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Part I, Early Years
As a third generation family owned company, our history begins with the founder. Joe Cara Donna (Sr.), born in 1907, was one of seventeen children raised by first generation Italian immigrant parents Leopold and Rose Cara Donna in Worcester, MA. During summers the family maintained a farm in West Boylston where Joe learned to work long hard hours together with family and where began an appreciation for growing things and a love for food. All the basic elements of the Cara Donna story were in place: hard work, family, growing things and food. In 1945 at age thirty-eight, Joe acted on an idea to supply authentic quality Italian deli meats to neighborhood markets feeding a burgeoning post-war population and Cara Donna Provision Co. was born.
In the early years Joe focused his efforts supplying neighborhood markets with Italian deli meats from Abromo Rae and Genoa Packing as well as cheese and assorted provisions. Business was conducted in a rough and tumble manner in those days and Joe had the right combination of hard-nosed grit, integrity and business acumen to be successful. Working from his paneled truck he purchased, picked up and delivered to neighborhood markets from Boston to Worcester. He worked more than ten years building his route into a strong base of loyal customers but there was only so much business Joe could handle himself. Fortunately, he had two sons completing military service, Leo in 1958 and Joe Jr. in 1960, who were eager and ready to join the family business and soon Cara Donna tripled in size to three trucks. Leo and Joe Jr. quickly got to work expanding the company’s delivery area and adding customers with all the energy of young men with hungry mouths to feed at home. In later years four of those mouths would go on to become the third generation of family management.
In 1960 the father and sons team dreamed the company could grow to become something much bigger and were looking for their niche. They added beef, pork, lamb and veal to capitalize on that growing market before the days when meat would be broken down and shipped in from the mid-west. To gain competitive advantage, Leo and Joe Jr. would go to the slaughter yards in Somerville MA to hand-select and brand calves with our CD logo to ensure quality and offer farm to fork sourcing. Always ambitious, Leo and Joe Jr. observed that there were many truck jobbers like themselves but relatively few companies supplying them and decided that becoming a re-distributor to this trade was a smart direction. In 1963 they rented their first small warehouse space in the front room of R.R. Rector in Boston’s Newmarket Square.
From this humble one thousand square foot rented space the company began transforming its focus from delivering directly to neighborhood markets to supplying the community of truck jobbers and small distributors with a growing line of deli meats, cheese and provisions. They were so successful that in 1969 they expanded into a new 2,500 sq. ft. warehouse space in the New Boston Food Market and focused on the re-distribution business. The company’s expertise in deli meats made it a go-to supplier for jobbers and distributors focused on deli customers but the sixties was a time of rapid growth in a dynamic new market segment: pizza shops. With Cara Donna’s expertise in Italian deli meats and cheese, the company was ideally suited to meet the needs of this market with mozzarella, pepperoni, tomato products and much more. Serving these growing markets enabled further expansion and in 1979 the company acquired adjacent warehouse bays increasing total space to 10,000 sq. ft.
Joe Jr. was a dynamic and animated salesman but perhaps his greatest talent was his expertise in manufacturing processes, product formulation and how to cost formulate product recipes. This talent gave him a competitive advantage and allowed him to be very persuasive with regional manufacturers east of the Mississippi, many of whom had large investments in new manufacturing plants, plenty of spare capacity and limited or no presence in the greater Boston area. This set-up allowed Joe Jr. to successfully negotiate exclusive distribution relationships on favorable terms and “spec out” Cara Donna label products of high quality priced aggressively thereby accelerating growth.
Leo had multifaceted abilities in customer service, accounting, office management and people management. He also had the foresight to see- long before it was apparent to most business managers- the transformative impact computers would have on our industry and became an early adopter and innovator. This early embrace of technology was instrumental in creating a culture of accuracy, efficiency and constant improvement at Cara Donna. The two brothers complimented each other’s skills and personalities and both shared ambition and drive. Together they built a strong foundation and flourishing distribution business.
Leo and Joe Jr. each introduced their two sons to the family business from an early age. Leo Jr., Joe Anthony, Joe III and Chris spent school vacations and summers learning the business from about the age of twelve or younger. This was the best opportunity for the boys to spend time with their Dads where their Dads always were…..at work. As in many traditional Italian families, it was anticipated the sons would be the heirs apparent so it was never too early to get serious about teaching the family business. The lessons were clear: compete to win and no slacking in terms of ability, competency or desire. Work harder and smarter than the next guy and you’ll get ahead. The lessons began in the warehouse where the boys grew to be young men while moving through positions in shipping, receiving and order selecting- often simultaneously- as well as driving trucks and delivering orders to customers.
Many family companies begin to lose their focus and edge three generations removed from the founder’s zeal to succeed perhaps because the founder’s work ethic and determination are not passed on. The founding fire was kept alive in the bellies of these four boys, stoked by great expectations and considerable responsibilities heaped on by their dads from an early age. Upon graduating high school and while attending college, days began before 4:00am. The boys ran and managed all aspects of Operations and began adding structure, formalizing positions, defining responsibilities and accountability, hiring and backfilling as they moved up through the growing organization.
781-794-3030 or 800-439-1565 / www.caradonnaprov.com
About Cara Donna Products | News & Events | Contact Us | Order Online | Become a Customer of Cara Donna | Email Sales | Track Your Order | Employee login
Cara Donna is a wholesale distributor of high quality, restaurant/deli style prepared foods, specializing in Italian deli meats and cheeses.
Copyright ©2011 Cara Donna Provision Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
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History
Part I, Early Years
As a third generation family owned company, our history begins with the founder. Joe Cara Donna (Sr.), born in 1907, was one of seventeen children raised by first generation Italian immigrant parents Leopold and Rose Cara Donna in Worcester, MA. During summers the family maintained a farm in West Boylston where Joe learned to work long hard hours together with family and where began an appreciation for growing things and a love for food. All the basic elements of the Cara Donna story were in place: hard work, family, growing things and food. In 1945 at age thirty-eight, Joe acted on an idea to supply authentic quality Italian deli meats to neighborhood markets feeding a burgeoning post-war population and Cara Donna Provision Co. was born.
In the early years Joe focused his efforts supplying neighborhood markets with Italian deli meats from Abromo Rae and Genoa Packing as well as cheese and assorted provisions. Business was conducted in a rough and tumble manner in those days and Joe had the right combination of hard-nosed grit, integrity and business acumen to be successful. Working from his paneled truck he purchased, picked up and delivered to neighborhood markets from Boston to Worcester. He worked more than ten years building his route into a strong base of loyal customers but there was only so much business Joe could handle himself. Fortunately, he had two sons completing military service, Leo in 1958 and Joe Jr. in 1960, who were eager and ready to join the family business and soon Cara Donna tripled in size to three trucks. Leo and Joe Jr. quickly got to work expanding the company’s delivery area and adding customers with all the energy of young men with hungry mouths to feed at home. In later years four of those mouths would go on to become the third generation of family management.
In 1960 the father and sons team dreamed the company could grow to become something much bigger and were looking for their niche. They added beef, pork, lamb and veal to capitalize on that growing market before the days when meat would be broken down and shipped in from the mid-west. To gain competitive advantage, Leo and Joe Jr. would go to the slaughter yards in Somerville MA to hand-select and brand calves with our CD logo to ensure quality and offer farm to fork sourcing. Always ambitious, Leo and Joe Jr. observed that there were many truck jobbers like themselves but relatively few companies supplying them and decided that becoming a re-distributor to this trade was a smart direction. In 1963 they rented their first small warehouse space in the front room of R.R. Rector in Boston’s Newmarket Square.
From this humble one thousand square foot rented space the company began transforming its focus from delivering directly to neighborhood markets to supplying the community of truck jobbers and small distributors with a growing line of deli meats, cheese and provisions. They were so successful that in 1969 they expanded into a new 2,500 sq. ft. warehouse space in the New Boston Food Market and focused on the re-distribution business. The company’s expertise in deli meats made it a go-to supplier for jobbers and distributors focused on deli customers but the sixties was a time of rapid growth in a dynamic new market segment: pizza shops. With Cara Donna’s expertise in Italian deli meats and cheese, the company was ideally suited to meet the needs of this market with mozzarella, pepperoni, tomato products and much more. Serving these growing markets enabled further expansion and in 1979 the company acquired adjacent warehouse bays increasing total space to 10,000 sq. ft.
Joe Jr. was a dynamic and animated salesman but perhaps his greatest talent was his expertise in manufacturing processes, product formulation and how to cost formulate product recipes. This talent gave him a competitive advantage and allowed him to be very persuasive with regional manufacturers east of the Mississippi, many of whom had large investments in new manufacturing plants, plenty of spare capacity and limited or no presence in the greater Boston area. This set-up allowed Joe Jr. to successfully negotiate exclusive distribution relationships on favorable terms and “spec out” Cara Donna label products of high quality priced aggressively thereby accelerating growth.
Leo had multifaceted abilities in customer service, accounting, office management and people management. He also had the foresight to see- long before it was apparent to most business managers- the transformative impact computers would have on our industry and became an early adopter and innovator. This early embrace of technology was instrumental in creating a culture of accuracy, efficiency and constant improvement at Cara Donna. The two brothers complimented each other’s skills and personalities and both shared ambition and drive. Together they built a strong foundation and flourishing distribution business.
Leo and Joe Jr. each introduced their two sons to the family business from an early age. Leo Jr., Joe Anthony, Joe III and Chris spent school vacations and summers learning the business from about the age of twelve or younger. This was the best opportunity for the boys to spend time with their Dads where their Dads always were…..at work. As in many traditional Italian families, it was anticipated the sons would be the heirs apparent so it was never too early to get serious about teaching the family business. The lessons were clear: compete to win and no slacking in terms of ability, competency or desire. Work harder and smarter than the next guy and you’ll get ahead. The lessons began in the warehouse where the boys grew to be young men while moving through positions in shipping, receiving and order selecting- often simultaneously- as well as driving trucks and delivering orders to customers.
Many family companies begin to lose their focus and edge three generations removed from the founder’s zeal to succeed perhaps because the founder’s work ethic and determination are not passed on. The founding fire was kept alive in the bellies of these four boys, stoked by great expectations and considerable responsibilities heaped on by their dads from an early age. Upon graduating high school and while attending college, days began before 4:00am. The boys ran and managed all aspects of Operations and began adding structure, formalizing positions, defining responsibilities and accountability, hiring and backfilling as they moved up through the growing organization.
About Cara Donna Products | News & Events | Contact Us | Order Online | Become a Customer of Cara Donna | Email Sales | Track Your Order | Employee login
Cara Donna is a wholesale distributor of high quality, restaurant/deli style prepared foods, specializing in Italian deli meats and cheeses.
Copyright ©2011 Cara Donna Provision Co., Inc. All rights reserved.