 
Melissa's Food Service is a division of Melissa's/WorldVariety Produce. Click here for our corporate website. |
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 Los Angeles, California (2008) Think tasty, creamy, tangy, aromatic, tart, sweet, crunchy and delectable. Within the 280,000 square feet of the Melissa's/World Variety Produce, Inc. warehouse, youre sure to find the freshest fruits and vegetables quality products with exceptional value and first-class service.
Established in 1984, Melissa's/World Variety Produce, Inc. is currently the largest distributor of specialty produce in the United States. With over 800 items available at any given time, Melissas imports and distributes exotic fresh fruits and vegetables from around the globe.
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 Located in the Vernon district of Los Angeles, California, World Variety Produce began strictly as a source of specialty produce. Now, Food Service purveyors can buy not only specialty items, but also staples like Idaho potatoes, French beans and Melissas full line of organic produce. President Joe Hernandez seeks out and frequently tests new and novel specialty produce items. Of course, the company is more commonly known for its extensive specialty lines including Dried Fruits (like mango, kiwifruit, and papaya), Fresh Exotics (like feijoa, cherimoya, pepino, Dragonfruit, and Kiwano melons), Gourmet Grains (Couscous, Quinoa, Tabbouleh, Risotto) and more.
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As the product line grows, so does the company. Recently Melissas has taken an active role in the food service industry, serving professional chefs and large restaurants throughout the west coast. World Variety Produce has rapidly expanded since its first year (over twenty years now). While the company continues to grow, our service continues to excel. Currently Melissas food service distribution and fill rate are about 98%-100%. The statistics are impressive: Hernandez, a Texas native, founded the business with a decade of produce industry experience in a small, rented produce warehouse lunchroom. The original office had three telephones and four chairs -- no one could have guessed that, within a few short years, the company would grow to occupy a newly renovated and expanded 280,000 square foot office, warehouse complex, and state-of-the-art CCOF/QAI Certified Organic Packing Facility. |
World Variety Produce, Inc. markets product under specially-developed brand names: Melissa's, Don Enrique, Rookies, and Jo-San brand. Consumers everywhere recognize the Melissa's logo, in cheerful red with a carrot standing in for the letter I. In 1986, seeking a more inviting label than possible with the World Variety corporate identity, Hernandez named this well-known brand after his daughter, Melissa. Melissa has recently taken an active role in the business. Periodically, she appears at the industry conventions and press events as a company spokesperson -- and yes, even at 22, she knows the product line very well.
Family is a big part of World Varietys success. Through the years, the company has found stable growth thanks to the support of very loyal customers and a close-knit family of employees dedicated to customer service. After all, Hernandez has made the company philosophy straightforward: Give the customers what they want and keep them happy.
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