James Leprino, who took his family’s side business from a small neighborhood cheese shop to the estimated $3.6 billion company it is today, the world’s largest producer of mozzarella, died last month at age 87.

Leprino Foods, which is changing its name to just Leprino, did not say where or how he died.

James Leprino’s company caught the wave of rising pizza popularity, especially the ascendance of national chains, in the U.S. in the 1960s, shortly after he incorporated the company.

Those chains appreciated the reliability of service and consistent quality of Leprino mozzarella, and soon Leprino was supplying 85% of the cheese for companies such as Domino’s, Papa Johns and Pizza Hut. Leprino Foods developed several innovations along the way.

The New York Times noted the company has more than 50 patents for cheese making; reduced the aging process for mozzarella from 14 days to four hours; created a preservative mist to prevent crumbling; and adopted quick-freezing methods that had previously been used for peas.