As a food broker, the company sold products on behalf of domestic food companies specializing in commodity products like fruits, vegetables, and various imported products. The food brokerage business proved to be an increasingly difficult low margin model because the revenue of the brokerage was solely commission based on sales. Over the years, David worked hard and built a great reputation for Northeast Marketing based on great service, honesty, and integrity, tenets that still serve the company well today. David loved the food service industry and worked every day at it until his passing in 2002.
Using the knowledge garnered as a broker, Chris further developed relationships with overseas commodity suppliers and began procuring products directly. Under this model, the company rebranded as Nemco Food Imports. Over the past 25 years, Nemco has expanded and built a large array of imported products under their own labels, as well as customer private labels. The company further expanded its geographical footprint to all 50 states, utilizing multiple forward warehouses. Nemco continued to grow sales steadily each year, reaching almost $100M in sales, while never losing sight of the company’s philosophy of superior service, honesty, and integrity.
After graduating college, Chris’ son Andrew joined Nemco to help expand the family business. Andrew brought a new approach into the import business, looking beyond importing just food products. Andrew significantly contributed to Nemco’s growth and success with the introduction of imported non-food items, notably pizza boxes and related items. Today, Nemco has grown from the small local food brokerage company to a well-established firm with national presence. Nemco now boasts tens of millions of spot inventory stored in multiple facilities across the country. This company’s success and recognition enabled Nemco to become a participating supplier to various national distributor groups like Unipro, Golbon, and Legacy. Looking ahead, Nemco continues to expand and look for growth opportunities with the constant addition of new customers and an ever expanding portfolio of products and services.
Chris and Andrew Buckley at company Christmas outing in 2023
