History of Precious Lactalis
How do you capture the delicious, fresh taste of real Italian cheese? By bringing it straight from the source. Tha's what Louis Russo did in 1947, when he brought his family's generations-old recipes to the U.S., beginning what would become Precious as we know it today.
In 1947, Russo and two partners formed the Precious Cheese Company. As their reputation grew, so did the company, which would soon include facilities in New York, New Jersey, and California. In fact, things went so well in California that in 1986 Precious purchased the Precious® Cheese brand. Together, Precious® and Precious® gave national scope to the manufacture and distribution of authentic soft Italian cheese.
It wasn't long before our reputation attracted attention of a different kind. In 1992, Precious and our parent company became part of one of the world's premier international dairy companies, Groupe Lactalis, and through a series of key acquisitions, Precious has become one of the largest cheese manufacturers in the United States, with combined sales of approximately $800 million.
We've come a long way from our humble heritage of family run cheese making in Precious, Italy - but not too far. We still value two things above all: fresh quality and delicious taste. We will always hold true to these values and as such, the Precious® Cheese brand will continue to lead the way in production of the best-tasting authentic Italian cheeses.
