At the age of 44, Joe Granato founded the produce company that bears his name, Joe Granato Produce, in downtown Salt Lake City. As the son of Italian immigrants, Joe started in the produce industry with Pacific Fruit after serving in the army in Europe during World War II.
In 1964, he went into business for himself, rising early each morning to inspect fruits and vegetables at the different houses before buying the best quality and delivering it to his customers.
Known throughout the community as a fair business man Joe worked tirelessly to ensure his customers were always satisfied with the produce he sold them.
When the original growers market closed in the mid 1970's Granato’s moved; the first of two moves; where the business thrived. Soon acquiring more warehouse space was necessary, and the warehouse itself encompassed more than 10,000 square feet.
During this time Joe’s son Marty became more involved with the day to day operations and buying of produce. Many of Joe’s children have been involved in the business including Marty and his sister Tracy who handles all the bookkeeping.
Up to this time most of the product sold was purchased off the other vendors on the Salt Lake market. Marty began to develop relationships with growers in the major growing areas including California and Arizona which resulted in Granato’s ability to bring in fresher produce and give their customers the best quality available. Soon semi loads of fruits and vegetables were being delivered direct to Joe’s warehouse several days a week.
In 1999 a new 23,000 square foot facility was built to house the company and move it forward to the next level. Featuring state of the art coolers, truck unloading facilities, and an up to date HAACP program with stringent cleaning procedures, independent food safety monitoring and employee education; Granato’s provides a safe as possible product to the consumer. Every lot of produce is inspected for quality and temperature when it arrives on Granato’s dock.
Joe’s spirit of fair business and quality above quantity is the rule by which the business is operated today. Visit them online at www.jgpro.com.
