Puglia Memories: Can You Make a 4th Generation Business Profitable for All the Siblings

In a fourth-generation business with five siblings, how do you scale for growth and make it profitable enough for all? 

Vito Dicecca, the innovative cheesemaker from Altamura, Italy, has a solution: “Never rest on past success; travel extensively to learn how other cheesemakers experiment with new ideas, and keep your brothers and sisters happy to work in the family business by doing what they love.”

Michael and I had a memorable vacation last month in Puglia, Italy. A terrific high point was the magical day we spent in Altamura. But the real highlight of our time was a tour hosted by Vito Dicecca. Vito treated us to a fabulously immersive experience in the Dicecca family’s cheese-making process.

Altamura has been the home of the Diceccas for four generations. Vito, Paolo, Angelo, Maristella, and Vittoria run one of the best cheese shops in a region built on the backs of genuinely outstanding cheese shops. Maristella and Vittoria manage sales, and their three brothers are cheesemaking masters.

We enjoyed a tour of the Dicecca operation, where we not only sampled their products and learned all about their cheese-making business but there were also lessons in the generational family business throughout the experience. The Diceccas don’t just make cheese; they’ve built a business founded on innovation, teamwork, and passion.

With 12 people on our tour, Vito made sure to engage and spend time with every person – YES, he truly embraces customer service, sharing his story and the stories of the various businesses in Altamura that he introduced us to. 

A bit that Vito shared: Vito’s back story included retelling the many parts of the world he traveled to, starting at age 18. He has lived in various places making mozzarella and learning more about food and cheese. 

“My name is Vito Dicecca. I have traveled to over 60 countries and speak three languages fluently. I started my cheese tour in 2009. I was returning from abroad for the summer and got bored hanging out with the same people, so I opened up a little hostel and began hosting guests from all over the world.”

 It was interesting to note that before the tour started, we tasted cheese and made the purchases that the store had for us. It didn’t make sense for us Americans—it’s like visiting the gift shop before the museum tour. Yet after initially tasting Dicecca cheese, everyone bought some right at the beginning, which set the pattern for purchasing from the various businesses we visited even before learning anything about them… Vito created this trust in the product.    

Vito then took us around the city and introduced us to various generational family businesses. Watching his siblings and uncle was fascinating as they shared the cheese-making experience.

Vito then took us through the town of Altamura, and it was impressive to see so many people stop him on the street to say good morning, hello, and chat. From Vito, we learned about and tasted the pastry called “tette delle Monache,” which translates to “Nun’s Tits!” It melted in our mouths and was incredible.  

On to another family business—a bakery you would never find unless you were a local. The mother-daughter team worked behind the counter, and it was clear no photos were allowed! Although I was disappointed, picture-taking was forgotten when the mom handed out her homemade focaccia for us to try. 

In Altumara, the next and last stop was a family business that made flour and pasta from local grains.  This was another fourth-generation business where the son was giving us the tour.  He seemed a little surprised he had to wait for our shopping at the beginning of the tour yet Vito trained us well.  

The next part of our time with Vito was traveling to what he refers to as “his forest,” where a cheese and wine lunch was served. It was nestled in a charming atmosphere with flowers on the tables and beautiful plates, and our host, Vita, continued to share his charm, knowledge, and warmth.   

Fun fact: Baby Dececca restaurant is featured on a CNN program Stanley Tucci has created called Searching For Italy. In the Puglia episode, he sampled the Dicecca’s Amore Primitivo.

You can see Vito serving us the homemade blue cheese, which takes six months to make.

When Vito returned home from traveling and living abroad, he told his family he wanted to make blue cheese. They all laughed and said no, but he was entrepreneurial and a true visionary.  He brought the family around to his vision and grew the business to a new height with expanded products, tours, and the forest restaurant (that is due to expand further in 2025.)

“When I told my brothers and sisters that I wanted to do blue cheese in Puglia, they looked at me as if I was crazy. But why can’t I make new cheeses that aren’t traditional in Puglia? Selling a burrata in Milan – it’s too easy. I want to sell blue cheese in Milan and blue cheese in France. That’s my goal.”  

Vito plans to travel more this winter.  He talks about friends he has made throughout his travels… naturally, we talked about food and cheese in New York City from his previous visit here.   

For Vito, in the end, it all comes back to family: the opportunity to work with your siblings day in and day out and create something that can last for at least another four generations.

“My father always wanted us together,” he says poignantly, “because love is the most important thing.” 

We felt the love in how Vito treated our group of 12 tourists, how his neighbors and Altamura townspeople regarded him, and how all five siblings related to each other in their lab and forest restaurant. Most of all, there is love in the way Vito approaches making his distinctive cheeses: always fresh, beyond delicious, and dreamt up from scratch by a fourth-generation Dicecca to be something exceptional for us visitors from far away to enjoy. 

I never expected to learn about and be exposed to so many long-lasting generational businesses on my vacation. I admired Vito’s visionary nature, his entrepreneurship skills, and the values that have kept this family business new, fresh, and innovative. 

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