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James Leprino

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American businessman and cheese magnate
James Leprino
Born1937 or 1938 (age 86–87)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Chairman and CEO, Leprino Foods
Spousemarried
Children2
ParentMike Leprino Sr.

James Leprino (born 1937/1938) is an American billionaire, businessman, and chairman of Leprino Foods, the world's largest manufacturer of mozzarella cheese. He was listed as the 264th richest person in the US with a net worth of $3.1 billion, according to the 2017 Forbes 400 list. Forbes' Chloe Sorvino nicknamed him the "Willy Wonka of cheese".

Early life

James Leprino was born circa 1938. He is the youngest of five children of Mike Leprino Sr., who emigrated from Italy in 1914, aged 16, settled in Denver, and was a farm worker before starting a grocery store in Denver's Little Italy in 1950.

Career

After graduating from high school in 1956, he worked full-time with his father, but due to pressure from large grocery chains, his father's store closed in 1958, so he started Leprino Foods with $615, focusing on making cheese for pizza, sales of which were booming.

Leprino is the chairman and CEO of Leprino Foods, the largest manufacturer of mozzarella cheese in the world. In October 2017, his net worth was estimated by Forbes at US$3.1 billion.

He supplies major pizza chains including Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's and Little Caesars, and controls up to 85% of the US pizza cheese market.

In 2022, his two nieces, who hold a 25% stake in Leprino Foods, filed a lawsuit claiming they, as minority shareholders, were disfavored in terms of profitability and global management. The nieces requested Leprino Foods be dissolved and its assets to be distributed among all shareholders. A Colorado judge ruled out dismantlement of the company, but their claims of inequitable treatment could go forward.

Personal life

Leprino is married with two children. He resides in Indian Hills, Colorado.

Political lobbying and support

From 1990 to 2017, Leprino Foods contributed $1,521,894 to political lobbying, with 75 to 80 percent of Leprino's political contributions going to Republicans."

References

  1. ^ Sorvino, Chloe (2017-05-23). "This Secretive Billionaire Makes the Cheese for Pizza Hut, Domino's and Papa John's". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  2. Proctor, Cathy; Sweeney, Patrick (2002-12-29). "Denver's big cheese". Denver Business Journal.
  3. ^ "James Leprino". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-08-20.
  4. "Leprino". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2017-10-21. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
  5. Knopf, Susan (2017-06-23). "Knopf: Why does Colorado make it so hard for immigrant to get drivers licenses? (column)". Summit Daily. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
  6. Sorvino, Chloe (2022-10-05). "Family Feud Forces Reclusive Domino's Cheese Billionaire Into Court". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  7. Demetrakakes, Pan (2022-11-10). "Judge: Nieces of Leprino Foods Founder Can't Break Company Up". FoodProcessing.com. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  8. Njegomir, Dan (2017-05-25). "Colorado's most reclusive billionaire isn't shy about supporting the GOP". Colorado Politics. Retrieved 2017-05-26.


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