Auricchio is an Italian

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

-making company, based in

Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

History

Founded in 1877 at

San Giuseppe Vesuviano San Giuseppe Vesuviano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in Italy, region Campania, located about 20 km east of Naples. Sights include the sanctuary dedicated to St. Joseph that stands in the center of the ci ...

in the province of

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, Gennaro Auricchio was the creator of a special

rennet Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease, protease enzyme that curdling, curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, su ...

to produce

provolone Provolone (, ) is an Italian semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk. It is an aged ''pasta filata'' ('stretched-curd') cheese originating in the Campania region, near Vesuvius, where it is still produced in pear, sausage, or cone shapes long. P ...

. By the 1880s it was exporting cheese to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, for stocking in

Little Italy Little Italy is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an Urban area, urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian cul ...

's shops. This growth created the need for new facilities, with a dairy added in

before 1900.

Modern production

Today, Auricchio also has plants in: *

Macomer Macomer () is a town and ''comune'' of Sardinia (Italy) in the province of Nuoro. It is situated on the southern ascent to the central plateau (the Campeda) of this part of Sardinia, at the junction of narrow-gauge lines branching from the main ra ...

(Nuoro) for ''

pecorino romano ''Pecorino romano'' (; ) is a hard, salty Italian cheese made from sheep milk, often used for grating over pasta or other dishes. The name ''pecorino'' means 'ovine' or 'of sheep' in Italian; the name of the cheese, although protected, is ...

'' DOP and other fresh and mature sheep cheeses *

Scandiano Scandiano ( Reggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, in the northeast part of the country of Italy, near the city of Reggio nell'Emilia and the Secchia river. It had a population of 25,663 as of 31 December 2016. History The cu ...

(Reggio Emilia) for production of caciotta (roundish small soft cheese) and

ricotta Ricotta () is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the casein h ...

Solignano Solignano ( Parmigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about west of Bologna and about southwest of Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia ...

(Parma) specialized in the production of ''

Parmigiano Reggiano Parmesan (, ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cow's milk and aged at least 12 months. It is a grana-type cheese, along with Grana Padano, the historic , and others. The term ''Parmesan'' may refer to either Parmigiano ...

Products

The company is the largest producer of provolone cheese in Italy, and offers a significant range of dairy products: *

Provolone Provolone (, ) is an Italian semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk. It is an aged ''pasta filata'' ('stretched-curd') cheese originating in the Campania region, near Vesuvius, where it is still produced in pear, sausage, or cone shapes long. P ...

(sharp, mild and

smoked Smoking is the process of flavoring, browning, cooking, or preserving food, particularly meat, fish and tea, by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material, most often wood. In Europe, alder is the traditional smoking wood, but ...

) *

Grana Padano Grana Padano is an Italian cheese originating in the Po Valley. It is similar to Parmesan but with less strict regulations governing its production. This hard, crumbly- textured cheese is made with unpasteurized cows' milk that is semi- skim ...

* ''

Pecorino romano ''Pecorino romano'' (; ) is a hard, salty Italian cheese made from sheep milk, often used for grating over pasta or other dishes. The name ''pecorino'' means 'ovine' or 'of sheep' in Italian; the name of the cheese, although protected, is ...

'' (

protected designation of origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...

) * A large assortment of fresh and seasoned

pecorino Pecorino is an Italian hard cheese produced from sheep's milk. The name derives from , which means ' sheep' in Italian. Overview Of the six main varieties of pecorino, all of which have protected designation of origin (PDO) status under ...

cheeses

History

Modern production

Products

See also

References

Further reading