Hard work, determination and a vision.

It’s so inspiring and impressive to hear how a small business has grown immeasurably over the years. Through the hard work, determination and strength of a family who had a vision, the Parisi brand has been cultivated through the passion of good food and a down to earth connection with their customers. 

One of Parisi’s largest clients is Merivale, a home grown and well known hospitality brand in Sydney and across Australia. The story behind how this relationship began, demonstrates the commitment the Parisi’s have to their clients. Going beyond a transactional relationship over years of business, the Hemmes, became family friends.

In 1954 Tony Parisi and his brother Bob opened their first store supplying high quality vegetables and other imported produce in the community of Strathfield. Following the success of this store, Tony’s sons Dom, Chris and John moved the Parisi brand over to Rose Bay in 1981. The business began to grow strong in the Eastern Suburbs area and the brothers quickly began to build a client list of ‘who’s who’ in Sydney. 

By the 1990’s they had grown to become a supplier of choice, foodies from all over Sydney would visit from afar just to purchase their groceries for the week! Parisi began to grasp the attention of many and this included the well-known Sydney fashion retailer and hospitality magnate Mr John Hemmes, famous for the Merivale brand. 

‘Mr John’ as he was endearingly known, would visit the Parisi brothers every Friday to purchase a beautiful bunch of fresh flowers for his house. Occasionally John’s wife Merivale would pop by to seek assistance with her weekly shop and Tony’s wife would help her out. Both John and Merivale visited the Parisi store for many years and the rest of the Hemmes family soon followed in their footsteps, with son Justin and daughter Bettina also making Parisi their supplier of choice. 

In 2012 Chris and his son Julian took over the retail Fruit and Veg store in Sydney Fish Market and over time, they found that they were growing to become the port of call for many well-known chefs and foodies all over Sydney. As this unfolded, they saw an ideal opportunity to start a wholesale business within the store. 

Low and behold, the wholesale business grew incredibly quickly and soon became a large scale operation where space was suddenly their biggest issue! So, in 2016 the Parisi’s purchased a large warehouse within Sydney Markets, where they still trade today.

With its incredible growth, both Chris and Julian were keen to partner with large hospitality businesses who consistently require high quality produce. Recognising the growth and success of the Merivale group, and having had such a great relationship with the Hemmes Family in the past, the Parisi’s saw a wonderful opportunity. 

Their vision materialised, upon meeting the Merivale team Parisi quickly became preferred supplier, and now cover over 80% of Merivale’s produce needs. Julian Parisi and his brother in Law, Joe Caradonna, maintain a great relationship with all Merivale Chefs and Merivale Food and Beverage managers. 

The Parisi family are incredibly honoured to hold and maintain such a close working relationship with this highly prestigious brand over the years. We are proudly responsible for supplying impeccable produce to some of the best restaurants in Sydney.