The Pizza Chain That Gets Its Cheese From Local Farmers

The proof is in the pudding, but also in the pie: More specifically, it's the cheese. While a good tomato sauce, freshly made dough, tasty toppings, and the right amount of seasoning are the foundation of the perfect pizza, the dairy is what can truly make or break it. At Godfather's Pizza, cheese is not just a mere afterthought: It's the main star of the show. Yes, that's right — the '70s pizza chain that Midwesterners love prioritizes local cheese. And the Nebraska-based chain is especially devoted to ensuring its dairy is both local and of premium quality, specifically from Midwestern farms.

According to the REAL Seal Guide — a certification that helps customers be assured they're getting real dairy — Godfather's Pizza's cheese products are supplied by the Leprino Foods Company and certified by the REAL Seal, including both the chain's long, thin-shredded pizza cheese and its low-moisture mozzarella. Leprino Foods, the world's largest producer of mozzarella, is firmly U.S.-based, with headquarters in Denver, Colorado, where it has operated since 1950. But Godfather's Pizza's ties to its Midwestern heritage run deeper, and as it seems, blood is thicker than milk, too.

Godfather's Pizza doesn't just choose local dairy. Midwest Dairy, a nonprofit representing 3,600 dairy farm families across more than 10 U.S. states, has partnered with Godfather's Pizza on a campaign called "Da Good Stuff." The initiative is designed to drive up consumer demand for real dairy while physically moving more milk from local farms into Godfather's Pizza locations.

The campaign shows Godfather's Pizza puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to supporting local farmers. It further leans into the chain's own Midwestern identity, one deeply rooted in the familiarity of comfort food: Founded in Omaha in 1973, it now has more than 2,000 locations across the country. Pizza cheese can feel like a tasty, albeit anonymous, topping, but at Godfather's, it's also a matter of history and local pride: A glue that helps connect dairy farmers across states and lets their products shine as the cheese sizzles atop each pie.

And this isn't going unnoticed for diners, for whom the chain's cheese remains one of its strong points. On online review sites like TripAdvisor, it's one of the most common sources of praise. "The cheese and toppings[...] OMG," one user gushed after reviewing a Godfather's Pizza branch in Thornton, Colorado. It even managed to convert some of the cheese skeptics among us. "I am a cheese hater[;] I only eat cheddar cheese. But this pizza is to die for," remarked another diner on Yelp. But as with everything, you can't please everyone, and for some, there can be a thing as too much cheese: as noted by one reviewer, who complained of the cheese being stuck to the delivery box paper. Even so, they praised the flavor of everything.