The Olympia logo has long been famous in the fitness world, but is now recognizable in everyday life. It can be seen on clothing, in gyms around the world, and even on the panels of an official NASCAR race car. Most recently, the world icon of bodybuilding excellence was featured prominently on the #45 Chevrolet that was part of a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at one of the most famous tracks in motorsports—Daytona International Speedway.
Cesar Beccrella was the driver and owner of the car, and has long been a big name in the racing world. His passion for racing goes back to his youth.
“It’s a passion I had as a child because I’m Italian. I’ve always loved cars.” said Baccarella, who grew up a fan of Michael Schumacher, and also looked up to Jeff Gordon. He got a chance to try his hand at it during a test at a track in Miami. It wasn’t long before he was involved in a race.
“I was good at it,” says Baccarella. “In four races, I finished third. Two years later I won the championship.
Bacarella won both the 2018 and 2019 Pirelli World Challenge Sprint X championships. His racing career has seen him race on numerous circuits, including the Ferrari GT3 series and the NASCAR Xfinity circuit. His father didn’t understand why he was so passionate about racing, but Baccarella recalled that as a child he never saw a Ferrari in person. Now he gets paid to drive.
“I told him ‘Dad, they’re paying me to get in a $750,000 Ferrari race car and take the piss out of it. Please, beat the s*** out of it and win.’
He may be best known as a driver, but he’s also made a name for himself in the fitness industry with the success of Alpha Prime Soups, the Alpha Prime clothing line, and AP Prime Bites Protein Brownies. Apart from his work ethic and determination, he credits the success he has achieved with the growth of his brands to the people around him.
“When I hire someone, I want to give that person a chance, and I tell them, ‘Spread your wings. Show me what you’ve got.’ You can really see them excel,” he said. When they excel and give it their all, they earn his trust, and he returns it in spades.
“The people I trust, I give 120 percent,” explained Bekrella. “I’m successful now because of my team, but it’s because I can trust them and I give them everything I have.”
Gaining Bekrella’s trust can be considered a reward in itself because it is not easy. This was due to his childhood. Baccarella grew up with his father as his mother left him at a young age. A parent leaving a family can be traumatic in itself, but she said it was different with her because of the natural trust that comes in a mother-child relationship.
“When you’re hurt or you’re sick or something like that, it’s natural for your mom to cry,” says Baccarella. “It put me in a bad spot because I didn’t have it big.”
His mother may be gone, but he had his father, who ran a pizzeria when Cesar was growing up. He had become very familiar with this pizzeria, and it wasn’t because he had nothing better to do. He was working for his father at a very young age, chopping pepperoni, sorting beer bottles, even making his own pizza by age 9. Make no mistake: it wasn’t just to teach him how to do things, it was necessary to keep the business successful. Although it wasn’t easy being so young, Baccarella can now see that some positive things came with it.
“Being employed by my father at such a young age, I was already trained for it,” he shared. “I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got to kick it into another gear now,’ but it made me who I am today.”
Besides being both a racer and an entrepreneur, Baccarella is now also a father, which he is most proud of. When she took on the role, the mission was clear: her children wouldn’t have to go through the same struggles she did.
“I didn’t want to be in that position anymore. I don’t want them to eat Wonder Bread with cheese and ketchup because that’s all there is to eat,” he explained. “Three months after they were born, I bought a prepaid college fund. They are going to get a diploma because I didn’t have one from a university. I don’t think anyone in my family has graduated from university yet.
The financial promises were great, but Becarella knew that wasn’t the most important part of being a parent. The best thing he could do to be there for them was – be there for them.
“I want them to know I’m going there,” he says. “I’m their safe zone, and I’ll be there no matter what. I’m their best friend.”
She has a strong bond with her children, and it can be seen when they all go to work. Young Caesar had to visit his father’s workplace. Now, Caesar’s children are coming to his office, but it’s not because of obligations. They choose it, which Baccarilla doesn’t value.
“You look at them, and you can tell they’re enjoying themselves,” he says. “My daughters came to work here, and I recently gave them their first paychecks. One of them is working with a photographer to do product documentation, and I was like, ‘ it’s awesome!’ It makes you feel really good.”
He considers this opportunity to be a father a gift, and he sees all the positives that come from his involvement in his companies. Believe it or not, the source of this gift comes from an unexpected place.
“The thing that fueled me to be the person I am today, my mother left me,” Bekrella admits. “It puts you in a state of mind that it can’t get any worse, but it’s made me a better father.”
Baccarella wants her children to feel the same sense of ownership that she would eventually feel with the pizzeria as a child. Beyond that, he wants everyone he brings in to feel that ownership as well. He recalled a story which gave an example.
“One of my designers was at the store with his son, and they saw Brownies, and his son went, ‘Daddy, that’s your company.’ His father is so involved and takes so much pride in his work that his child said and felt it.
This pride can be seen, felt and tasted in the brownies themselves. Because Bekrella is all too familiar with growing up without a lot of money, he wants his customers to know that when they choose to buy something from one of his brands, it will last.
“The top quality is number one,” he says. “If nothing else, you get the bang for the buck, but it has to be affordable. I’d rather make less money so more people can afford our products. I don’t care. [about the money]. I’m already successful.”
Thanks to his upbringing, the unintended gifts he received from that upbringing, and the results that came from applying those gifts, Baccarella has now made a name for himself in the world of fitness with the same speed and intensity that he did in racing. . He is doing it with the same intention – setting the highest possible standards without compromise. It starts at the very beginning of every customer experience that companies have.
“When you own a home or business, the foyer or lobby sets the tone,” says Beccrella. “It’s the first impression. You have one shot to make the first impression with a new customer with your product. They try it once, and that’s it. So, it has to be the best.”
Baccarilla will have a lot of first impressions to make because Prime Bites will be a part of it. 2022 Olympia Expo in Las Vegas On the weekend of December 16-18. A Beccrella ride with the Olympia logo will also be there. Many of them may have grown up in similar circumstances to what he did, but they have their own dreams and goals. He hopes to be a positive vessel and example to these people.
“When you have a difficult upbringing, you won’t get an opportunity. You have to find it because it won’t fall into your lap. Never give up. Create your opportunities.”
Meet Cesar and take a photo with the Olympia racecar in Vegas this December at the Olympia Expo. visit MrOlympia.com Follow for more details. @caesar_bacarella And @alphaprimeusa / @alphaprimesupps / @alphaprimebites on Instagram.
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