Sargento

Sargento Foods Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryCheese and food production, marketing
Founded1953; 71 years ago (1953) in Plymouth, Wisconsin
FounderLeonard Gentine and Joseph Sartori
Headquarters
Plymouth, Wisconsin
,
Key people
Louie Gentine, CEO
ProductsPackaged food, Dairy products
RevenueSales are over $1.8 billion annually
OwnerThe Gentine family
Number of employees
1,800 (2016 estimate)
Websitewww.sargento.com

Sargento Foods Inc. is an American food producer best known for its cheese. It was founded in 1953 in Plymouth, Wisconsin by Leonard Gentine and Joseph Sartori.[1][2] The company name is a combination of Sartori and Gentine, with an "o" added to make the name sound Italian, as the company specialized in Italian-style cheeses.[3][4] Sargento is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States,[5] and is one of the country's largest retail cheese companies.[6] The company offers profit sharing, tuition reimbursement and benefits for its employees.[7] The company has been a sponsor in American motorsports for many years;[8] for example, it is prominently displayed on Road America raceway.[9][10]

Products

[edit]

Sargento was the first company to sell pre-packaged sliced cheese (1953), to sell pre-packaged shredded cheeses (1958),[11] and the first to develop zippered packaging for its cheeses (2001).[12][13] The company also produces and markets specialty cheeses, which it purveys on its website and in catalogs.[14] Additional products include sauces, snack cheeses and snack foods, and the company also manufactures custom cheese and food products for corporate clients.[14]

In early 2017, Sargento recalled seven cheeses for possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.[15]

Works

[edit]
  • Faley, Tom (April 10, 2018). Treated Like Family: How an Entrepreneur and His "Employee Family" Built Sargento, a Billion-Dollar Cheese Company. Center Street. ISBN 978-1478992868.
  • Sargento Foods (2012). Pizza Recipes. Publications International. ISBN 978-1450852111.
  • Sargento Mac and Cheese Recipes. Publications International. 2010. ISBN 978-1450801089.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Hintz & Percy 2008, p. 143.
  2. ^ Hildebrand, Janice (January 1, 1988). Sheboygan County: 150 Years of Progress : an Illustrated History. Windsor Publications. ISBN 9780897812528. Retrieved April 28, 2018 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Hall of Fame honors for Sargento's founder; DMI, Bai Brands make executive appointments". Dairy Foods Magazine. July 29, 2016. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  4. ^ Hajewski, Doris (May 22, 2010). "Saying 'cheese' with a genuine smile". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  5. ^ Hintz & Percy 2008, p. 248.
  6. ^ Plymouth Historical Society (Plymouth, Wis.); Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, eds. (2006). Plymouth. Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-7385-4086-3.
  7. ^ Daft, Richard L. (July 17, 2007). The Leadership Experience. Cengage Learning. p. 436. ISBN 978-0-324-53968-4.
  8. ^ "Road America News - Sargento Named Title Sponsor for NASCAR Nationwide Series Event at Road America". Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  9. ^ "Welcome to Road America Elkhart Lake's Road America, Inc". www.roadamerica.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  10. ^ "Sponsorships". Road America. January 14, 2020. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  11. ^ Garner, Alex (December 3, 2023) [November 19, 2023]. "It's a lot, but I love it: Sargento celebrates 70 years of cheesemaking, community and family". The Oshkosh Northwestern. pp. C2.
  12. ^ Plunkett's Food Industry Almanac 2008: Food Industry Market Research, Statistics, Trends & Leading Companies. Plunkett Research. April 28, 2018. ISBN 9781593921064. Retrieved April 28, 2018 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Hoover, Gary; Hoover's (April 28, 2018). Hoover's MasterList of Major U.S. Companies. Reference Press. ISBN 9781573110709. Retrieved April 28, 2018 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ a b Plunketts Food Industry Almanac 2008: The Only Comprehensive Guide to Food Companies and Trends. Plunkett Research. 2008. p. 483. ISBN 978-1-59392-106-4. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024.
  15. ^ Conlon, Kevin; Gatewood, Johanzynn (February 14, 2017). "Listeria-related cheese recall expands". CNN. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2017.

References

[edit]
[edit]