The Sanfillipo Produce story begins in 1899 in Porto Empedocle, Sicily, a former Greek colony founded two millennia earlier and named for a Greek philosopher.

Today, the scenic, southwestern port city is a tourist destination. In the late 1800s, however, Porto Empedocle was a poor, remote town — one where Salvatore Sanfillipo was struggling to provide for his wife Vincenza and their two sons.

Salvatore had a cousin who left Sicily for America a year earlier. Joe Sanfillipo Sr. standing in front of one of his small delivery trucks during the war, circa 1944. (Photo courtesy of Sanfillipo Produce)As soon as he was established in the produce business in Columbus, OH, the cousin invited Salvatore to join him — an invitation he quickly accepted.

When Salvatore arrived in Columbus, his cousin helped him get set up as a produce retailer at Columbus’ West Market. Salvatore was a quick success. Soon, other retailers and restaurants were asking him to bring in items for their stores. Almost overnight, Salvatore was buying horses and wagons for his new wholesale produce business. He saved every penny he earned until he was able to return to Italy and bring his family to America. In coming years, Vincenza gave birth to three more children.

Tragedy struck on March 11, 1911 when Salvatore died suddenly. His oldest son, Joe, was 17, while the youngest child in the family, Sam, was 11 days old. Joe rose to the challenge, took over the business and began supporting his mother, two brothers and two sisters.

Despite the trials and tribulations, the Sanfillipo family also made good friends. By chance, the family across the street was the Macaluso family. In the 1920s, a decade after Salvatore’s death, Frank Macaluso Sr. died of natural causes. Suddenly, Frank Macaluso Jr. was the head of the family at age 16.

Joe Sanfillipo was there to help. Familiar with the struggle facing young Frank, Joe took Frank around to all of the Macaluso customers and passed out gallons of Joe’s favorite homemade cherry wine. Joe asked the Macaluso customers to continue buying from Frank since Frank now had a family to support.

“That was not the norm,” noted Jim Sanfillipo Jr., the de facto family historian. “Times were tough for everyone in those days.”

Sanfillipo continued, “I have a lot of cousins in Columbus, but I lived next door to my grandparents. I was the one who memorized every story. If not for me, I am not sure what would still be known about my family.” The tales are especially complicated “because most of the family is named either Joe or Jim.”

“My grandfather did well for himself,” Sanfillipo said of Joe Sanfillipo Sr. He ran the produce business he took over until 1947, when he passed it along to Jim Sanfillipo Sr. and Joe Sanfillipo Jr. “They were partners until the mid 1950s. After that, Jim Sanfillipo Sr. began a home improvement business that was successful until he retired. Joe Sanfillipo Jr. and his three sons, Dan, Jeff and Tommy, sold their business in 1997. Joe worked with Jim and Jamie until his death in 2009.”

Jim Sanfillipo Jr. entered the produce business at his uncle’s invitation at age 25.

“I was there three years and went out on my own,” he said. My uncle’s company was Sanfillipo Brothers.”

In 1981, Jim Sanfillipo Jr. launched the James Sanfillipo Produce Co. “I started as a peddler. I bought a $700 truck. Soon there was a second truck, a third truck and drivers. In 1983, I rented a small warehouse. There were many local jobbers in the early 1980s. I tried to supply them all.”

Sanfillipo Jr. and his wife Margie purchased a 10,000-square-foot warehouse in downtown Columbus in 1984, and the business took off.

“[The year] 1990 was great, but the following year, a recession hit,” he said. “It seemed like everything that could go wrong did. But we stuck it out, and remained downtown until 1995.”

In 1996, James (Jamie) Sanfillipo III, a college student at the time, founded J&R Sanfillipo Bros. Produce. His father soon joined him in the business, and the name of the company was changed to Sanfillipo Produce Co. Inc.

“We plodded along until late 2002 when we decided to focus our individual strengths on the areas of the business where we would be most effective,” said Sanfillipo Jr. “I made the sales calls, many of them cold and usually around 100 each week, and took care of the books. Jamie handled buying and distribution.”

The cold calls paid off. On Aug. 30, 2004, Sanfillipo Produce rented two 2,000-square-foot bays at the Columbus Produce Terminal Market. The company never stopped expanding. By 2013, Sanfillipo Produce operated out of nine 2,000-square-foot bays.

“We did not take the growth lightly,” said Jamie Sanfillipo. “The mid 1990s were hard on the family business. One company closed and we began again. I am proud that we started from next to nothing. We were two guys with three trucks in 1996. That was turned into a living, breathing business that survives and thrives.”

The Sanfillipos recognized the need for more space.

“By 2013, we had to either move to a larger facility or purchase the market,” Sanfillipo Jr. said. “By the end of the year, an asset purchase agreement was made with Frank Cautela, great-grandson of Macaluso Fruit founder Frank Macaluso Sr.”

The Columbus Produce Terminal Market opened in 1963, according to Sanfillipo Jr. “In 1990, Frank Cautela’s father, Henry Cautela (son-in-law of Frank Macaluso Jr.), bought out the partners to become the market’s sole owner,” he said. “Frank Cautela’s grandfather built Macaluso into the largest produce business in Columbus. The run lasted for decades.”

Since Henry Cautela’s death in 2001, Frank Cautela has controlled the market and Macaluso Fruit. The market has approximately 40,000 square feet of warehouse space and 20 bays at 2,000 square feet each. Including the front and back docks, 55,000 square feet are under roof.

“The purchase would not have happened if Macaluso was a direct competitor of Sanfillipo Produce,” said Sanfillipo Jr. “Ninety-five percent of our business is geared toward upscale foodservice. Macaluso was firmly entrenched in the retail side of the business. The acquisition was an opportunity for us to move into the grocery segment, which was a place we really had not been before.”

Moving forward, Macaluso will become more involved with handling local produce.

Effective Jan. 1, 2014, the Sanfillipo family took possession of the market. Sanfillipo Produce will operate out of seven units and Macaluso Fruit will use four. Additionally, Macaluso Fruit has been renamed Macaluso Fruit LLC. Combined with Sanfillipo staff, the company now owns 18 trucks and employs 45 people.

Will W. Fischer & Son Co. will continue to occupy three bays. Robin Sanfillipo, Sanfillipo Jr.’s sister, manages the Sanfillipo retail extension — Sanfillipo’s Fresh Fruit & Vegetables — in one of the bays. Snowville Creamery occupies two bays and has been on the market for over a year. Recently, the Columbus Food Hub/Greener Grocer rented two bays.

“As of January 10, 2014, we have two units available,” Jamie Sanfillipo said. “We are looking for someone in the food business to take those spots. Our goal is to make this market a food destination. In fact, we envision changing the name of the building to the Columbus Food Terminal in the future. The Blue Book gets thinner every year. Produce companies are closing or consolidating with other companies. We do not intend to go the way of the dodo bird. We will continue to grow and thrive.”

Jamie Sanfillipo’s idea for breathing new life into terminal markets is to include the public.

“A terminal market is a special place,” he said. “It is a true living link to the past. This is an ideal location for small restaurants and shopping for large families. We plan on having purveyors of meat, fish, chicken, dairy and dry goods to supplement the produce currently available on the dock.”

The market has almost six acres of parking. “Plenty of room for customers, and plenty of room for expansion when the time is right,” he said.

“Every industry is changing, and so is ours,” Jamie Sanfillipo continued. “Food safety is huge, especially when paired with a 51-year-old market. After purchasing Macaluso, we remodeled all of the coolers and warehouse. We sealed and painted all of the concrete. We upgraded the refrigeration. It is our goal to be able to pass any type of inspection.”

Sanfillipo Produce is looking toward the future in many areas.

“Our long-term goal is to build our company to where it stands on its own feet,” Jamie Sanfillipo said. “Too many companies fail because they are built on the owners. I want people to say, ‘I buy from Sanfillipo or Macaluso, not Jim or Jamie.’ All the parts should be interchangeable. I think that is accomplished by employing good people who continuously strive to be better than the competition.

“My goal is to work here until I retire,” said Jaime Sanfillipo, who turns 40 this year. “After that, I want to sell the company to one of my employees or maybe one of my three children will take over. My goal is simple: continued growth to the point where Sanfillipo Produce and Macaluso Fruit continue for another century.”