Claude left school at 16 and joined in the family business, working 6-7 days a week and often doing over 12 hours per day. He soon learned cheese making under the watchful eye of his father Gerardo. As the business developed in sales and grew in complexity, Claude then took responsibility for Administration and Sales and is now the Managing Director. Claude has been on the board of Flavour SA and was also a finalist in the Entrpreneur of the Year Awards 2008. His knowledge and experience in the Food Industry and specifically with cheese is extensive.

Mick is La Casa Del Formaggio's Business Development and Sales Manager. Mick is a father of 2, grandfather of 4. Born in Rhodes, Greece, arriving in Adelaide 1957 at the age of 7. Mick has been Involved with the Food Industry from the age of 16, and now has 43 years experience. Mick was self employed for 12 years, a Supermarket Manager for 3 years, a Sales Representative for 3 years, the General Manager of Food Distribution Companies for 24 years and has been with us for 1 year. Mick's knowledge and experience is all gained with practical, hands on, and hard work ethic.  

David works alongside Mick as our South Australian Sales Representative. David has extensive experience in sales and has worked as a Sales Representative in the food industry for over 20 years. David now manages sales, orders, product planograms, merchandising and new lines in Independent Supermarkets and Coles and Woolworths in South Australia.

Laura has a Bachelor Degree in Management (Marketing) and Graphic Design. She has previous experience working in Marketing and Graphic Design for the Haircare Industry and has recently moved into the Food Industry. She started with the company in September, 2008 and assists with all aspects of Marketing. Laura works closely alongside Claude on projects including sales analysis, new product development, marketing communication materials, packaging and website design.

Vanna worked 17 years in retail and after break to raise her two children, returned to work for La Casa Del Formaggio. She is responsible for all administration duties, including accounts and HR. Vanna is from an Italian background and has an infectious laugh around the office. She loves working at La Casa Del Formaggio and is a great mum to her two boys.

Gerardo was raised on a dairy farm in southern Italy; It was in a small Italian village called Ponte Casalduni just out of Benevento. Like most, he came from a large family of 7 brothers and 3 sisters. He learned to make cheese for the family to eat. He married and came to Australia in 1964 and worked in manufacturing. Over time, he longed for the food he grew up with and wanted to pass on this tradition of cheese making. With this in mind and without any experience or formal business training, he opened a business in 1984 primarily selling home made continental products. The rest is history!

Abbas was born in Sudan and migrated to Australia in 1992. One month after arriving and speaking very little English, he was employed at La Casa Del Formaggio. He has been at La Casa Del Formaggio, now as Head Cheese Maker for the last 16 years. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience in cheesemaking and has become an honorary Italian. Around the cheesery, we joke that Abbas is more Italian than Sudanese.

Vince is part of the family and has been with La Casa Del Formaggio for 2 years full time. Vince had 15 years experience in plastics manufacturing and decided to join the family business. Vince has set out a new challenge entering the food industry and applying his manufacturing skills to a new industry. Vince says he is not only married to Marisa, he is married to the business.

Berenice is our HACCP Leader and has worked for La Casa Del Formaggio as our Quality Assurance Manager since February 2008. Berenice has 17 years experience in the food industry. She has qualifications as a Chef in the restaurant industry and has experience in food manufacturing. Berenice has completed certificate iv in Food Technology, Principles and Applications of HACCP, SQF 2000 and Internal Quality Auditing. Her role at La Casa Del Formaggio includes the documentation, verification and training of the HACCP Principles and the updated requirements for Regulatory, WQA, Coles and SGS. Berenice is also currently completing certificate iii in Food Processing.

Cara is our Quality Assurance Assistant and has worked for La Casa Del Formaggio since February 2009. Cara has a Degree in Food Science and Nutrition with a graduate award for achieving the 3rd highest aggregate GPA for all 3 years of the course. Her role at La Casa Del Formaggio includes the documentation, verification and training of the HACCP Principles and quality systems, and the updated requirements for Regulatory, WQA, Coles and SGS. Her role also includes performing daily quality checks and in house microbiological testing, enabling the company to maintain the highest hygiene standards in the factory each day.

Sabina works as a Retail Assistant in the La Casa Del Formaggio Factory Outlet Shop at Glynde. She has been involved in the food industry for the last 15 years. As a kid, Sabina grew up making fresh Italian cheeses on her parents farm. This hands on experience from a young age means she has an in depth knoweldge of the cheese making process. Being from a Calabrese background she found it a challenge to learn the various Italian dialects from our very diverse customer base. She still jokes about some customers that ask "is the cheese fresh?", her reply is, "it's actually still warm!".