Miceli Dairy anticipates doubling its employment

Jonathon Miceli of family-owned Miceli Dairy Products Co., welcomed visitors to the groundbreaking for an expansion of cold storage facilities at Miceli’s growing plant on Cleveland’s near-east side as his cousin and company marketing executive Maria Miceli looks on (NEOtrans). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

R&D, Mozzarella plant next expansion phases

When Miceli Dairy Products, 2721 E. 90th St. in Cleveland, broke ground today for the expansion of its new cold storage facilities, it also teased a follow-on project — a planned new research center plus mozzarella cheese manufacturing plant next to the Opportunity Corridor Boulevard. These additions in the coming years are anticipated to double Miceli’s current employment of 250 people.

The $13 million cold storage expansion will create 50 new jobs and help revitalize Cleveland’s Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood, Miceli family members said. The family-owned and operated company has been located here since its founding in 1949, making soft Italian cheeses like ricotta, mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, string cheese, mascarpone, shredded cheeses and Italian specialty cheeses.

NEOtrans broke the story on this expansion a year ago which, among all three phases, represents an investment of up to $128 million. NEOtrans published a follow-up article in December reporting this groundbreaking would happen this spring.

The first phase of planned developments involves the construction of a 32,000-square-foot expansion of its cold-storage facilities to the south of the existing plant, east of East 90th. The company had outgrown its existing cold-storage facilities.

While Miceli Dairy Products’ cold storage expansion is primarily occurring east of East 90th Street, additional expansion is planned west of East 90th toward the Opportunity Corridor Boulevard (myplace.cuyahogacounty.gov).

The groundbreaking coincides with the deed transfer this month of three parcels that once belonged to the Gray Barrel & Drum Co. Those parcels, totaling about 3.5 acres, were acquired by the dairy products’ development firm Miceli Lograsso Development Company LLC for $325,000, according to county records.

On those parcels is an existing 30,000-square-foot building constructed in 1998. Once it is remediated and renovated into a packaging and dry storage warehouse, the new-build and renovated structures will provide Miceli with an additional 62,000 square feet of space, said Maria Miceli, vice president of marketing.

“This new facility will allow us to increase production capacity, enhance operational efficiency and meet the growing demand for our products all while staying true to the values that have defined us from day one,” she said.

Two additional parcels totaling 1.2 acres, next to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) elevated light-rail tracks, were acquired by Miceli Lograsso Development in April of this year and April of last year.

Plans for the 32,000-square-foot, new-construction cold storage facilities are shown here (TMA Achitects).

Another parcel, at 2800 E. 90th and belonging to the Lomack Drum Realty Company, has yet to transfer. Ditto for a tiny piece of GCRTA-owned land measuring just 0.108 acres which Miceli Lograsso Development has agreed to acquire for $6,000, GCRTA records show.

“This isn’t just about getting bigger; it’s about getting better,” Maria Miceli added. “Our expansion includes upgraded equipment, advanced sustainability measures, and new quality control systems to ensure our cheeses continue to meet the highest standards of excellence.”

This initial phase of expansion is being financed by First National Bank of Pittsburgh and constructed by Independence Construction of Brecksville. Additional assistance was provided by the city, county, Port of Cleveland and others. Cuyahoga Land Bank and Burten Bell Carr Development Inc. secured the properties and, from the state, site clean-up funding.

But the biggest expansion is yet to come. A $112 million two-phase expansion west of East 90th to the Opportunity Corridor is in the works.

An overhead view of Miceli’s current expansion site along East 90th Street with the cold storage facilities to the right of it and the to-be-renovated, rusty-roofed structure that will become Miceli’s packaging and dry storage warehouse (Miceli).

“Looking ahead, we are in the early stages to build a state-of-the-art mozzarella production facility, and research and development center — a major step forward in our growth and innovation strategy,” Maria Miceli said.

“Our goal is to make greater use of our 30-plus-acre campus by developing the land west of East 90th Street which borders the Opportunity Corridor,” she added. “As we grow, we hope to expand the Miceli family to 500 employees.”

Coinciding with that physical expansion of their production facilities, company officials pledged to continue to grow its distribution network, develop new products and strengthen its partnerships with manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Miceli is now a company with a nationwide reach.

The company was founded by John Miceli Sr. who worked at the firm until he passed away at the age of 91 in 1999. He learned to make cheese from previous generations of the Miceli family who came from Sicily. A century ago, Miceli Sr. began by selling fresh ricotta and scamorza cheeses out of his Model T Ford Truck to the Italian neighborhoods of Cleveland’s east side.

A warehouse built in 1999 for the Gray Barrel & Drum Co. and its surrounding acreage was acquired this month by Miceli Dairy Products’ development arm for expansion of its plant, seen in the background along with the spire of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church (Google).

“This growth was made possible by the stewardship of John Miceli Sr.’s four children, Carol LoGrasso, Rosemary Surace, John J. Miceli and Joseph D. Miceli,” said Jonathon Miceli, vice president of corporate administration at Miceli Dairy Products Co. and grandson of the founder.

“Along with my uncles Joseph LoGrasso and Chuck Surace, they have reinvested in our family and our community and created an example of community involvement that the third generation of Micelis are proud to follow,” Jonathon Miceli added.

Ward 6 Councilman and City Council President Blaine Griffin called the family-owned firm an anchor institution in the community and thanked them for never leaving the neighborhood despite its struggles with depopulation and disinvestment since the 1960s. He said the company is now a part of Buckeye-Woodhill’s revival.

Speaking for Mayor Justin Bibb was Jeff Epstein, the city’s chief of integrated development. He said Miceli’s expansion follows major public investments like the construction of the Opportunity Corridor that opened in 2021. And it is part of the continued development of the East Side as a food industry hub, he added.

“This project scratches a lot of itches,” Epstein said. “And there’s a lot more stuff in the (project) pipeline.”

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