inventory specialist

senior production associate

operario producción

senior generalist

sanitation worker

Grande Cheese Company

During the summer of 2020, I had the incredible opportunity to embark on a rewarding internship at Grande. From the moment I stepped foot into their dynamic and welcoming environment, I knew it would be a transformative experience.
I gained invaluable insights into the cheese industry and witnessed firsthand the dedication and passion that goes into creating exceptional products. Whether it was learning about the intricacies of cheese production, honing my marketing skills, or collaborating on innovative projects, every day presented new and exciting challenges.
Grande's commitment to excellence was evident in every aspect of their operations, from their stringent quality control measures to their sustainable practices. The company's emphasis on fostering a positive work culture made me feel valued and encouraged me to strive for personal growth.
Grande provided numerous opportunities for me to engage in meaningful networking events. These experiences not only enhanced my professional network but also broadened my perspective on the cheese industry as a whole.
As the summer came to a close, I left Grande with a deep sense of gratitude and accomplishment. The internship had not only expanded my knowledge and skills but also instilled in me a passion for the cheese industry. I will forever cherish the lessons learned during my rewarding summer internship at Grande.

This job was extremely repetitive and some would say made you brain dead. The tasks they wold give the lab techs to do in the down time were more like busy work so other employees wouldn't complain about lab techs down time. Their isn't much responsibility until you learn the downstairs lab which can take awhile since this company has high turnover in the lab area. I worked their for nine months and should have been trained on the downstairs lab. Employees are also responsible for picking up the slack when it goes and gets tough. Management is pretty absent. If their is a problem, the employees take care of it, not the managers. 

It also takes forever to get something done. From simple to complex things that the employees need, it never seems to be a priority to the managers. The employees that have been there a long time tend to strong arm the new employees or the managers that are at a younger age. 

There is a lot of blaming and pointing fingers in the lab at Grande which creates an unpleasant work environment. 

The pay for this position is very generous but that is just about the only perk for this job other than job security, there isn't much growth either.

A  typical day starts at 4:30 am and begins with a brief meeting with my team. Questions are asked on what happened how was it resolved,can it be prevented.
Then the shift is directed to the days duties.
Work on project management plans for capital appropriation requests either for this year or for the strategic long term plam which is 4 years out.
Confer with Plant manager and quality manager as well as team managers and cheese makers. Asking questions on the processes for the day.
Contractor meetings with or without Engineering support.
Meetings with vendors as required.
Perhaps will need to discuss a behavioral  issue with associate or discuss the next weeks job plans with the planner/scheduler.
Many trips through out the facility to see first hand how all operations are running.
Discuss with the corporate group process/continuous improvement and new mandated programs or policies.
If regulatory arrive on site assist the managers in the various audits.
Generally finish the day planning the next's days responsibilities and projects. Home by 4:00 pm

I enjoyed working for the Grande Cheese company. It is no doubt a company that will give back to you what ever you put into it. I learned  about the processes involved with making fresh mozzarella cheese, which in turn brought me to doing quite a few different jobs around the plant. Teamwork was a huge thing there. It never felt like one department was separate from the rest, but more like all areas from production to packaging to the casing warehouse were all on the same page to make sure that the best quality product made it onto the truck at the end of the day. I'd say the most difficult job there was working the production floor. That area was the most physically demanding out of any of the departments in the plant, but I always went home feeling like it was a job well done.

There is quite a few of 30 plus years associates that work here and they are "clicky".  If someone comes up with a way to do something different they say we can't do it that way because this is the way it has always been done as the excuse why we can't try things different.  When the manager who has over 40 years at the company does not want to hear something they will say they don't want to talk about it.  This includes safety concerns associate performance and policy not being followed.  There is a culture of this is not my job someone else can do it.  When the sanitation associate is on vacation and the other shifts are asked to help the answer is that is 2nd shift job.  One of the managers will say that 2nd shift is the clean up crew and other shifts don't have to follow SOP when picking orders.  There seems to be a lot of it's about me attitude instead of working together to get the job done.


The stated mission and culture are great, the issue is they don't follow through with it. It's more of a policy that they use when convenient. It's definitely mission over culture or money over associate wellbeing. Watch your back if you're a professional instead of a suck up. If you have any personal issues or |)is1bil1ties, be careful, they will covertly set you up to fail. Protections don't apply. 

All that matters is who you suck up to, You can be an expert and consistent contributor but none of that matters more than who you're friends with. Appear professional at first but management is terrible. It's all a facade. Once you're there long enough, the cracks begin to show and you realize it's a snake den.

Office Drama is pretty consistent, Top heavy on Senior management. The place used to be a "small company" and now has morphed into another greedy corporate giant. Work behind those cubicle walls while they drone on about mission statements and culture that is not supported. 
Equipment that needs to be replaced is not pro-actively replaced. Once it breaks forever, then it's a reactive decision to be replaced at a large cost to the company and profit sharing for associates.
There's also a lot of the older; knowledgeable associates jumping ship, which is a usually a bad sign.

I saw more backstabbing, sabotage, false flattery, toxic politics, and unethical behavior during my time at Grande than I could possibly report in the small space of this review.  The company claims family value and work life balance is a priority.  This is a lie.  They claim competitive compensation. This too is a lie.  They claim job security... also a lie. I witnessed long time employees get fired for trivial mistakes and in some cases as the fall guy for their management’s failed dishonest stratagems.  Reporting unethical behavior to VPs is actively discouraged and may even be punished.  The culture is one of dishonesty, fear, and betrayal.  I, along with many other decent people, took a job offer elsewhere.  There was a mass exodus.  My life immediately improved.  In hindsight there were early warning signs at Grande.  I should have ran from this company much sooner.  Run!

What was ….. The owner established a great culture of looking out for each other, even built on-site free clinics for Associates.   
Work could be long, but was balanced with having fun and taking time to get to know each other and become like family - always have each others back.   He provided a clear vision and leadership all could follow.

Now … the halls are rampant with guarded whispers, people being let go with no warning or apparent reason, disjointed messages from executives, finger pointing and paranoia.   
New leadership has isolated themselves from the workers (we are no longer "Associates").   
No one dares to offer ideas, opinions, or ask questions.  It is not worth the stink eye from the VP/Director and then several weeks of penance to get back on the good side.

You learn alot of new things about making cheese. Great place to work. Lots of chances for advancements. Your busy working the whole night but it goes by fast. The good is its not a stressful job. Physically challenging at times but gets you into shape. It's like having a jym membership that is free. They provide you free fresh fruit and cereal everyday. Whole pizzas at times. Great benefits lots of bonuses. Call in pay. $2 per hour more pay on the weekends plus overtime so you make great money. Reg raises!! Covid pay. So many extras at this company. It is what you make of it, Grande wants you to be happy. Co-workers are helpful & friendly and genuinely want you to stay

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Inventory specialist 3 salaries reported	$19.96 per hour
Senior production associate 11 salaries reported	$21.29 per hour
Operario producción 6 salaries reported	$20.83 per hour
Senior generalist 7 salaries reported	$22.25 per hour
Sanitation worker 2 salaries reported	$20.67 per hour

Working at Grande Cheese Company: Company Overview and Reviews

Grande Cheese Company

Grande Cheese Company Ratings

Popular jobs at Grande Cheese Company

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected