Our History at Talamo Foods
Forty-two years ago, at the age of sixteen, our father, Salvatore Talamo, left his hometown of Alia, Sicily. He was bound for the United States with the hope of fulfilling his dream of making a better life for himself. His first job in America was working with his Uncle Phil's meat company, where he did everything from shoveling carcasses to truck driving and even chasing cattle!
After six years working at the meat company, our father saved enough money to buy a truck and start a trucking company—the first of several companies he would establish over the years. In 1963, our father met and married Josephine Rubino (who also came from the old country) and raised three sons.
In 1964, our father's trucking company fell on hard times and eventually went out of business. This led our father to take a job with California Cheese Company, which specialized in Italian cheese. This company would link our family to the Italian Cheese industry for years to come. After 17 years with Cal Cheese and five years with Beatrice Cheese, our father decided to start his own cheese company—specializing in manufacturing fine Italian cheese. After ten years of running his own manufacturing plant, he sold it and focused his effort on cheese distribution, recognizing that it was far more profitable.
Our father found his niche in distribution. He was able to establish a wide distribution area that accommodated the needs of Italian and specialty food stores, including providing custom cheese blends, pack size variations, and private labeling—all these customized services provided with a full line of distribution capabilities.
In 1992, our father passed away, leaving us to carry on the business. With our expertise in processing, manufacturing, sales, and marketing, we have increased company sales by a conservative 500% since taking over. Our diverse customer base includes the Pacific Northwest and expands from New York to clients across the world! After 30+ years in business, Talamo Foods has maintained a solid base in the Italian cheese industry.
To date, our company is the only company in the northern California area with its own processing department and complete distribution capabilities nationwide.
No matter what the needs of your business are, we’d love to partner with you and provide you with the highest-quality Italian cheese in the country.
Sincerely,
Mario Talamo, President
Joseph Talamo, C.O.O.