The House That Cheese Built: The Unusual Life of the Mexican Immigrant Who Defined a Multibillion-Dollar Global Industry - Hardcover

by Miguel A. Leal (Author)

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER

A quintessential American dream story from a Mexican entrepreneur who shares the tale of building a multi-million-dollar business from scratch, complete with both success and failure, and always a vision of hope.

Leal came to the U.S. penniless as a teenager, speaking almost no English; he literally slept in the boiler room of a Wisconsin cheese factory for months before he was caught. Through hard work, grit, and ingenuity Leal would go on to launch his own business. He is widely credited with introducing Mexican cheeses to the U.S. market and grew his company to a multimillion-dollar success story that defined an industry. Yet, like many successful entrepreneurs, Leal's great successes were matched by personal failures: the end of a marriage; trouble with law enforcement; and the deeply felt sense that there must be something more to life than great wealth.

• Read the astounding memoir of a Mexican immigrant who worked his way to success in the American cheese industry
• Find inspiration in Miguel Leal's determination and refusal to give up on his dream
• See how Leal persevered in the face of obstacles and setbacks in his personal life
• Follow Miguel's story as he finds peace, purpose, and grace--and realizes that money isn't everything

Leal's memoir, The House that Cheese Built, is both a quintessential immigrant success story, one that beautifully illustrates the immigrant experiences: isolation, fear, and ambition for a better life and assimilation, as well as a thoughtful personal account of entrepreneurship and all its benefits and costs.

Front Jacket

Miguel Leal was the poster child for the American Dream: multimillion-dollar business and a house on 22 acres in Wisconsin, where he lived with his high school sweetheart wife, their two kids, and a golden retriever. To look at his beginnings as an impoverished immigrant who came to the United States from Mexico at age 19, you'd hardly believe it. And yet, destiny wasn't quite done with Miguel. One fateful day, he learned that he was facing many years in prison on allegations that he had sold unsafe food products, and he discovered that same day that his beloved wife had been having an affair for many years. The House that Cheese Built tells the incredible story of how Miguel Leal rose to the kind of success most only dream of, and then fell from grace, only to rediscover his true values.

A memoir told in Leal's own words, this book is equal parts informative and gripping, heartbreaking and inspiring. The author reveals in great detail the mindset and strategies that helped him take his company, Mexican Cheese Producers, from a humble startup to a leader in the food industry. He also chronicles the fairytale love that he shared with his wife, Martina, as they immigrated from Mexico together, started a family together, and supported one another through their difficulties--or so Miguel thought. Readers follow along as the loss of his 30-year marriage sends him into the depths of despair, and we feel triumphant alongside him when he finds his way back to peace and happiness.

The true value of The House that Cheese Built lies in its ability to help us find our own sense of peace and happiness. Leal shares how he came to question the purpose behind how he had lived his life. Yes, he had achieved tremendous success, but at what cost? When he learned to turn his attention to the things he really valued, his mental, emotional, and spiritual riches grew beyond his wildest dreams.

Back Jacket

PRAISE FOR THE HOUSE THAT CHEESE BUILT

"Miguel Leal is a true pioneer. Back when he started out, nobody had heard of Mexican cheese in the U.S. He not only created, tested, and refined unique Hispanic cheese recipes, he also innovated new mechanized techniques to produce those cheeses, and established markets for them where none existed before. I told him he was crazy more than once, but Miguel taught me the meaning of never giving up when you have a dream."
--JIM FAITH, CEO, Faith Engineering, Inc.

"Miguel Leal is a creative visionary, starting with his passion for introducing top quality Hispanic-style cheeses to the U.S. market. Thanks to his nonstop energy, determination, and strategic thinking, Leal built a multimillion-dollar business from the ground up despite never having taken a business class. Now that's what I call a success story."
--JOSE GUTIERREZ, Founder and CEO, Sweet Moments and More

"With his unique recipes for Hispanic cheeses and his organized, methodical ideas for setting up factories to achieve maximum, cost-effective efficiency, Miguel Leal broke new ground in global cheese production and established himself as a leader in the field."
--HECTOR LARRAGA, DVP of Operations, Sigma Alimentos

Author Biography

MIGUEL LEAL founded Mexican Cheese Producers in 1994. Leal eventually sold his business to Sigma Alimentos, which used his recipes to win the 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest. Today, Miguel is deeply invested in a new passion project: supporting Mexico's organic farming movement with a farm of his own.