Lou gentine biography

With $1.8 billion in sales, Sargento continues to innovate its top-selling cheddar, mozzarella and string cheeses, all while keeping the company private.

And third-generation CEO Louie Gentine has a plan to keep shredding the competition.

_{By Chloe Sorvino, Forbes Staff}

When it’s time to introduce a new kind of cheese to grocery stores, many brands spend millions to develop a product without putting much additional money into marketing.

But at Sargento, as its third-generation family CEO Louie Gentine explains, the company spends millions on advertising to make sure a new variety of cheddar or mozzarella is well-received.

“I don’t call them big bets because I don’t think they’re bets,” says the 49-year-old Sargento chairman, who succeeded his father in 2013.

“Our opportunities are well-vetted. They’re great investments, and we’ve had more succes