JOLIET — Tucked away in the back of an aging east side neighborhood, just a couple blocks from tens of thousands of vehicles zipping along westbound Interstate 80, operates one of Joliet’s oldest food manufacturing companies, a business that proudly proclaims it makes the eighth best cheese in the entire world — Chellino Cheese Co.
These days, Chellino Cheese is in the hands of third-generation family ownership. Greg Chellino serves as president and his wife Linda Chellino serves as chief executive officer. Chellino Cheese has been at 505 Bennett Avenue since 1917, when the business was known as Topz Dairy, after Tom Chellino started it.
One hundred and eight years later, Chellino Cheese employs a dozen dedicated people who arrive at work early in the morning to begin the creative process of making cheese — the world’s eighth best cheese.
Find out what’s happening in Jolietfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
That’s right. The eighth best cheese in the world comes from Greg and Linda Chellino’s cheese manufacturing building in Joliet, but more on that later.
Where are some places you will find Chellino Cheese?
Find out what’s happening in Jolietfor free with the latest updates from Patch.Aurelio’s Pizza, all locationsCemeno’s Pizza in JolietMaurie’s Table in JolietAmerican Italian Cultural Society in Crest HillPalermo’s 95th Italian Cuisine restaurant in Oak LawnZeppy’s Italian Meats in NapervilleRomano’s pizza restaurant in Griffith, IndianaRubino’s Italian Imports in Tinley ParkAmbrosino’s Italian Market & Deli in FrankfortFrank’s Pizza in PosenThe Station in Chicago Heights
Chellino’s Top 2 Customers: Orlando Imports and Greco & Sons
Chellino Cheese in Joliet employs a dozen dedicated people who arrive at work early in the morning to begin the creative process of making cheese — the world’s eighth-best cheese. John Ferak/Joliet Patch
In March of 2024, Chellino Cheese competed in the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest held in Madison, Wisconsin. A food industry magazine listed all the award-winning entries, including Place 8: Chellino Cheese Company, Joliet, Illinois, USA, for its Chellino Cheese Ricotta. The eighth-place honor marked the best showing of all the cheese manufacturers in the Midwestern United States.
There is one cheese made at Chellino that stands tall among the crowd. It’s their biggest revenue generator.
“The ricotta. That’s our flagship,” Greg Chellino pointed out. “But mozzarella is still No. 2.”
Scamorza and tuma are the third and fourth top cheeses at Chellino, the owners said.
“Making ricotta is time-consuming. We will make it today, and it will go into the cooler, and it has to cool down and then tomorrow, we will pack it,” Greg Chellino told Joliet Patch during Monday’s interview. “The mozzarella and the scamorza, that will last up to eight months because it’s vacuum packed.”
The Chellinos said they have one person down in Louisiana who buys “12 balls of Scamorza every six months. We just shipped it to them a couple weeks ago.”
However, Linda Chellino said they don’t encourage people to place orders from across the country because “it’s very expensive to FedEx. It can be more than double the price of cheese.”
Chellino Reveals Cheese Production For Ricotta, Mozzarella
In February, Chellino Cheese in Joliet produced 22,046 pounds of mozzarella and 24,300 pounds of ricotta. Those are its two most popular cheeses. John Ferak/Patch
Most of the cheese made at Chellino is produced for two large food distribution companies, Orlando Imports and Greco & Sons. Both of these distributors deliver Chellino Cheese across the Midwest, to stores, restaurants and “plenty of pizza places” throughout Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri, the owners said.
Chellino Cheese also has one delivery truck, the red truck pictured at the top and at the bottom of this story.
“And we deliver to Greco in Bartlett,” Linda Chellino remarked.
The following is made inside Chellino Cheese factory:
Ricotta cheeseDry ricotta cheeseScamorza cheeseMozzarella-wrapped in parchment paperMozzarella-vacuum sealedShredded mozzarellaTumaCascavalla
During this week’s on-site interview, Linda Chellino tallied her company’s recent monthly reports of cheese production, comparing the ricotta to the mozzarella.
February saw 22,046 pounds of mozzarella and 24,300 pounds of ricotta. For January, Chellino made 20,191 pounds of mozzarella and 23,400 pounds of ricotta, December was 68,400 pounds of ricotta and 42,800 pounds of mozzarella. November showed 21,064 pounds of mozzarella and 39,600 pounds of ricotta.
“There are no preservatives in our cheese,” Greg Chellino explained.
“And it has a two-week lifespan,” Linda Chellino added, referring to the ricotta and the tuma.
‘We Are Having Customers That Prior Owners Did Not Have’
The following is made inside Chellino Cheese factory: ricotta, dry ricotta, scamorza, mozzarella-wrapped in parchment paper, mozzarella-vacuum sealed, shredded mozzarella, tuma and cascavalla. John Ferak/Patch
Greg and Linda Chellino are pleased with their current business model and especially proud of their eighth place showing at last year’s World Championship Cheese Contest.
“Since we took over, we have increased sales. We are having customers that prior owners did not have,” Linda Chellino said.
Last year marked the first time the Chellinos entered the World Championship competition.
“Very exciting because they have never entered into a contest before,” Linda Chellino said. “We didn’t know (what to expect) because we were going up against everybody in the world. We just know about how our customers feel about our cheese.”
Linda and Greg Chellino came out of retirement to take over Chellino Cheese in 2023. Linda worked as vice president of human resources for Hyatt Hotels at the corporate offices in Chicago.
“We wanted to keep it open,” Linda Chellino said. “Greg has been involved with his father since he was a kid, and the thought of closing it down was something we did not want to have happen.”
For most of his life, Greg Chellino worked for his family’s construction business, Chellino Crane.
“I worked here when I was 11 years old, I was on the delivery truck,” Greg explained. “There are 12 employees that work here, and we didn’t want them to lose their jobs. Most of the employees all live in the neighborhood. I was born in the neighborhood, and Interstate 80 took our house.”
Only Two Cheese Companies Are Left In Joliet Nowadays
In February, Chellino Cheese in Joliet produced 22,046 pounds of mozzarella and 24,300 pounds of ricotta. Those are its two most popular cheeses. John Ferak/Patch
At one time, there were about 30 cheese companies in the Joliet and Will County region, according to Greg Chellino. Nowadays, only two remain — Chellino Cheese and Mancuso Cheese, which is located on Joliet’s Mills Road. “There is nobody else in Will County,” Greg Chellino declared.
“There’s not a lot of small mom and pops left, just like dime stores,” Linda Chellino said.
The holidays, notably Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, are among the busiest times of year for cheese production, the Chellinos said.
“During the holiday, it gets quite busy,” Greg Chellino said.
And with Easter nearing, Chellino Cheese said its tuma cheese is always popular. “It’s particularly wanted around Easter time, especially by the pound,” Greg Chellino said.
Greg and Linda Chellino still offer their cheeses to retail customers, who walk into their offices at 505 Bennett Ave., even though retail sales only account for roughly 0.5 percent of their entire business.
As far as walk-in customer sales, the Chellinos said they continue to offer the retail portion of the business as a public service, because it’s been a long-time tradition for so many of Joliet’s older Italian families.
“They’ll come in and buy a five-pound tub of ricotta or one or two balls of scamorza,” Greg Chellino told Joliet Patch.
For walk-in customers, Chellino Cheese is typically open for retail sales from around 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and occasionally on Saturdays, when Greg Chellino is working there, but “it’s not a guarantee,” Linda Chellino said, referring to Saturday.
“The mozzarella and the Scamorza, that will last up to eight months because it’s vacuum packed,” Greg Chellino said. John Ferak/Patch 
As far as walk-in customer sales, the Chellinos said they continue to offer the retail portion of the business as a public service. John Ferak/Patch
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“Since we took over, we have increased sales. We are having customers that prior owners did not have,” Linda Chellino said. John Ferak/Patch .jpg)
Chellino Cheese has been at 505 Bennett Avenue since 1917, when the business was known as Topz Dairy, after Tom Chellino started it. John Ferak/Patch 
There is one cheese made at Chellino that stands tall among the crowd. It’s their biggest revenue generator. “The ricotta. That’s our flagship,” Greg Chellino pointed out. John Ferak/Patch
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