Fifty Years ago, John DeCicco Sr. opened our first location, a small grocery store in the Bronx, with his brothers Frank and Joe. That store carried the family name – DeCicco. From their humble beginnings in Woodlawn in 1973, our company grew to almost 1,300 team members in ten communities across Westchester and Putnam Counties. Our family has become a classic American success story built upon a foundation of hard work, commitment to quality, and a focus on customer experience.
50 years of Quality, and counting!
Our family of stores grew slowly initially, and the brothers opened the Pelham store in 1984, our first location in Westchester. Fast forward to 2005, and the family-owned business became DeCicco & Sons, when John and Joe brought in sons John Jr. and Chris and Joe Jr., respectively, to manage the five stores. At that time, John Jr., Chris, and Joe were also preparing to open our sixth location in Ardsley. Although the Sr’s have since retired and passed the torch to their sons. They remain an integral part of our daily activities around the store. You can find them bagging groceries while chatting with customers and patrolling our stock rooms checking inventory.
We pride ourselves on ensuring our customers’ unique tastes are met by making sure requests for specific brands and items are satisfied and by maintaining our commitment to providing the highest quality products available. By offering a meat department entirely free from hormones and antibiotics as well as a cheese department with diverse international selections, we ensure our customers do not have to think twice about the quality of ingredients placed in their carts. A large part of this process is the development of our unique guidelines for our fresh produce, meat, and seafood. Additionally, working closely with a handful of local farms and producers to develop our store brand line of natural products.
Another way we ensure the most pleasurable time for our customers and their families is by elevating the shopping experience. As we expand our store locations, we simultaneously expand our location offerings. Unique attributes to our newer and remodeled locations include lounge areas, grills, food courts, in-store bars, and even product collaborations with expert chefs and breweries. We pride ourselves on our dedication to providing a diverse selection of beer for our customers. Spearheaded by our very own ordained beer knight, Chris DeCicco, who was honored by the Knighthood of the Brewers Mash in Belgium. Under his careful direction, our beer department has won countless awards over the years for its vast selection. These innovative ideas and initiatives are always made with the customer experience as the highest priority.
Innovation has also meant going ‘all-in’ on environmental initiatives, implementing ethical and sustainable operations, and building practices across all 10, soon to be 11, store locations. This is nothing new for us, as we have always led the way in environmental and social movements. Recognized in the early 2000’s as one of the first grocers to stop selling tobacco products and, more recently, one of the first to eliminate single-use plastic bags, our family has always prioritized the health of our communities and environment as much as we can. Today, this is reflected in our sustainable heating initiatives, sustainable refrigeration, and solar energy usage.
Earnestly serving the communities in which our stores operate has always been an extremely important part of our business. As our success grows, it is integral to our mission that we continue to share that success by giving back to the communities that support us. This, along with various other efforts such as our PTA rebate program, support of civic organizations, and the support of numerous charities, are just some of the ways we look after those communities that have given us so much.
All that we have done and continue to do can only be done through the careful command and care of our family. By remaining not just a family-owned, but a family-run facility, we are able to grow strong connections with our team members and customers. This atmosphere has rewarded us with many awards and recognition, including status as a “Best Places to Work,” which is a personal point of pride for us as a business and family.
