses out of his Model T Ford Truck to the Italian neighborhoods of Cleveland’s east side. He built a reputation for producing a quality product and soon his business spread out into other areas of Ohio and beyond. John worked in the business until he died at age 91, and his four children — Joseph, John, Rosemarie Surace and Carol Lograsso — are still involved along with in-laws and seven of his grandchildren.

In addition to taking on the expansion project, the company has launched new packaging as well as a new product this past year.

The new retail packaging for the company’s Fresh Mozzarella line gives the line a fresh, updated look with colors that make it more recognizable to consumers, Jonathan Miceli says.

The appeal of Fresh Mozzarella has expanded greatly in recent years, he notes, and the company is aiming to offer as many varieties of this item as possible.

As part of that effort, Miceli’s has added a Perline size, the sizes of pearls, to its Fresh Mozzarella line. Previously, the company’s smallest offering of Mozzarella was Ciliegine or cherry-size. Since Perline Fresh Mozzarella offers so much flexibility for a variety of uses, the company is marketing it as an addition to salads and a specialty pizza topping, Miceli says. The equipment for all of the company’s Fresh Mozzarella comes from Italy.

While the company’s cheeses are available nationally, Miceli’s branded products primarily are available in the Midwest/Northeast, particularly in Ohio and surrounding states. Thus, a great deal of the company’s marketing efforts are local. Major marketing programs over the past year have included String cheese promotions with the Cleveland Browns and distribution during NCAA basketball games in Cleveland. The company also continues to use mail-marketing, in-store demos and promotions, along with a steady presence at industry trade shows to ensure the consumer is always mindful of the Miceli brand.

“We position our Miceli’s brand between private label items and the Krafts of the world, with the goal to remain a traditional Italian cheese manufacturer with products that everyone can afford,” Jonathan Miceli adds.

CMN