Founded in New York in 1990 by Salvadoran sisters Ester Pacheco and Noris Cruz, La Ricura Foods makes and distributes authentic Central American foods in the United States, with fresh cheeses at the heart of its story. What began with seven gallons of milk and door-to-door sales has grown into production plants in Hicksville and Farmingdale, a Brentwood distribution center, and more than 400 employees. The company serves families, supermarkets, restaurants, and Latin stores while working to keep the flavors of home on American tables.
Losurdo Foods IncFounded in 1959 by Michael and Mary Losurdo, Losurdo Foods makes and distributes Italian-style specialty foods, including fresh cheeses and frozen pizza dough, for food-service customers. Headquartered in Hackensack, New Jersey, the family business is now run by two of the founders’ children, with manufacturing in Heuvelton and Amsterdam, New York. Its fresh cheeses follow traditional recipes from Italy’s Capri region, while both plants are certified to the SQF Food Safety Code for Manufacturing Edition 9.AMSTERDAM, NY
Miceli Dairy Products CompanySince 1923, Miceli Dairy Products Company has made Italian cheeses in Cleveland, beginning with 15-year-old John Miceli selling ricotta and mozzarella from a Model-T pickup truck. Today the family-owned business remains guided by Miceli children and grandchildren, carrying generations-old recipes into a nationally recognized cheese company.CLEVELAND, OH
Lamagna CheeseFamily cheesemaking is Lamagna Cheese’s defining tradition: Giovanni Lamagna brought his Italian recipes to America in 1928, and successive generations have carried them forward. The company is known for fresh, all-natural ricotta made daily with traditional methods, while also serving foodservice customers with larger-format cheese products.VERONA, PA
Jose Madrid SalsaFrom a Zanesville restaurant kitchen to a growing Ohio food brand, Jose Madrid Salsa makes New Mexico-style salsa shaped by the Zakany family’s Mexican heritage. Mike Zakany developed the recipes through research, experimentation and customer feedback before launching the company in 1987, naming it for his beloved grandfather from Clovis, New Mexico. First sold in gourmet and grocery stores in 1988, the company now offers 25 different salsas, with fruit-forward flavors and heat levels that reflect its willingness to move beyond traditional red salsa.COLUMBUS, OH