⚡ How the Willy Wonka of Cheese Became Cheese Royalty by Supplying the World's Biggest Pizza Chains

Morning Innovators ⚡ This week (in less than 5 minutes!) we’ll explore…

🥳 The best jobs, funding opportunities and events in the start-up world
📰 The biggest news stories in the start-up world
🧀 How the Willy Wonka of cheese became Cheese royalty by supplying the world’s biggest pizza chains
🌞 How testing your USP to the limit can help your company go viral
👀 Our 3 favourite start-ups to keep an eye on this week
🎨 A tool that helps you easily create beautiful websites

👆 If you haven’t already seen it check out our Disruptors 100 list, profiling 100 of the most exciting start-ups to watch in 2024!

Happy hustling,
Rich & Gary

💼 Job opportunities

🖥️ Senior Product Designer, Hofy
🦹 Full Stack Software Engineering, Asset Reality
☀️ Product Manager, Enode

🎤 Events/Opportunities

🦅 Barclays are currently accepting applications for two programmes.
1. Their Cyber Bridge programme, designed to help start-ups and established businesses to understand the different approaches to collaboration and disruptive innovation in cyber security.
2. Their Care and HealthTech programme, bringing together some of the UK’s leading corporations and promising start-ups to discover different approaches to collaboration and disruption in the healthcare sector.

🦌 Applications for Antler are currently open - a great programme designed to help you find a co-founder and then develop and test a start-up hypothesis.

🌾 24Haymarket are looking to invest £1 million - £5 million in companies with proven product-market fit and £1m+ of run-rate revenue.

💰 Giant Ventures has raised (a giant) £197m across two funds backing purpose driven start-ups operating in the worlds of climate tech, health tech and inclusive capitalism. UKTN

🏦 After it’s first full year of profitability, Dutch neobank Bunq is planning to re-enter the UK market. UKTN

🍫 Chocolate without cocoa? Yep, Planet A foods has raised a further $15m to take their sustainable chocolate global. TechCrunch

💊 What do PayPal and steroids have in common? No this isn’t a bad joke. PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has invested in Olympic games challenger, the ‘Enhanced Games’. The Independent

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🧀 How the Willy Wonka of Cheese became Cheese Royalty…

In the mid-20th century in Denver, Colorado, amidst the post-war economic boom, a small but significant chapter in the global cheese industry was being written. It began not with a corporation, but within the humble confines of a family-owned grocery store, where Michael Leprino, an Italian immigrant with deep roots in the old country's culinary traditions, embarked on a venture that would eventually reshape the cheese industry.

The story of Leprino Foods (bet you’ve never heard of them) is a narrative of humble beginnings, cultural heritage, and entrepreneurial vision. Michael Leprino, having immigrated from Italy, brought with him not just dreams of a better life but also a rich legacy of Italian cheesemaking. The initial spark for what would become a cheese-making behemoth was kindled when Leprino, then a grocer, started making mozzarella to meet the specific needs of his daughter's burgeoning Italian food business. This wasn't just about supplying an ingredient; it was about crafting a product that carried the essence of Italian culinary tradition, tailored to suit the American palate and market demands.

Leprino Foods began life as a grocery store, but recognising a local demand for quality Italian cheeses, Michael Leprino decided to focus solely on cheesemaking, leveraging his innate understanding of traditional methods and his entrepreneurial acumen. This wasn't merely a business shift; it was a visionary move to tap into an emerging market niche that few had noticed.

In the early days, Leprino Foods was far from the technological pioneer it would become. The initial cheesemaking processes were rooted in traditional Italian methods, honed through generations. Yet, even in these early stages, there was a hint of innovation and a focus on quality that would become the hallmark of Leprino Foods. Michael Leprino's mozzarella was not just another cheese; it was a product that captured the essence of Italian cuisine, adapted to meet the needs and tastes of American consumers.

When James Leprino took the helm in the 1970s, the pizza industry was on the cusp of a boom, and he recognised an opportunity ripe for the taking. With pizza parlours proliferating across the nation, James set his sights on crafting the perfect mozzarella - not just as an ingredient, but as a cornerstone of the burgeoning pizza culture.

Under James's leadership, Leprino Foods didn't just participate in the cheese industry; they revolutionised it. The introduction of the "continuous extrusion" process was a game-changer, enabling the production of mozzarella at unprecedented speeds and volumes, without sacrificing quality. This wasn't merely an improvement; it was a reinvention of the cheesemaking process, propelling Leprino Foods into uncharted territory and setting new industry standards.

Leprino Foods' ascent to dominance in the pizza cheese market is a testament to their strategic focus and innovation. They honed in on pizza chains, understanding that consistency, quality, and scalability were paramount. By developing a product that could be frozen, shredded, and delivered with unmatched efficiency, Leprino secured its position as the backbone of the pizza industry's supply chain, forging enduring partnerships with giants like Domino's and Pizza Hut.

The path to success however, was fraught with obstacles, from community opposition in Denver over environmental concerns to international expansion hurdles. Yet, each challenge was met with resilience and adaptability. The failed venture in Ireland and the tariff barriers in Canada were setbacks, but they were also lessons that honed Leprino's strategic acumen and reinforced their commitment to their core business.

Today, Leprino Foods stands as a shining example of the power in specialisation and innovation. Beyond pizza cheese, their advancements in whey protein and lactose production have broadened their impact, reaching into health and nutrition markets worldwide. Their patents not only protect their innovations but underscore their role as pioneers in dairy science.

Leprino Foods' journey demonstrates the profound impact of focusing on your core competencies, continuously innovating, and adapting to market dynamics.

In a world that often celebrates diversification, Leprino Foods' saga champions depth over breadth, showcasing how a relentless focus on doing one thing exceptionally well can carve paths to unimaginable success.

For those at the helm of start-ups and budding enterprises, Leprino Foods' story poses an intriguing challenge: What is your niche? How can you redefine it, own it, and lead it? In a landscape brimming with opportunities, identifying and mastering your "mozzarella" could very well be the first step toward building your empire.

As a founder, it’s easy to talk about everything your product does that is so great. However, is that the best format for creating viral content? Not always.

We all know about the absolute craze around Stanley Cups at the moment, it seems like everyone on this earth is after them! (Fun fact, the same person behind the Stanley Cup resurgence hype was the same person behind the Crocs resurgence hype, a marketing mastermind!) But what are Stanley Cups good for? They’re excellent at keeping your drink at exactly the right temperature.

Now, Joemyheck could’ve just put the Stanley Cup in the freezer or over a warm fire to highlight how impressive the Stanley Cups are, but he didn’t. Joemyheck decided to put it underneath a solar death ray to show you just how durable they are. This video gathered a cool 7.3 million views with nearly 500,000 likes.

The question is, how far can you push your product? What’s the furthest extreme you can go to in order to highlight just how good your product is?

This week we’re spotlighting a few start-ups doing awesome things in the student ecosystem…

🏠 Housemates is a digital platform facilitating the booking of verified student accommodations across over 20 countries. Catering to a global student community, it offers a seamless booking process, instant room confirmations, and 24/7 expert support. With a focus on student-first policies, such as "No Visa, No Pay," Housemates ensures a risk-free booking experience. The service includes all-inclusive pricing, covering utilities like electricity and Wi-Fi, and supports group bookings and installment payments, simplifying the process of finding and securing student housing.

📷 UniTaskr connects businesses with a network of over 300,000 students and graduates for job opportunities. It offers an easy-to-use dashboard for tracking job posts and applicants, and is available on desktop, iOS, and Android. The platform is designed to help businesses get tasks done efficiently by tapping into the fresh knowledge and skills of students, while also providing valuable work experience to the younger generation.

📝 StudyStream is a virtual platform offering a global community for focused study sessions. It uses live video streams to create a shared studying environment, enhancing motivation and productivity among students. With features like 24/7 study rooms, focus music, and productivity tools, StudyStream aims to replicate the communal atmosphere of libraries or study halls, making it accessible from anywhere. This service is designed for students seeking a structured and supportive space to study, fostering a sense of camaraderie and accountability online.

Each week we’ll be highlighting our favourite tools - either something we’ve been using in our businesses, or tools that our innovator community have recommended.

If you’re an Apple user and need a productivity assistant then keep reading…Amie is a comprehensive productivity tool designed to streamline your daily tasks, emails, and calendar events into a single platform. It offers an intuitive interface that supports natural language scheduling, allowing users to manage their to-dos, emails, and schedules efficiently. Amie is accessible on Mac, iOS, and Web, featuring unique tools like Pomodoro timers for focused work sessions, widgets for at-a-glance information, and support for multiple accounts to keep all your needs in one place.

Next week we’ll be looking at how an all-in-one workspace company went from almost dying, to becoming a $10bn+ company 🤯 We’ll also show you how having a laugh at the expense of your own company can make you go viral, along with showing you more cool start-ups, funding opportunities, and plenty of awesome tips, tricks and tools.

P.S. Connect with us on LinkedIn…