The History of L.J. Zucca

L. J. Zucca began with a vision to provide shopkeepers with high quality products delivered directly to their store with courtesy, respect, and genuine appreciation. This commitment to quality service and customer satisfaction is how L. J. Zucca grew.

In 1947 Louis J Zucca, Sr. and his brother-in-law Thurman Zorn started a small business selling candy, cigarettes, and tobacco from a delivery truck. Zucca & Zorn became more successful as their reputation for outstanding service grew. With this new business came the need to expand the operation so they could supply a larger variety of products. Louis converted his front porch into their first “warehouse” and enlisted his wife to help stock products while he continued to make deliveries. However the front porch soon became too small and again they expanded. This time they moved into the living room, and then the dining room. And, when they finally reached the kitchen, Mrs. Zucca coaxed her husband to find a “home” for the business so she could have hers back.

The new “home” was a small warehouse built directly behind the family residence, where the business and the family grew. Louis, Jr. and Tom joined the family business when Uncle Thurman retired. Louis Sr. now felt he had fulfilled his vision and passed along the ownership of the company to his sons.

The country was also changing, more folks were traveling, and women were joining the work force. The small stores people were stopping at on the way to work got a new name “convenience stores”. L. J. Zucca, Inc. was ready to handle the special needs of convenience stores. An order guide full of appropriate products and sizes, a fleet of trucks to deliver, salesmen to assist with ordering, and an office staff to handle customer needs.

By 1976 the company needed to expand to larger quarters, this time to an existing building on Delsea Drive in Vineland that was converted to a warehouse. Groceries and juice were added to the growing product mix and then to handle all the products more delivery trucks.

Louis, Jr. and Tom hold the same vision and values that started the company. They continued to provide quality service and expand the business capabilities. A computer system was installed to handle even more volume and provide reporting for their customers. And, again a state of the art warehouse was built in 1995 one block away to handle the increased volume.

In 1992 Scott Zucca, the third generation joined the company keeping alive the founder’s vision of outstanding service. Many more advances continue to bring outstanding service to customers: on-line ordering, UPC scanning, and merchandising for example. L. J. Zucca is more than a corporate name it is a family name.

From this humble beginning family owned L J. Zucca, Inc. has grown to a wholesale distributor providing old fashion and genuine quality service to convenience stores, supermarkets, drug stores, liquor stores, gift shops, colleges, hospitals, news agencies, institutions, organizations, and campgrounds.

L. J. Zucca, Inc. where you are a customer not just a number is

“BIG ENOUGH TO SUPPLY, BUT SMALL ENOUGH TO KNOW YOU.”