Southern California produce veteran Jim Matiasevich dies

Jim Matiasevich, co-founder and president of Fullerton, CA’s Veg-Land Sales Inc. and its subsidiaries, died Jan. 28 due to complication from pneumonia. He was 76.

Mr. Matiasevich was raised in Watsonville, CA, where he was born May 8, 1946, as the youngest of three boys. He was an All City fullback at Watsonville High School, played for two years at nearby Cabrillo Junior College and then moved on to the University of Montana, also to play football. He stayed in Montana only one year before moving back to Watsonville to begin his produce career in the frozen foods division of JJ Crosetti. After a couple of years, he moved into the sales department.

His son Jimmy Matiasevich said it was in the mid-1970s when an executive from Safeway Stores asked Mr. Matiasevich and his brother John if  they would move to Southern California to start a consolidation warehouse business to handle Safeway’s orders. That was the beginning of Veg-Land Inc., which was founded in 1976 in La Habra, CA. A year later, the two brothers added Veg-Land Sales Inc. to expand the consolidation operation, and added a sales component focusing on strawberries. In fact, Mr. Matiasevich specialized in strawberries sales for the entirety of his career.  In 1979, further expansion was in the works with the establishment of Flowerland, a floral distribution company that was run by John Matiasevich.

In 1980, JBJ Distributing joined the mix as a full service, fresh produce distributor, with Mr. Matiasevich in charge of an expanded sales team and commodity list.  By the late 1980s, he saw the potential of organics and began transitioning the company to that category. Today, organic produce sales make up 95 percent of JBJ Distributing’s volume.

At one point, those four companies ran out of room and built a larger facility in Fullerton, which is the space from which they operate today.  Another big change came in 2012 when changes in the floral distribution world saw the Matiaseviches transition that part of their operation to Fresh Cut Inc. to process fresh cut fruits and vegetables.

In March 2017, Mr. Matiasevich and his son Jimmy bought sole ownership of the four companies from his brother John and nephew Johnny. The companies continue to thrive to this day. Veg-Land Inc. is still a leading consolidation warehouse on the West Coast.

“Jim was an old school salesman who kept all his sales in his Red Book,” said Veg-Land General Manager Dominic Etcheberria.  “To this day you can see the 47 red sales books along the back wall of his office. In that Red Book, Jim would detail every sale he made, as well as all product that was cross-docked through the warehouse.”

Etcheberrria continued: “Jim was a strong supporter of the 8½ x 11 yellow computer, as we used to call his note pad. He could work a 10 key calculator as fast as anyone.”

Mr. Matiasevich was also noted for his tremendous memory in all aspects of his business. “But he also could remember almost every special occasion or problem his employees would have going on in their lives,” Etcheberria said. “He was generous with employees, helping some purchase their first homes. He has touched the lives of many over the years and will be greatly missed.”

He loved all football, including pro and college ball, and also loved motorsports, especially NASCAR.

Mr. Matiasevich is survived by his wife, Dorothy; sons, Jimmy and Jeff; and grandchildren, Jimmy Jr. and Jewels. He is also survived by his brothers, John and Bob.

The family will hold a viewing at McAulay & Wallace Mortuary in Fullerton, CA, on Wednesday, Feb. 8 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society or Special Olympics.