Turning Pizza into Purpose: Leprino’s Fight Against Food Waste

At Leprino, cheese is more than an ingredient we manufacture—it’s the star of our daily test pizzas crafted for quality and food safety trials and product innovation. But producing these culinary experiments requires a mountain of ingredients, which leads to a staggering amount of leftover food: nearly 450 pounds each week! 

To tackle this, we’ve embraced a sustainable and community-driven approach to food waste reduction. 

• Every Friday, our test pizzas are carefully wrapped, frozen, and donated to a food recovery organization—helping feed hundreds across the Denver area. 

• Ingredients that don’t make it onto pizzas, like excess dough, cheese, and sauce, are composted monthly and transformed into a nutrient-rich blend affectionately called “pizza dirt.”  

 Planting with Pizza Dirt  

This compost is shared with our Denver employees each spring—just in time for planting season. Since 2023, we’ve distributed approximately 3,000 gallons of pizza dirt annually to employees to enrich their gardens and lawns. 

Adding compost to planting beds not only nourishes the soil for healthier plants but also enhances water retention—reducing the need for irrigation and supporting a more sustainable home ecosystem. 

Real Results, Measurable Impact  

Leprino has composted roughly 69,000 pounds of leftover ingredients since the start of the program in 2023. Paired with our pizza donations, we’ve ensured that less than 1% of Leprino Denver food waste ends up in landfills. That’s a delicious win for the planet and a practical way to turn pizza into progress.