Luigi Borrelli immigrated to Canada in 1948 from Calabria Italy and in 1952 he decided to pursue his passion for Italian gourmet foods and opened an Italian grocery store in the heart of the Italian community located on Erie St. in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. His business soon became very successful being the first Italian Grocery Store in the area that offered delivery service to customers. He laid the foundation for what is currently a family-owned and operated Import Export food distribution business; focusing on the Importing and Exporting of quality European Food Products. Luigi Borrelli also imported California Wine Grapes and serviced wine makers from all over Southwestern Ontario and Detroit, Michigan who were accustom to making their own wine at home in Italy and in Canada.
With his sons Max and Louie at his side, the business grew and began offering Wine Grape Juices to wine makers who would visit him and his boys for the best wine grapes and juices available. Their popularity and reputation grew throughout Windsor and Detroit, and proved to be a firm market in which to grow. In 1989, Luigi retired and his sons took over the operations of the business starting the next generationÂ’s journey. Both Max and Louie expanded the wine making business and began a distribution business that serviced the local market. They realized the importance of their Fathers reputation, and continued to offer quality food products at reasonable prices combined with great service to their customers. They expanded the business again, in 1994, by offering food products manufactured in Canada to Grocery Stores located in the U.S. (Detroit) market, where they experienced an overwhelming interest in these products.
They expanded their lines to include a variety of Italian Olive Oils and other products from local companies. Their first sales were to groceries stores in Clinton Township and they still do business in this area today. The business grew from there as Max and Louie used their combined experience and knowledge, obtained from their father, to expand their line and market area. They began importing many European specialty food products giving customers more selection, and the brothers decided to register their trade mark BORRELLI marking the inception of the brand. Their focus changed to selling their brand to distributors in United States in order to obtain vast distribution, which was accomplished. The third generation is now heavily involved in the business assisting the company to grow its territories and business. Max Jr and Louis Borrelli became involved with the business over 10 years ago and with the values instilled in them by Max Sr and Louie are carrying out the vision that Luigi Borrelli had when he first came to North America.
Today the Borrelli line consists of more than 140 products sold to fourteen States in the U.S. and in six Provinces in Canada. The company is continuing to grow with the experience of three generations that strive to provide grocery stores and families with the “True Italian Taste.”
