Gioiella, burrata production still on the rise: revenues towards 230 million

Gioiella has been producing dairy products in Gioia del Colle since 1946. But it is in recent years that Capurso Azienda Casearia has pushed the accelerator, thanks also to the success of burrata and stracciatella and the path started with the 'birth' - in 2021 - of Mozzarella di Gioia del Colle DOP. "In 2026 we will see the fruits of the 20 million euro investment started last year with the objective," explained Andrea Brandonisio, CEO, to Il Sole 24 Ore, "of growing by another 10-15% to 220-230 million, international crisis permitting.

Over 60 per cent of turnover is produced by burrata, 60 per cent of which is sold abroad. "In 1997 we celebrated the 1,000 daily burrata with a dinner with the 34 employees," says the managing director, "now there are 450 of us and in April the new production line will be fully operational, with which we will move up to a capacity of 700,000 burrata per day from the current 500,000. And most of the contracts needed to cover the new quota are already signed'.

The development strategy also passes through the growth of Igp (Burrata di Andria) and PDO (Mozzarella di Gioa del Colle) production. "For Mozzarella Dop we cover about 75% of the entire volume of the Consortium. But out of the 2,400-2700 quintals of milk we collect,' Brandonisio continues, 'only 400 are for PDO. We believe in it a lot, even if there is a difficult positioning work to be done. Around 1,400-1,500 quintals of milk are instead used (together with cream) for burrata, and here too we want to grow a lot in the PGI quota: the goal is to go from 15% to 80% in two years. We believe that this is the only instrument today that can truly protect the territory and is a distinctive element for our products. The added value is there and the difference in quality is worth the difference in price. Also thanks to the positioning work in large-scale distribution, those who try it do not go back. And the credit also goes to the improvement in production and preservation processes throughout the entire production process'.

Central to this is the role of the catering trade. "We have also created distribution platforms for the on-trade that are now worth 30 million. We did this,' explains the CEO, 'to have a direct relationship with the end customer and explain our efforts on product quality or even banally how to handle and store it. In a scenario of crisis in domestic consumption, exports remain crucial: 'Europe covers the largest slice, but we are present all over the world, for example in Korea and Japan,' says Brandonisio. 'For now, the USA weighs little, but we are starting up a commercial structure in New York and California. We have ambitions to expand with production sites there, but we need a scenario of political stability'.

Finally, on the sustainability front, 'in the coming months we will complete a purification plant that will allow the potability of process water, so that we will be increasingly autonomous during periods when there are water shortages. We are also finishing a third photovoltaic plant that will meet 60% of our energy needs with renewables'.