Caputo Brothers Creamery

What Caputo Brothers Creamery does

Caputo Brothers Creamery is a privately held artisan cheesemaker founded in 2011 in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania by David and Rynn Caputo, who trained at culinary school in Calabria, Italy. The company produces a portfolio of handcrafted Italian-style cheeses — fresh mozzarella and curd, whey-based ricotta, provola, fior di pizza, gouda-style washed-curd cheeses, cold-smoked varieties, and a co-developed beer cheese line made with Tröegs Independent Brewing — using traditional natural fermentation cultures rather than vinegar or citric acid, with milk sourced exclusively from Animal Welfare Approved, pasture-based Pennsylvania family dairies. Production is supported by on-site low-temperature pasteurization, aging caves, and applewood cold-smoking infrastructure.

The business operates a multi-channel model combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce through a Shopify storefront (with FedEx shipping across the continental US, gift cards, and a Cheese of the Month subscription club), wholesale distribution through Giant Food Stores and specialty retailers across Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, and Virginia, and a recurring education revenue stream from virtual cheesemaking classes (Mozzarella, Burrata, Provolone) sold as frozen curd kits with on-demand video instruction. Pricing is positioned at the artisan premium tier (single cheeses $11-17, beer cheese sampler $45, monthly subscriptions $16-20, virtual classes $45-65), with bulk corporate gifting tiers available for orders of 10+ units.

The company has won multiple industry recognitions including a 2017 World Cheese Awards bronze medal, a 2015 Food & Wine Editors' Top Ten placement, a 2014 Martha Stewart American Made finalist nod, and a 2019 Good Morning America feature; it also received a $250,500 FedEx Small Business Grant in 2019, which remains the company's only known capital infusion of scale. Caputo Brothers is bootstrapped, with no outside investors, no parent company, and a 1-10 employee headcount, operating as Caputo Brothers Creamery, LLC under Pennsylvania jurisdiction.

Name

Caputo Brothers Creamery

Legal name

Caputo Brothers Creamery, LLC

Website

https://caputobrotherscreamery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Caputo Brothers Creamery is a privately held artisan Italian cheesemaker founded in 2011 in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, producing naturally fermented mozzarella, ricotta, gouda, and craft-beer-collaborative cheeses for direct-to-consumer, regional grocery (Giant Food Stores), and virtual cheesemaking class customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Cheese Manufacturing

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pasta Filata Cheese Manufacturing (Mozzarella, Provolone, String Cheese) (AFAHABAC), Ripened Natural Cheese Manufacturing (Semi-Soft, Hard & Blue) (AFAHABAB), Cheese (Natural & Processed) (CRADACAC)

Keywords

• Artisan cheesemaking
• Italian-style cheeses
• Fresh mozzarella production
• Specialty cheese manufacturing
• Aged cave cheese

Headquarters

HQ city

Spring Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Online sales of cheeses, curds, and gift items through Shopify website. Products shipped via FedEx with special packaging for temperature control.
2. Wholesale to Retailers: Bulk sales to Giant Food Stores and specialty retailers throughout Pennsylvania and mid-Atlantic region.
3. Virtual Classes: Online cheesemaking classes (Mozzarella, Burrata, Provolone, Cannoli) sold as kits with instructional video access. Subscription options for recurring class purchases.
4. Cheese of the Month Club: Subscription service delivering artisan cheeses monthly. Multiple tier options from 1-month to 12-month commitments.
5. Corporate Gifting: Bulk orders for office and family gifting with special pricing for orders of 10+ samplers or virtual classes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Caputo Brothers Creamery manufactures and sells handcrafted, authentic Italian-style artisan cheeses — including fresh mozzarella, ricotta, provola, and Fior di Pizza — plus specialty Gouda-style and beer/cider-washed cheeses produced using traditional Calabrian techniques and natural fermentation cultures. Offerings are sold directly to consumers via a Shopify e-commerce site with FedEx shipping and to wholesale retail partners such as Giant Food Stores, complemented by a Cheese of the Month subscription club and on-demand virtual cheesemaking classes (Mozzarella, Burrata, Provolone) shipped with frozen curd kits.

Product overview

Caputo Brothers Creamery is an artisan cheesemaking company offering handcrafted, authentic Italian-style cheeses since 2011. Their product portfolio centers on fresh and aged Italian cheeses (Mozzarella, Ricotta, Provola, Fior di Pizza), specialty Gouda-style cheeses (including beer cheeses made with Tröegs Independent Brewing beers, and collaboration cheeses with Big Hill Ciderworks), and virtual cheesemaking classes. The company uses only Animal Welfare Approved, non-GMO feed, pasture-based milk from local family-owned dairy farms, and produces all cheeses using traditional natural fermentation cultures without vinegar or citric acid. Their offerings include individual cheeses, sampler gift boxes, a Cheese of the Month Club subscription, and virtual instructional classes (Mozzarella, Burrata, and Provolone) that ship frozen curd kits to customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mozzarella Hand-stretched fresh mozzarella made from naturally fermented curd using cultures (not vinegar or citric acid), sold approximately as two 8oz balls per order and shipped within 2 days of production.
• Mozzarella Curd (4-pack / 8-pack) Naturally fermented mozzarella curd that lets customers stretch and make fresh mozzarella-style cheeses at home; ships frozen with dry ice, available in 4-pack or 8-pack quantities, and can be freezer-stored up to a year.
• Fresh Ricotta (whey-based) Traditional Italian-style ricotta made from re-cooked whey (not milk) without vinegar or citric acid, producing a soft, custard-like cheese suited to both sweet and savory uses including cannoli.
• Provola Hand-stretched aged mozzarella aged 30–45 days in brine, with a smooth, firm texture and creamy, slightly tangy flavor.
• Fior di Pizza (Pizza Cheese) Low-moisture stretched pizza cheese aged in brine from an ancient underground ocean, saltier and tangier than fresh mozzarella with a firm consistency that resists leaking on pizzas.
• Smoked Mozzarella Fresh mozzarella cold-smoked over applewood to impart subtle earthy, campfire-like flavor without cooking the cheese; suited to caprese salads, pizzas, and grilled cheese.
• Giving Gouda Approachable washed-curd Gouda-style cheese washed with water to remove extra lactose, then aged in the aging cave for a sweeter, more mild flavor.
• Chesapeake Gouda Washed-curd Gouda-style cheese with Chesapeake Bay seafood spice mixed into the curd and rubbed on the outside of each wheel, producing a sweeter, milder flavor profile.
• Gouda Riserva Aged Gouda-style cheese matured 3 months in the creamery's aging cave, firmer with a sharper, more pronounced flavor compared to Giving Gouda.
• "Kind of a Big Dill" Gouda Washed-curd Gouda-style cheese mixed with dill pickling spices, offering a 'snap' of classic deli pickle with a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• Troegenator Beer Cheese Gouda-style cheese washed in Tröegs' Troegenator Double Bock beer, featuring notes of caramel, stone fruit, and a pinch of salt, comparable to salted caramel popcorn.
• Perpetual IPA Beer Cheese Semi-firm cheese crafted with Tröegs' dry-hopped Perpetual IPA and Citra hops; milk is "dry hopped" with Citra hops before cheesemaking and wheels are bathed in Perpetual IPA several times a week during aging.
• Mad Elf Beer Cheese Limited-edition cheese made with Tröegs' Mad Elf Belgian-style ale (11% ABV, notes of cherries, cinnamon, and chocolate), with rind finished in cocoa, cinnamon, espresso, and beer.
• Grand Cacao Beer Cheese Craft cheese made with Tröegs' Grand Cacao chocolate stout cold-steeped on Peruvian cacao nibs, with hints of Calabrian peperoncino for subtle warmth.
• Smoked Bighill Ciderworks Mulled Cider Cheese Gouda-style cheese washed in mulled hard cider (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) and cold-smoked over applewood, blending sweet, creamy, salty, and smoky flavors.
• Classico Sampler Gift box sampler containing approximately 1/2 lb each of Mozzarella, Fior di Pizza, and Fresh Ricotta — the creamery's flagship handmade Italian-style cheese products.
• Beer Cheese Sampler Gift box sampler containing all four beer cheeses created with Tröegs Independent Brewing beers: Mad Elf Beer Cheese, Troegenator Beer Cheese, Perpetual IPA Beer Cheese, and Grand Cacao Beer Cheese.
• Goud(a) to Go Sampler Sampler gift box featuring three Gouda-style cheeses — Chesapeake Gouda, Giving Gouda, and Gouda Riserva — with approximately 1/2 lb of each variety.
• Cheese of the Month Club Monthly subscription service delivering approximately 1 lb of a different hand-crafted artisan cheese each month, available in 1, 3, 6, or 12-month terms with boxes shipped the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
• Virtual Mozzarella Class On-demand virtual stretch-along class teaching students to make fresh mozzarella at home; includes 1 lb or 2 lbs of stretching curd, instructions, and password-protected video access.
• Virtual Burrata Class On-demand virtual class taught by Rynn Caputo teaching students to create fresh burrata at home; includes 1 lb or 2 lbs of handmade stretching curd shipped frozen, instructions, and password-protected video access.
• Virtual Provolone Class Virtual class teaching students to create and age their own Provolone at home; includes 1 lb or 2 lbs of provolone curd, kitchen string, instructions, and password-protected video access.
• Gift Card Digital gift cards delivered by email, redeemable for cheese, virtual classes, and other products at the retail location or online, available in denominations from $10 to $150.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 13,500 lbs of cheese donated to Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• The GIANT Company (Giant Food Stores)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 May 2020Major retail partnership for distribution of beer cheese products across all Giant Food Stores locations. GIANT approached Caputo Brothers and Tröegs with desire to collaborate on cheeses for all store locations, enabling large-scale milk purchasing from local farms.
• Tröegs Independent BrewingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2019Ongoing strategic collaboration creating beer cheese products including Troegenator Beer Cheese, Perpetual IPA Beer Cheese, Mad Elf Beer Cheese, and Grand Cacao Beer Cheese. Cheese wheels are washed in and aged with Tröegs beers. This partnership has helped keep barn doors open at family-owned dairies and enabled large-scale production through Giant Food Stores.
• Big Hill CiderworkssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Smoked Bighill Ciderworks Mulled Cider Cheese. Cheese curds are washed with mulled hard cider (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) and cold-smoked over applewood. Represents local Central Pennsylvania craft beverage collaboration.
• Animal Welfare Approved Dairy FarmscoreOthersSupply chain partnership with local, family-owned Pennsylvania dairy farms that are Animal Welfare Approved and use non-GMO feed with pasture-based practices. Caputo Brothers commits to paying fair prices to support sustainable local dairy economy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Vermont Creamery: Artisan creamery producing fresh and aged cheeses (including cultured butter and farmstead cheeses) for national DTC and specialty retail. Highly comparable as a small-batch, award-winning producer with similar GTM mix and premium positioning.
• Calabro Cheese: Italian-style cheese manufacturer specializing in fresh ricotta and mozzarella using traditional methods. Most direct competitive analog to Caputo's pasta filata and whey-ricotta core SKUs.
• Murray's Cheese: Iconic NYC-based specialty cheese shop, wholesaler, and subscription box operator (Murray's Cheese of the Month). Directly comparable in subscription/education-led artisan cheese retail.
• Belfiore Cheese: California-based artisan mozzarella and Italian-style cheese producer using fresh curd, similar to Caputo. Comparable in artisan positioning but with West Coast logistics advantage.

Broad incumbents

• BelGioioso Cheese: Largest U.S. specialty Italian cheese manufacturer producing mozzarella, ricotta, provolone, and aged Italian varieties. Competes head-on at retail but at industrial scale and broader distribution.
• Saputo: Global dairy conglomerate owning many Italian-style and specialty cheese brands (e.g., Polly-O, Stella). Sets competitive pricing pressure in mozzarella/ricotta/provolone categories where Caputo plays.
• Polly-O: Mass-market Italian-style mozzarella and ricotta brand (now part of Saputo/Lactalis). Represents the value-tier competitive floor for Caputo's fresh mozzarella positioning.
• Whole Foods Market (365/Italian cheese private label): National specialty grocer with broad Italian-style and artisan cheese assortments including private-label offerings. Sets the competitive retail benchmark for premium Italian cheese at national scale.

Regional players

• Di Bruno Bros. Philadelphia-based specialty cheese retailer, importer, and distributor carrying hundreds of artisan cheeses including Italian-style producers. Comparable as a mid-Atlantic cheese destination and potential wholesale route-to-market.
• Apple Valley Creamery: Pennsylvania-based small-batch artisan cheese producer and retail partner of Caputo Brothers. Comparable as a Mid-Atlantic artisan cheesemaker with similar farm-sourcing and premium positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCARxGVJ8u7F7-8vB3d-tJDQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/CaputoBrothersCreamery
• Instagraminstagram.com/caputobrotherscreamery
• Pinterestpinterest.com/caputobrotherscreamery
• Xx.com/CaputoBrothers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caputo-brothers-creamery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Caputo Brothers Creamery