Frequently Asked Questions
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General
Afino by Grande is the international division of Grande Cheese Company. Grande is an Italian cheese manufacturer based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA, that focuses on producing the finest Italian cheeses for the foodservice industry worldwide.
In 1925, Filippo Candela moved from Montelepre, Sicily, to America, bringing his passion for authentic Italian cheesemaking with him. Filippo, along with his family and friends, laid the groundwork for the company now known as Grande Cheese — and internationally as Afino by Grande. Our never-ending pursuit of “Grande,” the Italian word for greatness, is the reason we work with the most quality-driven independent Italian restaurants and pizzerias in the world.
Afino by Grande Cheese works with family dairy farms managed by people who value quality as much as we do. Milk producers work with an Afino by Grande veterinarian and Field Services team to make sure herd health, milk quality, and cow comfort are at their best. Quality control managers regularly test all of our products before they go to market. It’s how Afino by Grande gets the flavor and consistency to meet our high quality standards. We never stop testing. See our Quality Milk Story
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Proper use of Afino by Grande Cheeses
For fresh cheeses such as Fior·di·Latte and Ricotta, we recommend storing at or below 2.7°C. Other cheeses should be kept refrigerated under 5.5°C.
All of our products are marked with a “Best If Used By Date” and “Lot Code”. We recommend using the product by the date on the container or package for optimum flavor and performance.
Jan 01 20 AAA001 (Best if Used By Date | Lot Code)
If cheese develops surface mold, cut off about 6mm from each affected side. The remaining cheese should be rewrapped in new plastic wrap and used within a few days.
Ingredients used in making Afino by Grande Cheeses
Afino by Grande uses a clotting agent that is of non-animal origin to produce Afino by Grande Mozzarella, Fior·di·Latte, Ricotta, and Parmesan. Afino by Grande Provolone contains enzymes from animal sources (not derived from pork).
The ingredients used to produce Afino by Grande cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes) do not contain GMO-derived material.
Yes, all Afino by Grande cheeses are made from pasteurized cow’s milk.
Afino by Grande milk deliveries are producer certified to be free of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), also known as recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH).
Afino by Grande producer dairies must commit to our Producers Assuring Consumers of Excellence (PACE) evaluation program, which requires best practices for upholding and documenting animal well-being standards to be in place on their dairies. Cows are given quality food and water, clean, comfortable housing and shelter, superior healthcare and disease-prevention programs, supervised and validated by veterinarians. All cows are monitored using the latest technologies and these results are shared with Afino by Grande’s field services team.
All styles of Afino by Grande Ricotta are Kosher certified. You can identify Kosher cheeses by looking for the Kosher symbol on the package, as pictured below:
All styles of Afino by Grande Mozarella, Ricotta and Fior·di·Latte (Ovoline), are Halal certified.
Afino by Grande Cheese Company guarantees our cheese products do not contain gluten.
Titanium Dioxide is often used in other company’s cheeses to produce a whiter color for their products. All Afino by Grande cheeses are 100% natural and do not contain Titanium Dioxide or any other additives, fillers, or preservatives.
Afino by Grande cheeses do not contain cellulose or other flow-promoting agents. Our cheeses are all natural and do not contain any fillers.
The Afino by Grande Difference
When you shred yourself, there can be a certain amount of waste, which means you don’t end up with a consistent size (which increases the amount of cheese used per pie). Shredding or dicing is also labor intensive. Afino by Grande shredded cheeses take all the work – and guesswork – out of it. Our shredded products are the same, consistent size every time. You can be assured they have the same quality, excellent taste, and performance you enjoy with all our cheeses. And of course we never use any additives, fillers, or preservatives in any of our cheeses.
We have a variety of tools available to Afino by Grande 100-Percenter customers who exclusively use our cheese on their pizzas. For more information on marketing materials, please click here to learn how you can become a 100-Percenter.