In order to preside over as much of the international market as possible, Auricchio has acquired brands aimed at specific countries, which over time has proven to be a winning strategy. “In 1996 we took over the Locatelli brand from Nestlé, which is responsible for the marketing and sales in the United States of cheese made from sheep’s milk”, explains Alberto Auricchio, director for Auricchio, “Our main processing plant depends on F.O.I (Formaggi Ovini Italiani) in Macomer, a town in the province of Nuoro, where more than 15 million litres of Sardinnian sheep milk are processed every year. More than 70% of this milk is transformed into Locatelli’s pecorino romano cheese which has DOP status and it is all exported to the United States, where it is both a leading and premium price product for its category in terms of final consumer sales. The remaining milk is processed for the production of fresh and aged sheep’s milk cheeses, of which more than 55% is exported all over the World under the following brands: Riserva Esclusiva Auricchio, Gloria and Giovanni Colombo. Sheep’s milk cheese has always been an important segment for us on the foreign market”.