Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets founder and patriarch Angelo Caputo died June 16 at the age of 89.
Those who knew him best remember him as a visionary devoted to his family and his customers. Caputo launched the business in 1958. Back then, the market had fresh fruits and vegetables only. Now the company has seven locations and specialty items from around the world in a wide array of categories.
“He had a passion for serving customers,” said chief operating officer Sam Fantauzzo, who has been with the company for 23 years. “He had a passion for buying things the right way at the right price to pass along those deals to the customers. He would get up wee hours of the morning, would travel to the market or to Michigan, meet farmers, make relationships, and it was all about servicing the customers and giving them what they liked.
“It was all about specialties, and it continues today,” Fantauzzo said. “He was able to source and provide specialty items for clientele from every ethnic group, started with mainly the Italian commodities, and that’s what we were known for and continue to grow as the store has evolved. We started to, as we listened to the customers, provide what their needs were, the specialties that they were accustomed to from their homelands …
“That was his niche,” Fantauzzo said. “It was a pretty simple process in his mind that you take care of each customer’s needs and they’ll return, and that’s how we grew the business.”
Fantauzzo also described Caputo as an innovative businessman from the early days of the company.
“He was a visionary,” Fantauzzo said. “We only had one or two stores when he started private label, brought in product direct with the volume that we did with just one or two stores. He was able to source product that wasn’t even available at the market at the time, so the relationships that he built with farmers, whether it’s next door here in the States or across the country, importing products from all over the world, we still do that today, not just in produce but all aspects of our business – in pastas, olive oils, sauces, just the world that’s being brought to their doorstep, basically.”
Fantauzzo also praised Caputo’s work ethic, integrity and passion for his family and said it was an honor to work with him. He noted that Caputo never fully retired from the business, still visiting suppliers and stores whenever he had the opportunity.
“I can’t say enough about him,” Fantauzzo said. “He definitely made an impact in this industry as a leader, and then especially in the produce industry. That’s where he started.”