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24 | I NSIGH T • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 14 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m the former Antigo Cheese Company plant Sartori purchased in 2006. at was Sartori's springboard into retail. "e opportunity for retail made it very attractive for us," Sartori says. "at was a big risk, because we mainly bought inventory. We were betting that the 24 months-worth of production that was in some warehouses around the state was of high quality, because that's really what we were buying. But it was an acceptable risk and it worked out great." at's somewhat of an understatement. Sartori Company cheeses have won more than 180 state, national and international awards in the past five years. Sartori and Schwager prefer not to share annual revenue figures for the privately-held company, mostly because they don't want the focus to be 'how much' or 'how big.' But Schwager says they shoot for a growth rate between 10 and 15 percent annually. "I think it's safe to say we're big believers that a growing company is a healthy company," Schwager says. "If you get to a plateau and you want to stay there, that's when you start to go the wrong way. While we're celebrating our 75th anniversary this year, I like to say we're a 75-year-old adolescent. We still have a lot of room to grow up here." It was easy to see the potential for retail early on. Y ou know your company's done something special when your product can literally stop people in their tracks. Sartori Company President Jeff Schwager has witnessed it time and again. People sample the cheese and begin to walk on. en they do a double take. "You get a high percentage of them who turn around and say, 'at's really good!'" Schwager says. "Just to get that consumer reaction – it makes you proud of what you're doing every day." at's what the company aims for: a product that elicits an emotional attachment, Schwager says. By all accounts, Sartori has achieved that goal. Creating that kind of experience has launched Sartori from a respected cheese producer for restaurants and food products into a powerhouse in the retail specialty cheese market – in less than eight years. e company launched its retail product line in 2006 and now sells gourmet cheeses at thousands of locations nationally and internationally. But Sartori and Schwager say it's not about being the biggest – it's about being the best. It's about triggering a response unmatched by competitors. "We have countless stories like that," says Jim Sartori, CEO and third-generation owner. "I was at an event and as I'm walking out of the restaurant, a guy sees my shirt with the logo on it and says, 'Oh, Sartori, I love it! I had it at my wedding in California.' So people do have an emotional attachment to it. We take a lot of pride in that, we want to continue that." Like wildfire I n Sartori's modest Plymouth headquarters, a former phone company building, a few of the company's many recent awards are on display in the lobby. e rooms are all named aer those award-winning cheeses, many of which are made at About Sartori » Founded: 1939 by Paolo Sartori » Leadership: CEO and Owner Jim Sartori and President Jeff Schwager » Employees: About 350 » Patron farms: 150 to 175 » Facilities: Cheese making plants in Antigo and Plymouth, packaging facility in Plymouth, Plymouth headquarters and Blue Moose of Boulder in Colorado. » On the web: www.sartoricheese.com www.bluemooseofboulder.com K "I think that like Sargento, Sartori Foods has always tried to bring innovation to the marketplace… It's always very much a high-quality cheese. e company has won lots of awards nationally and internationally, and whenever you have someone in the industry with that type of effort and business philosophy, it's good for everybody. It raises the bar for everyone." —Lou Gentine, CEO and owner of Sargento