Francesco Gargiulo was the first of the dynasty to go outside of the family business started by his grandmother.

"Everyone working there has my name, ages 21 to 57."

Until two years ago, he was a lawyer. His father was proud of that.

Then he came back. “I had the attitude to stay in the cheese factory.”

Now his father has something else to be proud of.

Francesco went outside of the dynasty for a new perspective on value.

For his father's generation, value meant to save money on inputs. He was buying milk.

Francesco sees value as quality. He's buying cows. “I have to know what I am selling. I have to know the milk and the animals.”

"It's a modernization that is a comeback."

The Latterie Gargiulo makes aged cheeses, Caciocavallo, Ochiatto di Gragnago, and Premiato Gragnano Antico, as well as Mozzarella and Smoked Mozzarella. Like their grandmother, they smokes the mozzarella with hay, not wood, imparting a gentle and soft flavor. "It's more work and more expense, but it's the traditional way and it's better."

Latterie Gargiulo, Municipality of Gragnano, Province of Naples, Region of Campania, Italy.