Exito Gourmet in the Press

National and international press is giving Impero Cheese a warm welcome.
Here are some excerpts:

	"GiuseppeMozzillo first came to India for a wedding, but when he saw the country's mozzarella-making potential, he imported equipment from his native Italy and set up a business here. It's called Exito Gourmet. His partner is an Indian, Puneet Gupta." Read the Complete Article...
	"The cheese production follows the Italian methods. The Indian cheesemaster was taught by one of the greatest Napolitan specialists. "We worked together, and I learnt how to handle this paste, to check how it reacts, how it stretches, all these things. Only your own senses allow you to have a propper judgment. That's the most important thing for this cheese." View the Video...
	"Impero Fresh Mozzarella was barely 20 days old and packaged in whey, soft as can be with a marvellous texture that Amul’s cheese simply cannot rival. (...) After seeing their facilities, I’m quite sure, there aren’t many people who produce mozzarella in India quite the same way. (...) This is truly handcrafted cheese and I’m a fan!" Read the Complete Article...
	"Deliciously chewy, the slight saltiness makes this cheese a perfect appetiser. (...) Rather than tackling the export market, they have decided to build their base with domestic sales through top-end hotels and restaurants, in addition to catering to the expatriate community and the urban populace." Read the Complete Article...
	"According to Mozzillo, the company follows procedures that guarantee a totally organic and 100 per cent vegetarian product. "Our employees are trained in Italy for three to four months and our process is supervised by an Italian cheese master who spends regular periods here in India (...) We aim to do 80 per cent of our business in the hospitality sector."" Read the Complete Article...
	"Producing approximately 20-30 tonnes of eight different kinds of cheese (annualised) at present, Exito Gourmet aims to produce around 100 tonnes a year soon. Their clients consist of five star hotels and restaurants." Read the Complete Article...

Chutney, curry, samosas... mozzarella?

by Elliot Hannon, March 31st 2010

Giuseppe Mozzillo first came to India for a wedding, but when he saw the country's mozzarella-making potential, he imported equipment from his native Italy and set up a business here. It's called Exito Gourmet. His partner is an Indian, Puneet Gupta.

PUNEET GUPTA: In India people call milk white gold.

Exito Gourmet wants a slice of India's pizza market, but it also has its eye on something bigger.

GUPTA: The export market, especially for buffalo mozzarella. We saw huge potential, and we thought that the margins should be OK because the buffalo milk is in abundance in India. Buffalo milk is much cheaper in India as compared to Italy.

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Short Documentary on Exito Gourmet

by Stéphanie Lebrun and Selim El Meddeb, July 29th, 2009

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Impero Cheese from Exito Gourmet

by Sid Khullar, April 21st 2009

If it’s one thing I miss(ed), it’s good cheese. India has quite a few cheese producers and Delhi has many places where one may buy imported hard cheeses, but frankly, I dare not buy the soft variety. This is based on a single experience I had at this store chain called ‘Store 18′. On moving to the cheese and butter counter, I noticed a few packets which seemed as if the cheese inside was flaking off. On closer inspection, I found that the inner surface of the packet was coated with soft cheese (the outer layer of the cheese inside), and that the packet was a bit warm to the touch. On looking around a bit, I found most packets of butter with oily stains on the covers.

Apparently, a senior retard, either one in the store management or someone on the logistics end, forgot to cater to power failures during transportation or storage, as a result of which, the stuff melts, spoils and when the power comes back on, solidifies again. Which is why I still see packets of butter at Store 18, that are covered with oily stains and hard to the touch. A hushed conversation with senior Store 18 staff confirmed this.

After this revelation, I now refuse to buy soft cheese, unless I know the retailer fairly well.

Coming to the point. I was introduced to this new brand of cheese called Impero, manufactured by a company called Exito Gourmet. They have a bunch of cheeses - Mozzarella, Pizza, Scamorza, fresh Bocconcini, fresh Mozzarella, fresh Mascarpone, fresh Ricotta and fresh Sour Cream. The problem with even commonly available varieties like Mozzarella (Amul for example, if you can call their cheese Mozzarella), is that they aren’t as fresh as you want them to be. Impero cheeses however are as fresh as you can get. Take the Impero Fresh Mozzarella for example. When I got my hands on it, it was barely 20 days old and packaged in whey, soft as can be with a marvellous texture that Amul’s cheese simply cannot rival. Even the packaged Mozzarella, which Exito Gourmet does not label as ‘fresh’ was not more than 25 days old and was far superior to the Amul variety.

Did you know all Impero cheese is manufactured right here in India. Yup, their factory is in the land of buffaloes and milk – Chandigarh! The Impero cheese brand was started by an Italian chap who after studying the conditions, chose to set up his company, Exito Gourmet, here, along with the factory. There’s also an Italian cheese master who is behind the texture and flavors of Impero cheese, which kind of guarantees that the stuff is authentic… except for the bovines perhaps.

Anyhow, as you can guess, I was delighted with this unexpected bounty. Here’s what we had for our ‘cheesy’ dinner last Friday:

1. Tomatoes Stuffed with Mozzarella, Coriander, Pistachios and Grapes
2. Caprese Salad
3. Macaroni with Coriander, Garlic and Cheese
4. Grilled Tomatoes, Onions, Coriander and Cheese on Toast
5. Mozzarella and Scamorza Cheese Platter

… all of which washed down with some San Medin Sauvignon Blanc, which went nicely with the stuff on the table. It is rarely that I cook a complete vegetarian meal, but on this occasion, I didn’t want anything interfering with the flavor of the cheeses.

Everything tasted quite nice, but the stuffed tomatoes were terrific. You’ll need:

1. Small Tomatoes, on the vine if possible
2. Some Impero Fresh Mozzarella
3. Finely chopped coriander
4. Finely chopped garlic
5. Chopped Pistachio Nuts
6. Chopped Seedless Grapes
7. Some salt and seasoning + chopped de-seeded green chilli peppers if you like.

Method:

1. Cut off a narrow strip off the bottom of all the tomatoes (so they stand upright) and a larger slice off the top.
2. Hollow out all the tomatoes and discard the inner pulp (use it anywhere else, but here)
3. Crumble the Impero Mozzarella cheese and mix with the coriander, very little garlic, the pistachio nuts, grapes, green chilli peppers and seasoning.
4. Stuff into the tomatoes.
5. Top with a nut and some coriander if desired.
6. Serve slightly below room temperature.

Please, please don’t take dainty little bites of the stuffed tomato. Just pick up one and pop the whole thing into your mouth. Bite into it and feel the tangy tomato juice flood your mouth. A little further and you’ll find the creamy texture of the cheese interspersed with the flavors of garlic and pepper, only interrupted by the salty crunchiness of the pistachios and the sweet, crispy texture of the grape. Delicious!

We also made a slightly Indian version of a Caprese salad, with layers of tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, sprinkled with very little kala namak, chat masala, salt, pepper and coriander. Yup, I’m in love with coriander these days. That was delicious too. Do remember to take a generous sip of wine every now and then, ok?

The rest of the dishes were simple and delicious, in most part due to the generous does of cheese! I’m waiting to try out the Impero Ricotta, Sour Cream and Mascarpone next!

Update: 22nd July 2009: I had a great cheesy weekend. Spent it at Chandigarh in the company of loads of cheese. After seeing their facilities, I’m quite sure, there aren’t many people who produce mozzarella in India quite the same way. For one the cheese master refuses to artificially acidify the milk even if it means hastening daily production. This means the coagulation process takes 3 hours instead of 30 minutes and you end up with a far more mature flavor. Exito Gourmet is probably one of the few cheese brands and mozzarella manufacturers in India following this process, if any. While the Exito Gourmet cheese plant is well automated, there’s human intervention at every step of the way where a feel for quality apart from technology is required. For example, while they have a well equipped microbiology lab (which too is something most cheese manufacturers in India don’t bother with) to test for the presence of unwanted elements, their cheesemaker tests the curd for ‘feel’ and works with a small sample of the curd before allowing production to proceed to the next step. This is truly handcrafted cheese and I’m a fan!

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Jeez, it's cheese

by Tejeesh N.S. Behl, April 16th, 2009

The invite was intriguing. Would we like to try out authentic Italian cheese made in our own backyard in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana? So, a week later we find ourselves seated opposite the 27-year-old Italian, Giuseppe Mozzillo, COO, Exito Gourmet, as he slices a piece of freshly-packed mozzarella cheese produced in his state-of-the-art plant in a little village in Haryana. One takes a cautious bite, not knowing whether it will melt in the mouth or be heavy on the digestive system. A moment later the worries are gone.

Deliciously chewy, the slight saltiness makes this cheese a perfect appetiser. Next, he doles out some Bocconcini - cheese in the shape of small blobs - which is devoured by a hungry journalist surviving on a spartan breakfast for the past six hours.

How did Mozzillo, a former investment banker who hails from a family of cheesemakers from Naples, land up in Haryana's Golpura village to make authentic Italian cheese? ''It was during a trip to India in 2006 that I came across water buffalos remarkably similar to those found in Italy. Later, I learnt that the buffalos found in Italy are descended from the Indian water buffalo,'' he says. Having found the perfect bovine, he began the search for a perfect partner to set up business here. Finally, he zeroed in on Puneet Gupta, a local distributor of speciality cheese who invested Rs 8 crore to set up Exito Gourmet's fully-automated plant. Retailing under the brand Impero, Exito's range today includes mozzarella cheese, pizza cheese, bocconcini, scamorza, mascarpone and ricotta.

Mozzillo is quick to add that their current produce is sourced from cow milk as they are still standardising the supply of buffalo milk from local farmers. Gupta, who is CEO, Exito Gourmet, points out that farmers have a preference for cows over buffalos because of two factors. ''One, a cow gives an yield of 4,000 litres annually compared to a buffalo, which gives about 2,200 litres on an average. Secondly, cows adapt more easily to machine milking vis-à-vis buffalos,'' he informs. But given the economic incentives for buffalo-milk mozzarella - which sells for twice as much as cow-milk mozzarella - it will be easier for the duo to convince local farmers to opt for buffalos.

(...) Rather than tackling the export market, (Mozzillo and Gupta) have decided to build their base with domestic sales through top-end hotels and restaurants, in addition to catering to the expatriate community and the urban populace. ''Currently, we are operating the plant only three days a week (the plant went online last month). After we hit our full production capacity of two tonnes in May, we expect to tap the Far East, Middle East and European markets,'' informs Gupta.

(...) There is another reason why the Italians are coming over to India. Naples, where the buffalo mozzarella industry is concentrated, has been hit by twin strikes of an economic slump and the infamous garbage pile-up last year that led to fears of dioxins in the air and water. The slowdown hit the export market, cutting demand by half. And given that India is home to 70 per cent of the world's buffalo population, which stands at 25 million - while Naples has only 300,000 buffalos - it isn't hard to guess why there couldn't have been a better place to cry out Mama Mia for these Artiginales Italiano.

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Exito Gourmet targets hotels, fine-dine restaurants

by Dinkar Farwaha, March 16th 2009

Cheese manufacturing company Exito Gourmet is looking at establishing a strong foothold in the Indian market by taking the hospitality route. Giuseppe Mozzillo, its MD, said, "We aim to do 80 per cent of our business in the hospitality sector. We are targeting five-star hotels, fine-dining restaurants and Italian cuisine caterers across the country." The company has already started working with a few five-star hotels in the country.

According to Mozzillo, the company follows procedures that guarantee a totally organic and 100 per cent vegetarian product. "Our employees are trained in Italy for three to four months and our process is supervised by an Italian cheese master who spends regular periods here in India," he mentioned. The company recently opened a manufacturing plant close to Chandigarh. While the core machines in the manufacturing plant are imported from Italy, the company is fulfilling its utilities and support equipment requirement from the domestic market.

The company is adopting an aggressive marketing strategy. It is looking at making chefs its brand ambassadors and promoting the products by participating in food festivals in five-star hotels. "We will also work hand-to-hand with hotels and restaurants to present possible applications and recipes using our products," informed Mozzillo.

The product range of the company includes mozzarella cheese, pizza cheese, fresh mozzarella, boccocini, scamorza (plain and smoked), mascarpone, ricotta and sour cream. "In future, we will also look at manufacturing quark, goat cheese, feta and other European cheeses," concluded Mozzillo.

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India through the eyes of René Seifert

by Nikhil Menon, March 13th 2009

(...) Brian Choudhary and Giuseppe Mozzillo met in 2004, while studying at the London School of Economics (LSE). When Choudhary learnt that Mozzillo’s extended family had been in the cheese-making business in Italy for centuries, he wanted to visit his village to know more. "I saw how different cheeses were produced and the thought struck me that we could do this in India," he says.

Choudhary, with Indian and Serbian parents, had already seen quite a bit of India since his childhood. But though the duo was enthusiastic about the proposed venture, it wasn’t until 2008 that Exito Gourmet, their Panchkula-based company was born.

The Indian market was emerging slowly as awareness about different kinds of cheese grew. However, Indians are sensitive—and somewhat entrenched—in the views on milk products. "It was a risk," Choudhary agrees, "But we still decided to go ahead." In June 2008, the trio came to India and met Puneet Gupta, an Indian importer of cheese. Since he knew the Indian market well, Gupta joined Exito Gourmet as CEO. Choudhary himself handles the role of CFO. The total initial investment that went into the company was over Rs. 10 crores.

One of the earliest issues was getting all the necessary permits. "You have all kinds of food production and industrial permits to get, and the process was a long one." Recreating the flavour of authentic Italian cheese in India was also a challenge. "We put a big premium on the quality of milk we bought from our local suppliers," Choudhary reveals. Producing approximately 20-30 tonnes of eight different kinds of cheese (annualised) at present, Exito Gourmet aims to produce around 100 tonnes a year soon. Their clients consist of five star hotels and restaurants. (...)

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