Today we’d like to introduce you to Phil Giglio.
Hi Phil, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started Orobianco because I needed a change from my corporate law job. While living in Chicago and working 80+ hours a week in an office, I realized I wanted to return to a small town and be more involved in agriculture. I had no direct agriculture experience despite having grown up on what was previously my great-grandfather’s turkey farm. Still, I had lived in southern Italy, where real mozzarella is made with water buffalo milk. I decided to bring that product – true Italian mozzarella — to the Texas Hill Country. After several months of looking for a herd to purchase, I connected with my now business partner, Jason Peeler, and we set out to bring the dream to life. Through a series of twists and turns, we brought on another partner — Adam Thompson — who runs our cheese program and our creamery operations, and we have released products far outside the original goal: we produce gelato, butter, cured meats, caramel, and cheese. Our goal has always been to be a Hill Country-focused company, though we regularly work in San Antonio and surrounding cities.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth or predictable road, but we have had fun and learned much. First, we had to learn to milk a water buffalo, which, believe it or not, is not for the faint of heart. Then, we had to learn how to use their milk to make gelato, cheese, and butter, which differs from making the same products with cows’ milk. We’ve had to learn how to manage retail stores, an e-commerce platform, a growing wholesale business, and multiple food trucks, all while balancing our milk supply and demand. When we think we’ve figured it out, Mother Nature throws us for a loop, and we have to pivot.
I appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Orobianco Italian Creamery?
We are Texas’ first and only water buffalo dairy and creamery. We own all our animals and produce gelato, cheese, butter, and caramel with their milk. We operate our retail stores, food trucks, and a pizzeria, where we sell all our products.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.orobiancomilk.com
- Instagram: orobiancocreamery
Image Credits
Alana Bruni for all of the photos except that of the gelato cart. The photo of the gelato cart is credited to Erica Falbaum. We have rights to all of these.
