4561 East 5th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43219-1896

sicilyThe Sanfillipo Produce Family History

Sanfillipo Family has been providing produce to the greater Columbus area for over a century. The Sanfillipo name and family history as been the driving force behind our commitment to providing high quality produce accompanied by superior customer service.

  • 1899 – Salvatore SanFilippo arrives in Columbus from Porto Empedocle Sicily, a cousin sets him up with a retail stand inside the old West Side City Market. Shortly afterwards, he purchased a horse and wagon to haul his produce and started delivering to small restaurants and stores.
  • 1905 – Giuseppe (Joe) SanFilippo arrives to Ellis Island with his mother and brother Guiliano (Julian) on Thanksgiving Day. Joe and family joined his father in Columbus. A Federal worker at Ellis Island sanfilippo familychanged the spelling of our last name to Sanfillipo. Joe’s father Salvatore put Joe to work immediately and put a nap sack on his back filled with lemons and sent him up and down High St, 4th St., & Broad St. to every bar until they were gone.
  • 1911 – Salvatore dies and Joe takes over his father’s business at 17 years old to support his mother and four younger siblings.
  • 1917 – Joe joins the U.S. Army and fights in France until the end of the war in 1918
  • 1947 – After Joe’s two sons (Joe Jr. and Jim Sr.) came back safely from WW II both serving in the Navy, they take over their father’s produce business.
  • 1953 – Jim and Joe split their accounts and each start their own produce business.
  • 1957 – Jim Sr. leaves produce and starts a home improvement business.
  • 1962 – Joe becomes partners with Joe Mercurio Sr., Tri State Potato Co.
  • 1970 - Joe goes into business with his oldest son Dan and they start Sanfillipo Bros.
  • 1974 – Joe’s youngest son Tom joins the business until 1978.
  • 1979 – Jim Jr. joins uncle Joe’s business as a salesman.
  • 1982 – Jim leaves Sanfillipo Bros. on good terms and starts James Sanfillipo Produce Co.
  • 1984 – Jim and wife Margie purchases a 10,000 sq ft warehouse in downtown Columbus.
  • 1996 – Jim and oldest son Jamie (James III) become partners and call it Sanfillipo Produce Co. Inc.
  • 2002 – Jamie’s first daughter (Maria) is born on September 20th.
  • 2004 – Jim & Jamie move to the Columbus Terminal Produce Market on 5th Ave.
  • 2007 – Sanfillipo adds 2 more units on the market.
  • 2007 – Jamie’s second daughter (Gina) is born on November 10th.
  • 2008 – Ray Schwabe joins Sanfillipo Produce as General Manager
  • 2011 – Sanfillipo adds 3 more units on the market for a total of 7 or 14,000 sq. ft.
  • 2011 – Jamie’s third daughter (Julia) is born on February 1st.

The Sanfillipo family is the oldest produce family in Columbus over the last 112 years. We have been in the wholesale produce business through five generations and maybe six if any of the girls choose.