Founder Profile
Vincenzo Cacciatore was born in Italy in late 1940 and immigrated with his family to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In October 1956, he had to abandon his schooling temporarily and convinced his family to purchase a small fruit store. Mr. Cacciatore grew from these humble beginnings in the family business to establish his own perishable food conglomerate.
Mr. Cacciatore and his wife of over 45 years have two children. His business career spans over six decades and includes founding major businesses such as:
- Packer, shipper and distributor of wine grapes for home winemaking
- Chain of Supermarkets
- International master importer of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables
- Wholesale Distributor of food and nonfood products
- Food products transformation
- Real estate developer of large food distribution center and multiple open-air shopping centers
- Greater than 2,200 acres of wine and table grape vineyards
- Two state-of-the-art wineries: Montreal (1976) and California (1998)
The Cacciatore group of companies has built several large enterprises with annual gross revenues of a quarter of a billion dollars and 750 employees. Taking care of his consumers and employees has always been Mr. Cacciatore’s strength. Constantly in field with the consumer, he strives to provide the best service. He compensates his employees well and treats them with respect in an excellent working environment.
In the early 1960s, Mr. Cacciatore began to import wine grapes for home winemaking, distributing them to new immigrants mostly from Italy and Portugal. Business grew rapidly and supply became a major problem. Prompted by the need to find other supply channels, Mr. Cacciatore entered into partnership with an experienced California company in the mid 1970s. This endeavour marked his first venture from small- to large-volume business and kindled his love for California.
The simple business arrangement called for the California partner to secure, pack and ship the wine grapes, while Mr. Cacciatore handled the transportation and distribution of the wine grapes to wholesalers and individuals.
By the mid 1980s, the joint venture became the envy of competitors, having reached sales of over 1 million 36-pound cases during the winemaking season of September and October. Most grapes were sold in Canada and some in the Eastern U.S. This accomplishment earned Mr. Cacciatore a front-page article in a major Quebec business magazine that called him “THE FOX OF THE WINE GRAPES.”
Success prompted Mr. Cacciatore to make major investments in the 1980s and 1990s. All were channelled into developing wine and table grape and building a winery. By early 2010, the Cacciatore California group of companies owned greater than 2,000 acres of wine grapes, 360 acres of table grape vineyards, a 1.1 million-gallon winery equipped with the latest technological equipment and a cold storage facility.
Throughout Mr. Cacciatore’s business career, he has maintained all supervisory and decision-making responsibilities while delegating hands-on operation to a team of trusted, motivated and expert personnel. He has consistently demonstrated his ability to lead. Mr. Cacciatore’s long-lasting relationships with financial institutions and other members of the business community demonstrate his integrity as a respected businessman.
Despite the demands of a very busy life, Mr. Cacciatore has made time to actively support and promote a variety of community activities.