Touted as one of Michigan's top processors and distributors of fresh vegetable products, Pellerito Foods, Inc. is the result of three generations of produce merchants.  According to company president James J. Pellerito, his maternal grandfather, John Bolone, started it all with a banana house in the late 1920's in Detroit's Eastern Market.  Bolone, who designed a unique ripening facility, was so successful that he became known as the "Banana King."

When Bolone's son, Carmen, split from his father in the early 40's to form his own company, he was joined by the Pellerito family, owners of a small Eastern Market vegetable store.  The newly formed Carmen Bolone Company proved extremely prosperous selling not only cut vegetables, but producing fresh peeled potatoes as well.  However, the company's most noted accomplishment, according to James Pellerito, was the marriage between his father, John T. Pellerito Sr., and his mother Lucy Bolone, eldest daughter of the "Banana King.

For the next 30 years, the business flourished under Carmen and John's management, until Bolone's death in 1973.  Pellerito ran the business alone for several years, until the late 70's when his youngest son James joined him.  They proved a successful duo with sales reaching more than $500,000.  In 1980 the company became Pellerito Foods, Inc. signaling more than just a name change, but also a new direction for the business.

For the next 10 years, the company saw many changes.  It eliminated most of the fresh produce sales and concentrated on growing the potato trade.  Besides a demand for fresh prepared potatoes, the company added refrigerated cooked potatoes to its product list.  In 1985, John Sr. retired and turned control over to James.

In 1988, James took the business down a new path when he commissioned the building of a multi-million dollar plant.  With more than 24,000 square feet, the structure was designed to maximize quality and production.  With its newly installed state-of-the-art equipment, Pellerito Foods, Inc. began to manufacture shredded, sliced and diced hash browns.  For the company this proved to be a sure winner, propelling sales well over the multi-million-dollar mark.

Offering mainly Michigan produce, Pellerito Foods, Inc., the oldest known fresh-cut vegetable company in business today, services a market within a 100-mile radius from its Eastern Market home.  Its food service clientele includes hospitals, schools, pizza parlors, restaurants, local grocery stores and prepared-food manufacturers.  For its 500 customers in the United States and Canada, it offers more than 200 different vegetable products under its Vita Pac packaging label, bringing in sales in excess of $7 million.  On any given day, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, coleslaw, green pepper, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, radishes, tomatoes, and zucchini are being processed by more than 100 employees.

From the original John Bolone Company to Pellerito Foods, Inc., the three generations of produce entrepreneurs have been responsible for feeding Detroiters the food they love best from diced onions on chili dogs to mushrooms on pizzas.