Saval Foods of Elkridge and Pastore’s Italian Wholesale Distributor of East Baltimore are joining forces.
Saval announced this week that it has acquired Pastore’s, bringing together two family-owned businesses in the Baltimore area. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
Company officials say the acquisition combines the legacy and reputation of two local institutions, provides restaurant operators greater access to Italian specialty products, and preserves the authenticity of a beloved retail brand, Pastore’s Sun of Italy line of products, while enhancing Saval’s portfolio of Italian offerings for food service customers.
Adding experienced Pastore staffers and leadership to Saval’s team, they say, will ensure continuity and help the expanded company grow.
“I grew up on Lombard Street — Corned Beef Row — where my family ran a grocery store. Just down the block was Saval Foods, making corned beef, roast beef, and pastrami. We all knew each other back then, and that connection is what led me to reach out to Paul and Brian” Saval, said Pastore’s patriarch Mike Pastore Sr., in the announcement of the sale.
“I’m very proud of the Sun of Italy label, and keeping the tradition going in the family, so I’m very proud that Saval Foods is interested [in] building on the label and making it bigger than what it is today,” Pastore said.
“We are proud to carry on the Pastore family’s remarkable 127-year legacy,” said Brian Saval, president of 1932 Specialty Produce & Meat and Executive Vice President of Saval Foodservice, in a statement.
Pastore’s “dedication to quality and service aligns closely with our own values, and we are excited to introduce the Sun of Italy brand to our customers while expanding our support of Italian restaurants throughout the region,” Brian Saval said. “I’m grateful to Mike Pastore Sr. for choosing us to carry the business forward, and I look forward to having his team and Mike Pastore Jr. join the Saval family as we continue to grow the Sun of Italy legacy together.”
Saval Foods LLC was started in 1932 and now has three divisions: Saval Foodservice, Deli Brands of America, and 1932 Specialty Produce & Meat, and together they serve both regional and national markets.
Deli Brands of America, Saval’s manufacturing division, produces premium deli meats and proteins sold nationwide. 1932 Specialty Produce & Meat provides fresh produce and fresh cut meat to restaurants and institutions.
Saval Foodservice is one of the largest locally based independent broadline food distributors in the Mid-Atlantic region. From its base in Elkridge, it serves restaurants, hospitality groups, and institutional kitchens across Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. It’s a member of the International Foodservice Distributors Association and an allied member of the Restaurant Association of Maryland and the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.
Pastore’s Italian Wholesale Distributor was founded in 1898 as a family grocery store on Lombard Street. It started with Vincenzo & Cira Garofalo importing and selling Italian products and was handed down to Frank and Mary Pastore in 1935. Their children, Michael, Vince and Shirley, turned it into a wholesale distributor serving retail customers and local delis with premium Italian products.
In 1982, the Pastore family purchased the Sun of Italy label, which consisted of a few tomato products, and expanded it to more than 100 items, including beans, cheeses, mushrooms, olives, olive oil, peppers, spices, tomatoes, pizzas and frozen pasta products. In 1989, the business moved to Highlandtown.
As part of the transition, Mike Pastore Jr. will join Saval Foodservice as Business Development Director for Sun of Italy, helping lead the brand’s growth in both the retail and foodservice markets.
“Sun of Italy is a brand we’ve admired for decades,” said Paul Saval, president of Saval Foodservice. “It represents the kind of time-tested quality, community connection, and commitment to tradition that resonates not only with our customers, but also with the values we uphold at Saval. We’re committed to preserving what has made it special while helping it reach more kitchens, from homes to restaurants, across the region.”
