Today's Digital Newspaper

The Gazette

Weather Block Here



Denver billionaire James Leprino dies

James “Jim” G. Leprino, the Colorado-born billionaire who built the largest mozzarella cheese supplier in the world, died on Thursday, according to the company. He was 88.

Leprino was born in Denver in 1937, and came from a tight-knit Italian community. His father, Mike Sr. immigrated from Potenza, Italy in 1950 and opened a corner grocery store at 38th and Shoshone Streets.

The family business began by making ricotta and scamorza cheese by hand but grew over time into the Leprino Foods Co.

According to the company, Leprino joined the business full-time in 1956 and used family recipes to turn it into the international business that it is today.

Leprino grew up working in his father’s grocery store before launching his own business as the American pizza industry began to boom. Over the decades, he kept a notoriously low profile, rarely giving interviews and allowing few photographs of himself to be published.

Sign Up For Free: Denver Gazette Business

Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

function subscribeSuccess() {
var nsltrform = document.querySelector(“#nsltr”);
var nsltrSuccess = document.querySelector(“#successnsltr”);

nsltrform.classList.add(“hideblock”);
nsltrSuccess.classList.remove(“hideblock”);
}

function validateEmail(email) {
return String(email)
.toLowerCase()
.match(
/^(([^()[]\.,;:s@”]+(.[^()[]\.,;:s@”]+)*)|(“.+”))@(([[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}])|(([a-zA-Z-0-9]+.)+[a-zA-Z]{2,}))$/
);
}

function validateEmailAddress() {
const result = document.querySelector(“#result”);
const email = document.querySelector(“#email”).value;

result.innerText = “”;

if(validateEmail(email)) {
newsletterSubscribe(email);
} else {
result.innerText = ‘The email entered: ‘ + email + ‘ is not valid :(‘;
result.style.color = “red”;
}
return false;
}

function newsletterSubscribe(email) {
fetch(“https://services.gazette.com/mg2-newsletters.php?action=subscribe&site=denvergazette.com&emailPreferenceId=62&email=” + email, {
method: “POST”
}).then(res => {
console.log(“SUCCESSFUL POST”);
subscribeSuccess();
});

}

#nsltr {
min-width: 100%;
margin: 10px 0;
padding: 10px 20px;
background-color: #2076b3;

background-image: url(https://static.gazette.com/emails/circ/Audience%20Images/DG%20bus%20test%202.png);
background-size: cover;

}

#nsltr-header {
color: #fff4f4;
}
#nsltr-body {
text-align: center;
color: ;
}
#nsltr-button {
margin-top: 5px;
}
#successnsltr {
min-width: 100%;
margin: 10px 0;
padding: 10px 20px;
background-color: green;
text-align: center;
color: white;
}

#successnsltr a {
color: white;
}

.hideblock {
display:none;
}

h6 a {
color: black;
text-decoration: none;
padding: 5px;
background-color: #bbccdd;
font-weight: 600;
}

@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
#nsltr {
background-image: url(https://static.gazette.com/emails/circ/Audience%20Images/DG%20bus%20test%202.png);
background-size: cover;
}
}

Leprino foods supplies cheese to pizza chains worldwide, including Domino’s, Papa John’s, and Pizza Hut.

In 2016, Leprino made the Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans. He was ranked 232nd on the list.

His family released the following statement: “Jim wasn’t just a giant in the business world — he had a generous heart and a deep commitment to giving back. He never forgot the community that stood behind his family’s business through the years, and he gave freely to causes that helped others. He cared deeply about people’s well-being and was especially passionate about supporting medical and healthcare advancements that could make life better for future generations.”

No funeral arrangements have been announced thus far.

The Denver Gazette’s news partners 9NEWS contributed to this story.

613cd5f5-c889-4564-a34d-7ad30241cae0

View Original Article | Split View

None None

Reporter

PREV

PREVIOUS

Did Denver's tourism boom end? Report says growth plateaued in 2024

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save As Denver bounced back from the pandemic, the city saw a boom in tourists that led to a record year in 2023. But last year, the number of tourists stagnated. Denver saw about 37 million domestic visitors in 2024 and generated $10.3 billion in tourism […]

NEXT

NEXT UP

16th Street’s empty shops fill up with art as efforts continue to bring business back

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save When Mayor Mike Johnston formally announced the 16th Street Mall would have a new name, dropping the reference to the 1980s-era shopping centers, artist Chris Beatty was several blocks away at the former Mellow Mushroom restaurant. He was wrapping up an installation of Colorado-themed skateboards […]