History

At the age of 10, Emil Nemarnik was the only child in his family of 12 to immigrate to the United States from Croatia. Emil began his produce career working in a grocery store to pay his way through college, and while there met his future bride Kathleen Spada. He continued to work in the produce industry after graduation and bought, sold and brokered produce until 1976 when the company he worked for was sold. At 50 he was out of work with five children to support. Undaunted, Emil mortgaged his house, sold his car and found a bank that would lend him money, and in 1977 Pacific Coast Fruit Company opened its doors as the smallest produce distributor in Portland with eight employees, four of which were family members. Since then, Pacific Coast Fruit Company has grown into one of the largest independently owned Food Alliance Certified produce distributors servicing the Pacific Northwest and still employs five of its original employees. However, Emil’s philosophy is as true today as it was in 1977, “take good care of your employees, customers, shippers and farmers and they will make you successful.”