James Leprino, once called the 'Willy Wonka of cheese,' dies

DENVER (KDVR) – James "Jim" Leprino, a Colorado businessman nicknamed the "Willy Wonka of cheese," died Thursday, according to his namesake company.

Leprino, born in 1937, grew up in Denver, and worked in his father's corner store as a teen, according to a release issued by Leprino (formerly Leprino Foods) on Thursday. One of his duties there was making cheese for the city's Italian community.

In an interview with Forbes in 2017, the then-79-year-old billionaire spoke about how his family's grocery store in Little Italy eventually became the world's largest producer of mozzarella cheese. His private nature, and his prominence in the cheese industry, prompted Forbes to dub him the "Willy Wonka of cheese."

He told the outlet that in 1956, after graduating high school, he began working at his father's market full-time. But the store was forced to close a few years later, prompting Leprino to try focusing solely on cheese.

"Pizzerias in this part of the country were buying 5,000 pounds of cheese a week," he told Forbes. "I thought, This is a good market to go after, so I did."

Leprino ultimately became the world's biggest mozzarella producer, as well as a global leader of dairy ingredients. Leprino's mozzarella is used on Pizza Hut and Domino's pizzas, and employs over 600 people in Denver.

In the company's release, Leprino was remembered for his "unwavering commitment to the people of Leprino, always ready to offer guidance, support and mentorship."

Leprino is survived by his wife, his children and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.