JUAN ESTEBAN BEDOYA-ZAPATA
Bridgeport,CT
Summary
Highly accomplished and technical Dairy Production Manager / Senior Quality Assurance Expert with over 27 years of international leadership across top-tier dairy corporations in the United States and Colombia. Specialization in the industrial manufacturing of pasta filata (stretched curd), ricotta, and aged cheeses. Renowned subject matter expert in dairy microbiology, focusing on the precise inoculation, management, and standardization of industrial pre-activated lactic acid bacteria for starter culture systems. Deeply experienced in full-scale plant management, curriculum development for floor staff, and quality control from raw milk reception to physico-chemical laboratory validation. Bi-lingual executive (English/Spanish) with a proven history of optimizing cheese yield and ensuring strict compliance with FDA, USDA, SQF, and HACCP standards.
Overview
31
31
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Production Manager
LIUZZI CHEESE
Hamden, CT
01.2022 - Current
- Direct and optimize all daily manufacturing, processing, and packaging operations for a premier Italian specialty cheese facility in Connecticut.
- Lead and mentor a high-performance production team, establishing daily workflows, labor allocations, and strict safety protocols.
- Oversee the full-cycle manufacturing of premium pasta filata products (mozzarella, burrata, and ricotta), ensuring precise moisture, texture, and structural consistency.
- Maximize plant profitability by monitoring mass balance analysis, dynamically adjusting stretching mechanical parameters, and water temperature profiles to optimize cheese yield.
- Enforce flawless FDA food safety compliance and automated Clean-In-Place (CIP) sanitation cycles across all industrial lines.
Industrial Cheesemaker
CALABRO CHEESE CORP
East Haven, CT
01.2021 - 01.2022
- Contributed technical expertise to a major 54,000 sq. ft. plant specializing in mass-scale ricotta, mozzarella, and grated cheese lines (Granarolo Group).
- Handled large-scale starter culture inoculation and curd texturizing according to exact corporate recipe matrixes.
- Partnered with the plant’s Quality Control department to audit critical control points (HACCP) during the cold empack and brine cycles.
Manager - Curd Department
TOSCANA CHEESE CORP
Secaucus, NJ
01.2015 - 01.2020
- Commanded all operations within the industrial curd department, overseeing milk standardization, coagulation, and acidification phases.
- Managed a specialized technical team focused on industrial cheese formulation, quality metrics, and large-scale batch standardization.
- Monitored acidification processes and pH curves dynamically during curd development to maintain absolute product consistency and eliminate batch failures.
- Supervised milk pasteurization, milk fat-to-protein ratios, and texturizing processes, implementing modern training programs for incoming department staff.
Dairy Technical Lead & Quality Control Specialist
COLANTA LACTEOS
Colombia
01.1995 - 01.2012
- Advanced through key technical and laboratory roles at Colombia’s largest dairy cooperative, driving quality excellence from raw materials to finished products.
- Microbiology & Starter Cultures: Served as the plant expert in the management, preparation, and stabilization of industrial pre-activated lactic acid bacteria.
- Engineered optimal propagation protocols for bulk starter cultures, ensuring consistent acidification and reducing fermentation lag time.
- Raw Milk Reception: Oversaw the intake laboratory, performing critical organoleptic, antibiotic, density, and thermal stability testing to approve or reject millions of liters of incoming raw milk.
- Physico-Chemical Laboratory: Conducted precise laboratory testing of raw and pasteurized milk, analyzing fat, protein, total solids, and cryoscopy values to standardize milk components for maximum cheese yield.
- Finished Product Lab: Led final quality assurance auditing, validating microbiological compliance, pH, salt content, and shelf-life stability before commercial distribution.
- 17 Years
Education
Professional Technical Degree - Industrial Dairy Processing
Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA)
ColombiaSpecialization - Industrial Fermentation and Lactic Acid Bacteria Management
Colanta Corporate Training Division / Technical Institute
Skills
- Plant & Operations Leadership: Production scheduling, labor optimization and cross-functional team management
- Cheese Specialization: Industrial production of Pasta Filata (Provolone, Mozzarella, Fresh Curd), Ricotta Impastata, and Aged/Hard Cheeses
- Dairy Microbiology: Advanced management of industrial pre-activated cultures, fermentation kinetics, and starter culture rotation
- Quality Assurance & Lab Testing: Raw milk reception testing, physico-chemical analysis (fat, protein, acidity, cryoscopy), and finished product quality control
- Compliance & Safety: Expert knowledge of FDA, USDA regulations, SQF codes, HACCP protocols, and CIP sanitation systems
Certification
- HACCP Certified (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) Food Safety Industrial Certification
- In progress / Active: Knowledge of Connecticut State Pasteurizer License protocols.
LANGUAGES
Spanish: Native
English: Professional Working Proficiency
Timeline
Production Manager
LIUZZI CHEESE
01.2022 - Current
Industrial Cheesemaker
CALABRO CHEESE CORP
01.2021 - 01.2022
Manager - Curd Department
TOSCANA CHEESE CORP
01.2015 - 01.2020
Dairy Technical Lead & Quality Control Specialist
COLANTA LACTEOS
01.1995 - 01.2012
Specialization - Industrial Fermentation and Lactic Acid Bacteria Management
Colanta Corporate Training Division / Technical Institute
Professional Technical Degree - Industrial Dairy Processing
Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA)