October 5, 2023 • 31 mins
MIGUEL LEAL is widely regarded as the “Godfather of Mexican Cheese” in the United States. Miguel’s story humbly began at a cheese factory in his native Mexico as a teenager. When he was invited to travel to the United States as an apprentice, he jumped at the chance. One of six children raised in poverty after the tragic death of his father in an earthquake, Miguel arrived in Wisconsin without money and speaking little English. As an illegal immigrant, he had no choice but to make a cardboard bed on the factory’s boiler room floor. Despite these challenges—through grit, persistence, and hard work— Miguel Leal observed and learned every step of cheesemaking, from cleaning the equipment to cutting and packaging cheese for sale. He was among the first to recognize that the growing number of Latinx immigrants in the U.S. meant there would be a market for specialty Mexican cheeses, and eventually partnered with a master cheesemaker from Wisconsin to work with the Amish in Ohio to produce and hand-sell 60-pound wheels of cotija cheese in the Chicago metro area. The skyrocketing demand for his cheese led Leal to establish his own company, Mexican Cheese Producers, Inc. in 1994. He eventually constructed a state-of- the-art production plant in Darlington, Wisconsin—a prime location with access to the finest quality milk in the country. There, he continued to perfect recipes for a variety of Mexican cheeses and took out patents for the machines used to produce them. Leal eventually sold his business for $50mil to the global company Sigma Alimentos, which still uses his recipes and won the 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest with their flagship cotija cheese. Today, Miguel is a successful real estate developer with a deep investment in his new passion project: supporting Mexico’s growing organic foods movement with a farm of his own, where he demonstrates sustainable, organic farming methods to communities in his native country while supporting local charitable efforts. He is also keenly interested in developing a national dog breed for Mexico related to the Argentinian Dogo, a hunting dog suited to being a loyal pet and guard dog.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:12):
Good evening, Welcome to WSBI,your Resource for success podcast program where you
get to meet inspiring women owned businessesfrom across the country. And now for
your host, Kimberly Macklemore. Okay, good evening and welcome to WSBI,
(00:41):
your resource for success podcast program whereyou get to meet inspiring entrepreneurs and women
owned businesses from across the country.I am your host, Kimberly maclamore,
president's CEO of the Women's Small BusinessInitiative LLC and award winning author. Tonight's
show has partnered with ADP, thego to place the better build and Manage
your business. And welcome to anothernight of sharing with us. We have
(01:03):
a special guest, Miguel Lele.Miguel is widely regarded as the godfather of
Mexican cheese in the United States.Miguel's story humbly began at a cheese factory
in his native of Mexico as ateenager when he was invited to travel to
the United States as an apprentice.He had jumped at the chance. One
of the six children raised in povertyafter the tragic death of his father in
(01:26):
an earthquake, Biguil arrived in Wisconsinwithout money and speaking little English. As
an illegal immigrant, he had nochoice but to make a cardboard bed on
the factory's boiler room floor. Despitethese challenges, through grit, persistence and
hard work, Miguel Lele observed andlearned every step of cheesemaking, from cleaning
the equipment to cutting and packaging cheesefor sale. He was among the first
(01:48):
to recognize that the growing number oflatinx America immigrants in the US meant there
would be a market for speciality inMexican cheeses, and eventually partnered with a
master cheesemaker from Wisconsin to work withthe Amish in Ohio to produce and handle
sell sixty pound wheels of Kotija cheesein Chicago metro area. The skybracketing demand
for cheese led Leo to establish hisown company, Mexican Cheese Producers, Inc.
(02:14):
In nineteen ninety four. He eventuallyconstructed a state of the art production
plant in Darlington, Wisconsin, aprime location with access to the finest quality
look in the country. There hecontinued to perfect recipes for a variety of
Mexican cheeses and took out patents forthe machines used to produce them. Leo
eventually sold his business for fifty millionto the global company Sigma Elementos, which
(02:36):
still uses his recipes and won thetwenty twenty World Championship Cheese Contest with their
flagship Kotica Cheese. So, withoutfurther ado, please have me welcome to
my platform, Miguel Leo. Hello, Miguel, how are you hi?
Hellow, thank you for invitement toyour show. Oh, it's my pleasure,
appreciate it. Oh, you're verywelcome. Sarah is extreme my pleasure,
(03:00):
and I'm excited to have this conversationand to meet the godfather of jeez.
I mean, come on, now, what else particularly what a great
opportunity to hear your story or Iwill have to say, I have never
heard of you, and I'm justso excited to share your story with my
(03:22):
listeners and talk about your experiences andeverything you've gone through as a child up
till today and all the new thingsthat you're doing. So before we actually
jump into the full interview process here, I just really would love for you
to tell my listeners a little bit, a little bit more about who Miguel
Leo really is. Yeah, thankyou very much. Mike Miguel Yo.
(03:50):
My entrepreneurs, they always is alittle bit excited to create it and to
produce, knowing to bring new ideasfor this and it's how you started with
the chief and change it into abig, big thing here in the United
States. Because I'm a little bitof stubborn and keep going pushing my ideas
(04:14):
to I conquered. That is howyou started and the chiefe business. And
it said for me, it wasthe only opportunity there that I took to
start learning with the serion of peoplehearing wiscounting and they teach me hm the
discipline to educating, to how tostart working and a chief factory in the
(04:39):
United States. It took me alot of them for me because coming from
another country and by myself and everythingand not speaking the language, there was
a new achievement for me. Andthat was a complicated part because my feelings
and my fears and every thing,and I didn't have nobody to support me
(05:01):
and help me out. My parentsjust die and my mind was hardworking and
chika to survive to in Mexico,and it was a situation that I have
to stand up by myself improve itto me and it takes a lot of
guys to make it in this inthis country, in any country, takes
(05:26):
a lot of discipline. Then thelife teaches me, you know how it
goes for it and a lot ofpatients to be aggressive in life, and
the opportunity to show up and don'tget dizzy in my life, to get
distracted for drink alcohol or h spendmy money and a lot of things I
(05:48):
should. I saved all my moneyand I started playing it every detail for
the next step that I was goingto do. I mean, those things
really helped me out for me tostand up to achieve everything that I can.
Okay, in the United States,more or less, I have a
(06:11):
good teacher. Is today the samelife. I call them university of life.
Yes, I am graduated and Ihave probably a master degree and it
and because I really do pay attentionin life. M it's hard for me
to read and I wasn't a goodstudent in that time. And that makes
(06:35):
me, uh kind of like apaying more attention to everything, you know,
And I knew that I have alittle bit this disadvantage. But I
know that my creativity and me alwaysis pushing. It's pushing, is pushing
to get better, and that isthe part of it for Miguel. You
(06:57):
know, the I find outing ison a nice is how I start to
explain it in might book. Also, people learned it that way, and
you don't have no support and nobodyto help you out how you can take
the opportunities without wasting time right rightand with you at such a young age,
(07:19):
the hardship that you had to gothrough, you know, like you
said, it's one thing from havingto come from another country and then have
to come here to the US byyourself. That alone is in most of
the average person is it makes itvery hard to deal with it, you
know. And then there's people herethat live in the United States that don't
(07:39):
even understand how fortunate they are.And then you have to come here and
you literally, like you said,you're by yourself, no one to help
you, didn't speak the language.You've seen an opportunity and you learned,
and that learning is what drove youto who you are today. And it
continues to drive because you continue togrow, you continue to do things you
(08:03):
know out in your in the Mexicocommunity as well as well as continue doing
things here in the US. Sotalk to me a little bit more about
the journey of what you learned inthose years about the cheesemaking process and why
was it so interesting to you.Yeah, when I was in Mexico,
(08:24):
in Mexico learning and I expected moreor this. Well, I never went
to America before and nothing. Idon't know how the American people was,
but the chief factory that I wasin Mexico is supposed to be a knife
factory. But when I showed upin the United States and I see the
difference and how the people is organized, and how the milky people and here
(08:50):
is proud to have the best milk, and Mexico is a little bit different
because they cheated and everything. Wow, they put in the in the milk,
they put water on it to diluteit, and they put a lot
of more stuff on it to sell. I mean, the same milk you
have. You don't know, Theykind of like I put adultated putting water
(09:15):
on it. And in Wisconsin,the farmers are very proud to have a
best quality of milk. The fatterthe milk it is, the better,
the richer it is for the cheesetoo. And in Mexico it's kind of
like it's a little bit different,but it's hard to learning. I was
learning, but that gave me theadvantage to have two different kinds of worlds.
(09:37):
They kind to make different kinds ofcheese. I learned in the United
States, the Clungui cheese and thebullholters. I mean, they are excellent
people to want they want. Ilearned from it, and they teach me
to make monaay Jack Chadar cheese,monster cheese, mozzarella cheese, quobe cheese.
(10:01):
Well, I learned quite a fewdifferent types of cheese how to make
it. And is how later onlife give me the opportunity for me to
go with Dave Western, my partner, and win a contest with the Amish
we make. We compete with fivedifferent people cheesemakers all over in the United
(10:24):
States, and we win the contestand the opportunity for us to start making
and his wife, I was reallyexcited. I was patient. I was
living in a mattress and air couches, I mean air beads and all that
(10:46):
kind of stuff. And I didn'thave forny turns. I didn't have nothing.
I was saying the most money Iwas I could, and then I
blamed my wife and then she startedgetting me the support you know that I
was looking for, and that givesme an extra energy keep going and pushing.
You have to establish a family mhm, Yes, how I did
(11:11):
it. And I think you knowwhat when when you are from another country
and you don't have nobody to leanon it like your parents to support you
and everything, you see the opportunityis a little bit different in the people
are your rent here support. Theydon't take over, They don't go after
(11:33):
the aggressiveness. They keep going drinkingand partying, wasting time that it shouldn't,
you know. And it's okay tohave fun. Don't lose your focus,
you know, right, That's whatI like. Mm hmm. And
yeah, I love what you justsaid. But the thing that stood up
to me the most is I lovethe word patience. You talked about you
(11:58):
had to be patient and how thelearning process and understanding and you gave up
everything in order to build this empire. And that's what it takes, you
know, with the patience you hadthe learning process, and I agree with
you that when you were coming froma different country and you're coming here and
you see the opportunity that we heartakes like I said, it's it's you
(12:20):
take it for granted that because weknow we have opportunities. It's easy to
fall down, it's easy to getback up. People are always there for
you when you're already a part ofthe country. We see this happen every
day, and you know, there'sthat constant attitude of well, you know,
somebody needs to help me. Wecan't, we don't have enough this.
You have more opportunities today than we'veever had in many, many years.
(12:41):
So when you hear stories like yoursbecoming a success, you get one
thing I get tired of hearing fromother people is what they can't do.
Listen and learn and realize what youcan do. And it doesn't matter where
you come from, it's about whereyou're going to. And you ran,
You didn't. You didn't just crawland walk. You actually ran from the
(13:01):
beginning of the story. You knowwhat I mean. It's I know it
sounds fund that you literally ran fromthe beginning of your story up till now,
and you continue to run, youcontinue to grow. So let's move
a little bit further into this conversationabout what you sold the business for fifty
million dollars. So what have youdone, and what are you doing now
(13:22):
and continue to do since you've soldthe actual business, the Chiefe a factory
business. Yes, after I soldmy Chiefe factory and I kind of a
very bad disappointment in my life becauseeverything that I was fighting for and achieving
for my family and the whole nineyetting pulled apart. I mean it's my
(13:48):
wife, Chieta. I mean shewent all over the place and I kind
of like I went a little bitwhile and I took a break because they
hit me really hard and I didn'twant to make any say because I didn't
I notice if I make decisions,I've been with a wrong decision because I
was angry, I was sad,I was and a lot of emotions at
(14:11):
that time that I could do easiermake the wrong decision to bring me a
big mistake later on. Is whyI took a break. Breathe deeply passed
the whole thing on it. Andnow I come back with Health University to
start from Wisconsin, to start doinga new recipe. I want to put
(14:33):
science in the Mexican cheese because Iforgot what is happening now the whole the
cheese industry and the Mexican cheese ischanging too much flavors and every it's not
the right flavor, like you ethniccheese. You make a cheese in Mexico
really ethnic the way it should andyou induced real life, the whole thing,
(14:56):
the flavor change is not the same. Wow, I is. Well,
we want to put science into theUniversity of Wisconsin. They approved me
on it to have a different formulaand that is where it's going for it.
I hope I impaten that and changethe whole thing to have a better
(15:16):
taste like ethnic, authentic ethnic chicheMexican cheese. Though. Wow, that
is my new step that I'm workingon it. Okay, well you know,
oh my goodness. Well, firstof all, I want to say,
(15:37):
you know, I you know,I'm so sorry to hear about your
personal story there. And you know, it's it's unfortunate that it has to
happen. It happens to people,and it's very unfortunate happened to you.
Like you said, you know,earlier in your story, you were talking
about how important family was to youand and you know, having a wife
that understood who you were and andyou being able to obviously support for that
(15:58):
family. So I do apologie,guys, and you know that you had
to go through that, and it'sit's so unfortunate that, you know,
when you you're trying to read somethingin your life and a goal that when
you think you have the support,that you don't always have the support that
you that you really want from thoseindividuals. But you know, like you
said, you did a great thingby step taking a step back, decide,
(16:19):
you know, giving yourself the timethat you needed to grieve, because
there's a grieving process. Anybody who'sgone through divorce, I know been there
more than once. You know,it's like you know, you do,
you get angry, but you're frustrated. You're trying to understand how do you
even get there right? And soI absolutely understand that struggle, you know,
but you know you're standing up onyour two feet again, and that's
(16:42):
what's the most important, because weall get knocked down, you know,
and you've been knocked down more thanonce. You were knocked down as a
child, you lost your parents,you were knocked down in the process of
trying to make it and you know, into the business that you have,
so you've you've been knocked down onmore than one occasion. But the most
important part is always about how doyou stand back up to you know,
(17:03):
to retrieve yourself, to get backout there and do the things that you
love. And now you're stepping intosomething new. So you know, when
you talk about the cheeses, theMexican cheese versus the American cheese or any
other cheeses, you know, I'dnever heard that. I didn't realize how
much of a difference there was.And I will tell you I love cheese.
I'm a cheese fanatic. I youknow, even the doctor finally told
(17:25):
me, look, you need tolay back on some of that cheese because
it's like catching up with me herein life, you know. So,
but you know you used to haveto think about it. But I just
love my cheese, and I'm abig cheese and wine person, you know,
that type of thing. And sometimesjust for me to have cheese,
it's a meal. It's really becomea meal for me because I really enjoy
(17:48):
and blue cheese, I will tellyou, is my favorite. And then
there's a couple of the ones thatI like. But explain why is it
so significantly different compared just a littlebit, And you don't have to get
too deep into because I know someof the things that you're doing is very
important and that those are the thingsthat we will learn later on in life.
But why is it so unique comparedto other cheeses and to keep it
(18:14):
so authentic? Why is it soimportant to you? For me, it's
really it's important to have the authenticityof the Mexican product of the flavors.
That way, when you make adish and the chef is making a dish,
taste the same in any place.You know, buy the problem of
(18:34):
the cooking and with the cheese becauseit's not the same flavors all the time.
And age cheese and really h cheese. What is monster cheese or any
other kind of chad or all thoseproducts. They need twenty one days to
(18:56):
the cheese start breaking the point tostart melting pretty good, oh wow,
And it takes a little bit oftime. But Mexico they have another cheese
that doesn't melt and that is theone they sell the most of it,
and that is case of Fresco andpanella cheese. The case of Fresco is
a tapping cheese. The crumbles inyour heads and and it really made the
(19:22):
taste of the of the food alittle bit cheesier, milkier flavor, and
the panella cheese you can put itin soups and salads and a lot of
and a lot of stuff, chewit up and doesn't melt neither. And
that is a really healthy cheese becauseit's not that much it's not that much
(19:44):
fat on it the skin that way, the cheese is no no fat.
It just pure protein. And thatis what the doctors recommended, you know,
to use it all the all themelting cheese, all the American cheese,
they are grace. They are prettyfatty, right, comes from the
(20:06):
fat of the cheese. The fatis the one's age and make the cheese
change care. Oh okay, nowthat makes sense. Now one of the
doctors are on me all the time. Okay, uh huh, Now I
know the secret. Okay, Iunderstand. But yeah, it's pretty interesting.
(20:26):
The process is so interesting. Andthen, you know, I guess
a lot of times when we're eatingand buying things, we don't think about
the process and all the steps ittakes to have that fabulous cheese that we're
you know, eating every day.So it's really good to have a little
understanding of what you have to gothrough to ensure that everything is authenticated and
that you know you're we're getting agreat product. And so, you know,
(20:48):
I just love the spirit that youhave inside of you about what you're
doing and why you do what youdo. So I always ask my business
people, you know, what advicewould you get to someone who wants to
come into business. Doesn't necessarily haveto be the same that you're doing,
but what would you tell them?A young kid they want to start on
(21:11):
it. Anybody who wants to starta business, what would you tell them?
They're really concentrated and the first thefirst idea. You want to have
a bunch of it, But choosethe first one that you are good in
the best of you and go forit for that hour. Don't try the
jump and another one, and anotherone and another one. You pick the
(21:33):
one you choose and you finish it. Do you conquer something, don't quit
in the middle because it's going tohappen, and jump another and it's a
lot of obstacles that's coming to youthat you need to start dealing with.
Don't give up right away, youknow, and see your idea that you're
doing is acting a moving productive way. Now you had the wrong one.
(21:59):
I don't know you how you explainedmyself. Your idea is no achieving where
just goals are. It's not generatingthe money imedios, it's a stock in
one spot. Uh. Sometimes Ihave the one idea, have a limitation
and and then you need to recognizeit. You have to be focused.
(22:21):
Is why, very very important tobe focused and concentrated and get and pick
which one idea is achievable from you, you know, the way you don't
waste time mm hmm, absolutely,you know, absolutely, yeah, And
that is very important because you prettysoon you start working in something and it
(22:48):
was the wrong idea. You couldn'tsay that how you want to find out
even a couple of years or didn'tmove and didn't generate the money that you
was looking for, then don startand that you need to start motivating your
idea to start moving in a differentdirection. They go farther, you know,
(23:08):
right, and a lot of peoplequit that way before they they're not
looking for another option. They quitand they change it. I don't know
you. I would say to thatpeople, to the new people, is
that choose your idea and be patient, yes, and be physical mentally I
(23:33):
mean and the best of you don'tmake any I mean physical. That means
you have a physical foundation because fordo anything, you need to have a
physical condition. You need to startbehind your own business and start bewn you
everything because you have new energy andyou you know, sometimes when you are
too old. It's a good ideathat you need to have everything harder when
(24:02):
you start good and old right toconquer everything you don't do it and organize
yourself earlier. If if you're wastingmind, you want to see yourself in
the mirror and say go bad rightright? You know, yes, well,
I'll tell you that's definitely some goodadvice. And I love that you
(24:23):
said basically, stick to what stickto the one thing that you really want
to do, the one thing thatyou love, and let it watch it
grow. And that's the key thepatience. You said it again, the
keyword is having patience. Yes,yes, absolutely, because you're right,
there's it's so many opportunities today whereyou know, people can become an overnight
(24:44):
success because they want everything right now, but they don't look at the longevity
piece of it. They don't thinkabout what is it going to take for
them to get past that that moment, you know, as I call it,
the courtship. You know, thenyou have the honeymoon phase. Once
they get past the honeymoon phase,most people don't last, you know,
in business or in anything that theydo. So you know, I definitely
(25:07):
agree with your assessment, and youknow, absolutely appreciate your knowledge and everything
you shared with our listeners tonight.And the one thing I would like to
ask for you is, you know, tell people how they can reach out
to you or learn more about whoyou are, Miguel in the products and
services you may provide with the thingsyou're doing in the future, could you
provide some information. Yes, it'sInstagram the Chief Guys Success my Instagram and
(25:37):
in my website is ww the Houseof the Chief built that Okay, okay,
that's great, And we'll definitely havethis information in the show notes so
people can, you know, theydon't have to write it down or try
to remember. But again that's forInstagram, it's at Che's Guys Success,
and then the course for the website, it's the house that She's built dot
(25:59):
com. So for those who arelistening, you know, please you know,
hear the story again, take reallygood notes. The thing I love
about this show is that, youknow, I bring on people who are
not just successful. It's not justabout where they are or who they are
today, but it's about the story, the story that they're sharing, the
nuggets that they're providing. I callit pink nuggets. You know. Of
(26:19):
course, you know, some peoplelike to use the word gold nuggets,
but for me, it's the pinknuggets that we're providing to those who are
trying to understand what it takes tobecome a business owner, to become not
just a business own but a successfulbusiness owner, and a lot of it
is time, time and patience isreally what it boils down to. And
you've heard it from the best today, Miguel. And it's been such a
(26:41):
pleasure to have you on the showtoday, and I am looking forward to
hearing you hopefully and being able tocommunicate with you in the future, because
I think I heard you say somethingabout a book. Possibly, did you
say something about a book? Yeah, my book is and is coming up
out became three days ago, okay, doing, I mean, it's pretty
(27:06):
pretty cool. In my book.What's the name of your book? The
house and that she is built?Okay, book okay, And where can
we find it the book at well, wait that you built we can't find
it there, Okay, Okay,find it there, Okay, awesome.
(27:33):
Well, we'll definitely have to tocheck that out and definitely have to reach
back out to you so we cantalk more about your book. Yeah,
and you can get it and I'mnot gonna sorry, okay, and all
over the place. Excellent, excellent, but it definitely definitely will you know,
have to get into that and likeI said, it, would you
know, talk more with you lateron so we can hear more about the
(27:55):
success of your book and what yougot going on here in the near future.
But until then, I and Ireally appreciate you coming on to the
show and taking the time. Iknow you're busy, so I really appreciate
you taking a few a little bitof time with me today. Thank you
very much for inviting me to yourshows. I'd be waiting for you to
come back to you absolutely and it'smy pleasure. And again for everybody else,
(28:18):
I hope that you have been trulylistening to this show this evening and
realizing how important I mean. Ithink the biggest thing that we learned tonight
is not, like I said,not just about the success that we have
and what we heard from mister Miguel, but about the patience, the things
that it takes for you to understandwhat your true passion is. And if
(28:42):
you are have the guts and havethe unwavering desire to make it work,
you are going to achieve what isyou want to achieve in life. And
I think that's the most important thingthat we learned today. His story is
absolutely significant and we hear a lotof story worries like this when it comes
to where people come from, youknow, whether it's poverty or not,
(29:04):
But it's not about that as muchas it is where you decided that you
want to go in life. Soagain, I hope you all enjoyed this
evening's show and it always leads meto ask my listeners what is your passion?
How do you want to get there? And how willing are you to
take the steps to get there.But if you need help, if you
(29:26):
want someone to talk to you aboutgetting your dreams and turning those dreams into
goals, please reach out to meat Kimberly at wsbilc at gmail dot com
and let's chat about your dreams.And turn them into those goals when more
of your resource for success. Monetarydonations to support the podcasts are now accepted
on cash app, PayPal, goodPods, Tipjar, or go directly to
(29:47):
the website at www dot wsbilc dotcom and to learn more on how to
better leverage your business, adp ithas identified five primary challenges hiring, financing,
access to growth resources, employee experience, and as to payroll and HR
tools. Educating yourself on what's bestfor your business is free to contact our
adp Rep, Miss Anthonia Newmonle.Her infantion will be provided on the show
(30:10):
notes. But again we would liketo thank you all for listening to us
tonight. We'll be back next weekwith more amazing guests. Be sure to
follow us on iHeartRadio or wherever youlisten to your podcast. But until then,
enjoy the rest of your evening andgoodnight, good night everyone. We
will be back next Thursday evening atseven pm. Follow us on spreaker www
dot spreaker dot com, slash userslash WSBI, view our new WSBI website
(30:37):
anytime at www dot ws b il LC dot com, and on Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram. Se
Good evening, Welcome to WSBI,your Resource for success podcast program where you
get to meet inspiring women owned businessesfrom across the country. And now for
your host, Kimberly Macklemore. Okay, good evening and welcome to WSBI,
(00:41):
your resource for success podcast program whereyou get to meet inspiring entrepreneurs and women
owned businesses from across the country.I am your host, Kimberly maclamore,
president's CEO of the Women's Small BusinessInitiative LLC and award winning author. Tonight's
show has partnered with ADP, thego to place the better build and Manage
your business. And welcome to anothernight of sharing with us. We have
(01:03):
a special guest, Miguel Lele.Miguel is widely regarded as the godfather of
Mexican cheese in the United States.Miguel's story humbly began at a cheese factory
in his native of Mexico as ateenager when he was invited to travel to
the United States as an apprentice.He had jumped at the chance. One
of the six children raised in povertyafter the tragic death of his father in
(01:26):
an earthquake, Biguil arrived in Wisconsinwithout money and speaking little English. As
an illegal immigrant, he had nochoice but to make a cardboard bed on
the factory's boiler room floor. Despitethese challenges, through grit, persistence and
hard work, Miguel Lele observed andlearned every step of cheesemaking, from cleaning
the equipment to cutting and packaging cheesefor sale. He was among the first
(01:48):
to recognize that the growing number oflatinx America immigrants in the US meant there
would be a market for speciality inMexican cheeses, and eventually partnered with a
master cheesemaker from Wisconsin to work withthe Amish in Ohio to produce and handle
sell sixty pound wheels of Kotija cheesein Chicago metro area. The skybracketing demand
for cheese led Leo to establish hisown company, Mexican Cheese Producers, Inc.
(02:14):
In nineteen ninety four. He eventuallyconstructed a state of the art production
plant in Darlington, Wisconsin, aprime location with access to the finest quality
look in the country. There hecontinued to perfect recipes for a variety of
Mexican cheeses and took out patents forthe machines used to produce them. Leo
eventually sold his business for fifty millionto the global company Sigma Elementos, which
(02:36):
still uses his recipes and won thetwenty twenty World Championship Cheese Contest with their
flagship Kotica Cheese. So, withoutfurther ado, please have me welcome to
my platform, Miguel Leo. Hello, Miguel, how are you hi?
Hellow, thank you for invitement toyour show. Oh, it's my pleasure,
appreciate it. Oh, you're verywelcome. Sarah is extreme my pleasure,
(03:00):
and I'm excited to have this conversationand to meet the godfather of jeez.
I mean, come on, now, what else particularly what a great
opportunity to hear your story or Iwill have to say, I have never
heard of you, and I'm justso excited to share your story with my
(03:22):
listeners and talk about your experiences andeverything you've gone through as a child up
till today and all the new thingsthat you're doing. So before we actually
jump into the full interview process here, I just really would love for you
to tell my listeners a little bit, a little bit more about who Miguel
Leo really is. Yeah, thankyou very much. Mike Miguel Yo.
(03:50):
My entrepreneurs, they always is alittle bit excited to create it and to
produce, knowing to bring new ideasfor this and it's how you started with
the chief and change it into abig, big thing here in the United
States. Because I'm a little bitof stubborn and keep going pushing my ideas
(04:14):
to I conquered. That is howyou started and the chiefe business. And
it said for me, it wasthe only opportunity there that I took to
start learning with the serion of peoplehearing wiscounting and they teach me hm the
discipline to educating, to how tostart working and a chief factory in the
(04:39):
United States. It took me alot of them for me because coming from
another country and by myself and everythingand not speaking the language, there was
a new achievement for me. Andthat was a complicated part because my feelings
and my fears and every thing,and I didn't have nobody to support me
(05:01):
and help me out. My parentsjust die and my mind was hardworking and
chika to survive to in Mexico,and it was a situation that I have
to stand up by myself improve itto me and it takes a lot of
guys to make it in this inthis country, in any country, takes
(05:26):
a lot of discipline. Then thelife teaches me, you know how it
goes for it and a lot ofpatients to be aggressive in life, and
the opportunity to show up and don'tget dizzy in my life, to get
distracted for drink alcohol or h spendmy money and a lot of things I
(05:48):
should. I saved all my moneyand I started playing it every detail for
the next step that I was goingto do. I mean, those things
really helped me out for me tostand up to achieve everything that I can.
Okay, in the United States,more or less, I have a
(06:11):
good teacher. Is today the samelife. I call them university of life.
Yes, I am graduated and Ihave probably a master degree and it
and because I really do pay attentionin life. M it's hard for me
to read and I wasn't a goodstudent in that time. And that makes
(06:35):
me, uh kind of like apaying more attention to everything, you know,
And I knew that I have alittle bit this disadvantage. But I
know that my creativity and me alwaysis pushing. It's pushing, is pushing
to get better, and that isthe part of it for Miguel. You
(06:57):
know, the I find outing ison a nice is how I start to
explain it in might book. Also, people learned it that way, and
you don't have no support and nobodyto help you out how you can take
the opportunities without wasting time right rightand with you at such a young age,
(07:19):
the hardship that you had to gothrough, you know, like you
said, it's one thing from havingto come from another country and then have
to come here to the US byyourself. That alone is in most of
the average person is it makes itvery hard to deal with it, you
know. And then there's people herethat live in the United States that don't
(07:39):
even understand how fortunate they are.And then you have to come here and
you literally, like you said,you're by yourself, no one to help
you, didn't speak the language.You've seen an opportunity and you learned,
and that learning is what drove youto who you are today. And it
continues to drive because you continue togrow, you continue to do things you
(08:03):
know out in your in the Mexicocommunity as well as well as continue doing
things here in the US. Sotalk to me a little bit more about
the journey of what you learned inthose years about the cheesemaking process and why
was it so interesting to you.Yeah, when I was in Mexico,
(08:24):
in Mexico learning and I expected moreor this. Well, I never went
to America before and nothing. Idon't know how the American people was,
but the chief factory that I wasin Mexico is supposed to be a knife
factory. But when I showed upin the United States and I see the
difference and how the people is organized, and how the milky people and here
(08:50):
is proud to have the best milk, and Mexico is a little bit different
because they cheated and everything. Wow, they put in the in the milk,
they put water on it to diluteit, and they put a lot
of more stuff on it to sell. I mean, the same milk you
have. You don't know, Theykind of like I put adultated putting water
(09:15):
on it. And in Wisconsin,the farmers are very proud to have a
best quality of milk. The fatterthe milk it is, the better,
the richer it is for the cheesetoo. And in Mexico it's kind of
like it's a little bit different,but it's hard to learning. I was
learning, but that gave me theadvantage to have two different kinds of worlds.
(09:37):
They kind to make different kinds ofcheese. I learned in the United
States, the Clungui cheese and thebullholters. I mean, they are excellent
people to want they want. Ilearned from it, and they teach me
to make monaay Jack Chadar cheese,monster cheese, mozzarella cheese, quobe cheese.
(10:01):
Well, I learned quite a fewdifferent types of cheese how to make
it. And is how later onlife give me the opportunity for me to
go with Dave Western, my partner, and win a contest with the Amish
we make. We compete with fivedifferent people cheesemakers all over in the United
(10:24):
States, and we win the contestand the opportunity for us to start making
and his wife, I was reallyexcited. I was patient. I was
living in a mattress and air couches, I mean air beads and all that
(10:46):
kind of stuff. And I didn'thave forny turns. I didn't have nothing.
I was saying the most money Iwas I could, and then I
blamed my wife and then she startedgetting me the support you know that I
was looking for, and that givesme an extra energy keep going and pushing.
You have to establish a family mhm, Yes, how I did
(11:11):
it. And I think you knowwhat when when you are from another country
and you don't have nobody to leanon it like your parents to support you
and everything, you see the opportunityis a little bit different in the people
are your rent here support. Theydon't take over, They don't go after
(11:33):
the aggressiveness. They keep going drinkingand partying, wasting time that it shouldn't,
you know. And it's okay tohave fun. Don't lose your focus,
you know, right, That's whatI like. Mm hmm. And
yeah, I love what you justsaid. But the thing that stood up
to me the most is I lovethe word patience. You talked about you
(11:58):
had to be patient and how thelearning process and understanding and you gave up
everything in order to build this empire. And that's what it takes, you
know, with the patience you hadthe learning process, and I agree with
you that when you were coming froma different country and you're coming here and
you see the opportunity that we heartakes like I said, it's it's you
(12:20):
take it for granted that because weknow we have opportunities. It's easy to
fall down, it's easy to getback up. People are always there for
you when you're already a part ofthe country. We see this happen every
day, and you know, there'sthat constant attitude of well, you know,
somebody needs to help me. Wecan't, we don't have enough this.
You have more opportunities today than we'veever had in many, many years.
(12:41):
So when you hear stories like yoursbecoming a success, you get one
thing I get tired of hearing fromother people is what they can't do.
Listen and learn and realize what youcan do. And it doesn't matter where
you come from, it's about whereyou're going to. And you ran,
You didn't. You didn't just crawland walk. You actually ran from the
(13:01):
beginning of the story. You knowwhat I mean. It's I know it
sounds fund that you literally ran fromthe beginning of your story up till now,
and you continue to run, youcontinue to grow. So let's move
a little bit further into this conversationabout what you sold the business for fifty
million dollars. So what have youdone, and what are you doing now
(13:22):
and continue to do since you've soldthe actual business, the Chiefe a factory
business. Yes, after I soldmy Chiefe factory and I kind of a
very bad disappointment in my life becauseeverything that I was fighting for and achieving
for my family and the whole nineyetting pulled apart. I mean it's my
(13:48):
wife, Chieta. I mean shewent all over the place and I kind
of like I went a little bitwhile and I took a break because they
hit me really hard and I didn'twant to make any say because I didn't
I notice if I make decisions,I've been with a wrong decision because I
was angry, I was sad,I was and a lot of emotions at
(14:11):
that time that I could do easiermake the wrong decision to bring me a
big mistake later on. Is whyI took a break. Breathe deeply passed
the whole thing on it. Andnow I come back with Health University to
start from Wisconsin, to start doinga new recipe. I want to put
(14:33):
science in the Mexican cheese because Iforgot what is happening now the whole the
cheese industry and the Mexican cheese ischanging too much flavors and every it's not
the right flavor, like you ethniccheese. You make a cheese in Mexico
really ethnic the way it should andyou induced real life, the whole thing,
(14:56):
the flavor change is not the same. Wow, I is. Well,
we want to put science into theUniversity of Wisconsin. They approved me
on it to have a different formulaand that is where it's going for it.
I hope I impaten that and changethe whole thing to have a better
(15:16):
taste like ethnic, authentic ethnic chicheMexican cheese. Though. Wow, that
is my new step that I'm workingon it. Okay, well you know,
oh my goodness. Well, firstof all, I want to say,
(15:37):
you know, I you know,I'm so sorry to hear about your
personal story there. And you know, it's it's unfortunate that it has to
happen. It happens to people,and it's very unfortunate happened to you.
Like you said, you know,earlier in your story, you were talking
about how important family was to youand and you know, having a wife
that understood who you were and andyou being able to obviously support for that
(15:58):
family. So I do apologie,guys, and you know that you had
to go through that, and it'sit's so unfortunate that, you know,
when you you're trying to read somethingin your life and a goal that when
you think you have the support,that you don't always have the support that
you that you really want from thoseindividuals. But you know, like you
said, you did a great thingby step taking a step back, decide,
(16:19):
you know, giving yourself the timethat you needed to grieve, because
there's a grieving process. Anybody who'sgone through divorce, I know been there
more than once. You know,it's like you know, you do,
you get angry, but you're frustrated. You're trying to understand how do you
even get there right? And soI absolutely understand that struggle, you know,
but you know you're standing up onyour two feet again, and that's
(16:42):
what's the most important, because weall get knocked down, you know,
and you've been knocked down more thanonce. You were knocked down as a
child, you lost your parents,you were knocked down in the process of
trying to make it and you know, into the business that you have,
so you've you've been knocked down onmore than one occasion. But the most
important part is always about how doyou stand back up to you know,
(17:03):
to retrieve yourself, to get backout there and do the things that you
love. And now you're stepping intosomething new. So you know, when
you talk about the cheeses, theMexican cheese versus the American cheese or any
other cheeses, you know, I'dnever heard that. I didn't realize how
much of a difference there was.And I will tell you I love cheese.
I'm a cheese fanatic. I youknow, even the doctor finally told
(17:25):
me, look, you need tolay back on some of that cheese because
it's like catching up with me herein life, you know. So,
but you know you used to haveto think about it. But I just
love my cheese, and I'm abig cheese and wine person, you know,
that type of thing. And sometimesjust for me to have cheese,
it's a meal. It's really becomea meal for me because I really enjoy
(17:48):
and blue cheese, I will tellyou, is my favorite. And then
there's a couple of the ones thatI like. But explain why is it
so significantly different compared just a littlebit, And you don't have to get
too deep into because I know someof the things that you're doing is very
important and that those are the thingsthat we will learn later on in life.
But why is it so unique comparedto other cheeses and to keep it
(18:14):
so authentic? Why is it soimportant to you? For me, it's
really it's important to have the authenticityof the Mexican product of the flavors.
That way, when you make adish and the chef is making a dish,
taste the same in any place.You know, buy the problem of
(18:34):
the cooking and with the cheese becauseit's not the same flavors all the time.
And age cheese and really h cheese. What is monster cheese or any
other kind of chad or all thoseproducts. They need twenty one days to
(18:56):
the cheese start breaking the point tostart melting pretty good, oh wow,
And it takes a little bit oftime. But Mexico they have another cheese
that doesn't melt and that is theone they sell the most of it,
and that is case of Fresco andpanella cheese. The case of Fresco is
a tapping cheese. The crumbles inyour heads and and it really made the
(19:22):
taste of the of the food alittle bit cheesier, milkier flavor, and
the panella cheese you can put itin soups and salads and a lot of
and a lot of stuff, chewit up and doesn't melt neither. And
that is a really healthy cheese becauseit's not that much it's not that much
(19:44):
fat on it the skin that way, the cheese is no no fat.
It just pure protein. And thatis what the doctors recommended, you know,
to use it all the all themelting cheese, all the American cheese,
they are grace. They are prettyfatty, right, comes from the
(20:06):
fat of the cheese. The fatis the one's age and make the cheese
change care. Oh okay, nowthat makes sense. Now one of the
doctors are on me all the time. Okay, uh huh, Now I
know the secret. Okay, Iunderstand. But yeah, it's pretty interesting.
(20:26):
The process is so interesting. Andthen, you know, I guess
a lot of times when we're eatingand buying things, we don't think about
the process and all the steps ittakes to have that fabulous cheese that we're
you know, eating every day.So it's really good to have a little
understanding of what you have to gothrough to ensure that everything is authenticated and
that you know you're we're getting agreat product. And so, you know,
(20:48):
I just love the spirit that youhave inside of you about what you're
doing and why you do what youdo. So I always ask my business
people, you know, what advicewould you get to someone who wants to
come into business. Doesn't necessarily haveto be the same that you're doing,
but what would you tell them?A young kid they want to start on
(21:11):
it. Anybody who wants to starta business, what would you tell them?
They're really concentrated and the first thefirst idea. You want to have
a bunch of it, But choosethe first one that you are good in
the best of you and go forit for that hour. Don't try the
jump and another one, and anotherone and another one. You pick the
(21:33):
one you choose and you finish it. Do you conquer something, don't quit
in the middle because it's going tohappen, and jump another and it's a
lot of obstacles that's coming to youthat you need to start dealing with.
Don't give up right away, youknow, and see your idea that you're
doing is acting a moving productive way. Now you had the wrong one.
(21:59):
I don't know you how you explainedmyself. Your idea is no achieving where
just goals are. It's not generatingthe money imedios, it's a stock in
one spot. Uh. Sometimes Ihave the one idea, have a limitation
and and then you need to recognizeit. You have to be focused.
(22:21):
Is why, very very important tobe focused and concentrated and get and pick
which one idea is achievable from you, you know, the way you don't
waste time mm hmm, absolutely,you know, absolutely, yeah, And
that is very important because you prettysoon you start working in something and it
(22:48):
was the wrong idea. You couldn'tsay that how you want to find out
even a couple of years or didn'tmove and didn't generate the money that you
was looking for, then don startand that you need to start motivating your
idea to start moving in a differentdirection. They go farther, you know,
(23:08):
right, and a lot of peoplequit that way before they they're not
looking for another option. They quitand they change it. I don't know
you. I would say to thatpeople, to the new people, is
that choose your idea and be patient, yes, and be physical mentally I
(23:33):
mean and the best of you don'tmake any I mean physical. That means
you have a physical foundation because fordo anything, you need to have a
physical condition. You need to startbehind your own business and start bewn you
everything because you have new energy andyou you know, sometimes when you are
too old. It's a good ideathat you need to have everything harder when
(24:02):
you start good and old right toconquer everything you don't do it and organize
yourself earlier. If if you're wastingmind, you want to see yourself in
the mirror and say go bad rightright? You know, yes, well,
I'll tell you that's definitely some goodadvice. And I love that you
(24:23):
said basically, stick to what stickto the one thing that you really want
to do, the one thing thatyou love, and let it watch it
grow. And that's the key thepatience. You said it again, the
keyword is having patience. Yes,yes, absolutely, because you're right,
there's it's so many opportunities today whereyou know, people can become an overnight
(24:44):
success because they want everything right now, but they don't look at the longevity
piece of it. They don't thinkabout what is it going to take for
them to get past that that moment, you know, as I call it,
the courtship. You know, thenyou have the honeymoon phase. Once
they get past the honeymoon phase,most people don't last, you know,
in business or in anything that theydo. So you know, I definitely
(25:07):
agree with your assessment, and youknow, absolutely appreciate your knowledge and everything
you shared with our listeners tonight.And the one thing I would like to
ask for you is, you know, tell people how they can reach out
to you or learn more about whoyou are, Miguel in the products and
services you may provide with the thingsyou're doing in the future, could you
provide some information. Yes, it'sInstagram the Chief Guys Success my Instagram and
(25:37):
in my website is ww the Houseof the Chief built that Okay, okay,
that's great, And we'll definitely havethis information in the show notes so
people can, you know, theydon't have to write it down or try
to remember. But again that's forInstagram, it's at Che's Guys Success,
and then the course for the website, it's the house that She's built dot
(25:59):
com. So for those who arelistening, you know, please you know,
hear the story again, take reallygood notes. The thing I love
about this show is that, youknow, I bring on people who are
not just successful. It's not justabout where they are or who they are
today, but it's about the story, the story that they're sharing, the
nuggets that they're providing. I callit pink nuggets. You know. Of
(26:19):
course, you know, some peoplelike to use the word gold nuggets,
but for me, it's the pinknuggets that we're providing to those who are
trying to understand what it takes tobecome a business owner, to become not
just a business own but a successfulbusiness owner, and a lot of it
is time, time and patience isreally what it boils down to. And
you've heard it from the best today, Miguel. And it's been such a
(26:41):
pleasure to have you on the showtoday, and I am looking forward to
hearing you hopefully and being able tocommunicate with you in the future, because
I think I heard you say somethingabout a book. Possibly, did you
say something about a book? Yeah, my book is and is coming up
out became three days ago, okay, doing, I mean, it's pretty
(27:06):
pretty cool. In my book.What's the name of your book? The
house and that she is built?Okay, book okay, And where can
we find it the book at well, wait that you built we can't find
it there, Okay, Okay,find it there, Okay, awesome.
(27:33):
Well, we'll definitely have to tocheck that out and definitely have to reach
back out to you so we cantalk more about your book. Yeah,
and you can get it and I'mnot gonna sorry, okay, and all
over the place. Excellent, excellent, but it definitely definitely will you know,
have to get into that and likeI said, it, would you
know, talk more with you lateron so we can hear more about the
(27:55):
success of your book and what yougot going on here in the near future.
But until then, I and Ireally appreciate you coming on to the
show and taking the time. Iknow you're busy, so I really appreciate
you taking a few a little bitof time with me today. Thank you
very much for inviting me to yourshows. I'd be waiting for you to
come back to you absolutely and it'smy pleasure. And again for everybody else,
(28:18):
I hope that you have been trulylistening to this show this evening and
realizing how important I mean. Ithink the biggest thing that we learned tonight
is not, like I said,not just about the success that we have
and what we heard from mister Miguel, but about the patience, the things
that it takes for you to understandwhat your true passion is. And if
(28:42):
you are have the guts and havethe unwavering desire to make it work,
you are going to achieve what isyou want to achieve in life. And
I think that's the most important thingthat we learned today. His story is
absolutely significant and we hear a lotof story worries like this when it comes
to where people come from, youknow, whether it's poverty or not,
(29:04):
But it's not about that as muchas it is where you decided that you
want to go in life. Soagain, I hope you all enjoyed this
evening's show and it always leads meto ask my listeners what is your passion?
How do you want to get there? And how willing are you to
take the steps to get there.But if you need help, if you
(29:26):
want someone to talk to you aboutgetting your dreams and turning those dreams into
goals, please reach out to meat Kimberly at wsbilc at gmail dot com
and let's chat about your dreams.And turn them into those goals when more
of your resource for success. Monetarydonations to support the podcasts are now accepted
on cash app, PayPal, goodPods, Tipjar, or go directly to
(29:47):
the website at www dot wsbilc dotcom and to learn more on how to
better leverage your business, adp ithas identified five primary challenges hiring, financing,
access to growth resources, employee experience, and as to payroll and HR
tools. Educating yourself on what's bestfor your business is free to contact our
adp Rep, Miss Anthonia Newmonle.Her infantion will be provided on the show
(30:10):
notes. But again we would liketo thank you all for listening to us
tonight. We'll be back next weekwith more amazing guests. Be sure to
follow us on iHeartRadio or wherever youlisten to your podcast. But until then,
enjoy the rest of your evening andgoodnight, good night everyone. We
will be back next Thursday evening atseven pm. Follow us on spreaker www
dot spreaker dot com, slash userslash WSBI, view our new WSBI website
(30:37):
anytime at www dot ws b il LC dot com, and on Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram. Se
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