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Zupan's Markets
Company typeGrocer
IndustryRetail sales
Founded1974
HeadquartersPortland, Oregon, U.S.
Number of locations
3
Key people
Mike Zupan,[1] President
ProductsLocal and global foods, produce, home goods, flowers

Zupan's Markets is a family-owned neighborhood gourmet grocer serving the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area with food and wine from local and global sources. The business was established by John Zupan in 1975, and his son Mike later became president.

Zupan's Markets has also operated Food World stores in Oregon and Washington, as well as four Food Pavilion stores. There have been six Zupan's Markets locations, with three currently operating in the Portland metropolitan area.[2][3][4]

History

At the age of 16, John Zupan[5] began work as a courtesy clerk at Sheridan Fruit. He spent subsequent years working in produce—logging eleven years at Fred Meyer working under Meyer himself as the produce manager and produce district manager—before buying his first two stores in the Portland area.[6][7] He opened the first Zupan's Market store in Burnside in 1975.[8] Zupan's was later run by John's son Mike,[9][8] who joined the company at age 22, and later became director of operations, while John focused on the real estate aspects of the business.[10] John, while semi-retired, remained involved in the company until his death in 2011.[11][12][13]

The Oregonian noted that John Zupan's skill was in "presenting fresh foods in ways that set them apart from much-larger competitors".[14] In 1996, Progressive Grocer noted that Zupan's sought to entice customers to buy more produce by making freshly cut fruit available to customers for sampling all day.[15] A competitor, City Market in northeast Portland, later noted that Zupan's had hurt their produce business in the 1990s.[16]

According to The Columbian in Vancouver, Washington, over the years Zupan's has evolved from "garden variety supermarkets" to "stylish markets for patrons of fine ingredients".[10] As of 2003, Zupan's Markets had five stores and 300 employees, about 75% of whom worked full time, and had annual revenues of over $50 million.[17] In 2004, Zupan's became the first chain food retailer to partner with San Leandro-based Italian specialty retailer and importer A.G. Ferrari Foods.[18] As of 2010, Zupan's was producing the magazine Indulge.[19] The company has stocked bottles and growler taps,[20] and has partnered with Commons Brewery.[21] Zupan's has also collaborated with Portland Roasting Company.[22] In 2015, the company was slated to test digitally controlled dog houses at its stores, as part of a promotion with Portland Pet Food Co.[23] All three stores offered the dog houses for rent, as of 2019.[24][25] The stores' beer, wine, and cheese tastings have been popular with customers.[26] In 2023, Zupan's launched a menu for Hanukkah.[27]

In 2009, the Taste of Zupan's event, in partnership with The Sunshine Division, provided more than 500 food boxes[28] to families in need.[29][30] Zupan's regularly works in partnership with the Portland Police Bureau's Project Ray of Hope[31] to collect non-perishable foods for families.

Locations

Current

The store on Burnside Street, 2024

Zupan's has three locations in the Portland metropolitan area. In Portland, the Burnside Street store has a bakery, a delicatessen, a meat counter, and a selection of wines,[32][33] and the business also operates on Macadam Avenue in south Portland. The Lake Oswego location operates within the Lake Grove Village development.[34][35]

Former

The Belmont location became an H Mart (pictured in 2021).

There have been as many as eight Zupan's stores.[17][36] In the 1990s, the company also operated Food World stores in Roseburg, Oregon, and Clark County, Washington, as well as four Food Pavilion stores in Washington and Oregon.[37] Two stores in Vancouver, Washington, were sold in the mid-1990s.[17]

Zupan's operated a store on Hayden Island from 2003 to 2006.[38] The building had structural issues and remained vacant, as of 2023.[39]

In Salmon Creek, Washington, the Zupan's store was demolished in 2000 and replaced by a Safeway location.[40] The store in Raleigh Hills, Oregon, closed in 2009.[41]

A "colorful"[42] and "trendy"[43] fourth store in the Belmont District of southeast Portland was closed in January 2017.[44][45][46] It had occupied the site of Belmont Dairy, an ice cream and milk plant completed in 1910,[47] and was part of a project to promote mixed-use development in a high-poverty neighborhood which later became a "poster child for Portland's thriving retail and restaurant scene" according to Oregon Business.[48] The building was later occupied by H Mart.[49][50]

Reception

A 2019 article in The Oregonian about family-owned businesses with deep roots in Portland featured Zupan's, comparing it to a farmers' market focused on quality that tries to "indulge the senses".[26]

Zupan's was included in Tasting Table's 2022 overview of the fourteen best grocery stores of the Pacific Northwest.[51] In 2023, the company ranked seventh in The Daily Meal's overview of the twelve best grocery store deli counters, receiving recognition for its breakfast burritos, smoked tri-tip sandwiches on focaccia, artisan baguettes (with ham, dijon, butter, and gruyere cheese), lobster rolls, and red chile pork tamales.[52]

Although Eater Seattle compared Zupan's Markets to PCC Community Markets or Madison Market in Seattle in 2012,[53] it later published a reader comment that they were more like the latter rather than the former, saying, "It's a place where one can buy flavorless strawberries in a cute little pint sized basket for $7 and take a bottle from the 20 foot Veuve Clicquot tower."[54]

The Zupan's Markets store in Belmont was the location for the comedy sketch, "No Grocery Bag", in the comedy TV series Portlandia, which aired in 2012.[55][53] The sketch was a spoof of Portland's ban on plastic bags,[56] and also pointed out the irony of the characters' "calculated consumption" of luxury organic food.[57]

See also

References

  1. ^ Executive Profile - Mike Zupan Archived 2024-03-05 at the Wayback Machine Portland Business Journal, October 5, 2009.
  2. ^ Ramakrishnan, Jayati (May 12, 2020). "Zupan's employee tests positive for coronavirus". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Bailey, Everton (April 19, 2012). "Zupan's Markets unveils new grocery store in Lake Oswego". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Dresbeck, Rachel (March 1, 2011). Insiders' Guide® to Portland, Oregon, 7th. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7627-7477-7. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  5. ^ John Zupan runs grocery business at full throttle Archived 2012-10-25 at the Wayback Machine Portland Business Journal, December 13, 1996
  6. ^ Gunderson, Laura (August 30, 2012). "Zupan's Market founder honored with fundraising campaign for Legacy Emanuel". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Anderson, Heather Arndt (November 13, 2014). Portland: A Food Biography. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-2739-2. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Randall, Barb (November 12, 2015). "Zupan's Markets celebrate 40 years". Lake Oswego Review. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Executive Profile - Mike Zupan Archived 2024-03-05 at the Wayback Machine Portland Business Journal, October 2, 2009
  10. ^ a b Fehrenbacher, Gretchen (June 15, 2003). "Fresh thinking: Michael Zupan takes his parents' vancouver-based grocery chain to new level". The Columbian. ProQuest 253171184. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024 – via ProQuest.
  11. ^ "Zupan's Markets founder in critical condition after motorcycle collision Monday". The Columbian. March 5, 2024. Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  12. ^ "Zupan's Markets founder dies, other driver may face manslaughter charge". The Columbian. March 5, 2024. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  13. ^ Green, Aimee (January 21, 2012). "Drunken driver who killed founder of Portland's Zupan's Markets gets 90 months". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  14. ^ Gunderson, Laura (September 1, 2011). "John Zupan, Portland grocery 'maverick,' dies at 66". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  15. ^ Raphel, Murray; Raphel, Neil (April 1996). "How to have the greatest supermarket in the world". Progressive Grocer. Vol. 75, no. 4. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Gale General OneFile.
  16. ^ Beland, Peter (March 2012). "THE MARKET OUTLIER". Oregon Business Magazine. Vol. 35, no. 2. pp. 14–15. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via EBSCOHost.
  17. ^ a b c Fehrenbacher, Gretchen (June 15, 2003). "Zupan's (From Page E1)". The Columbian. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "A.G. FERRARI SELLS WHOLESALE TO ZUPAN'S MARKETS". Supermarket News. March 1, 2004. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Custer, Delores (May 3, 2010). Food Styling: The Art of Preparing Food for the Camera. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-08019-1. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  20. ^ Yaeger, Brian (December 1, 2014). Oregon Breweries. Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-6057-7. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "Zupan's Markets partners with Commons Brewery on fifth beer". Lake Oswego Review. April 20, 2017. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  22. ^ Pullman, Madeleine; Wu, Zhaohui (May 22, 2012). Food Supply Chain Management: Economic, Social and Environmental Perspectives. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-65254-7. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  23. ^ "Zupan's Market Tests Pet Food-Sponsored Doghouses". SN: Supermarket News. July 2019. p. 44. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via EBSCOHost.
  24. ^ "In Portland, you can rent an air-conditioned dog house while you shop". kgw.com. July 22, 2019. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  25. ^ "You Can Now Put Your Dog in a Climate-Controlled Shelter While You Shop". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Frank, Gerry (August 25, 2019). "2 Portland businesses that have deep family and local roots: Gerry Frank's picks". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  27. ^ Smith, Suzette. "Zupan's Adds Hanukkah Menu, Curated by Jacob & Sons Chef Noah Jacob". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  28. ^ Hundreds line up for Sunshine Division food boxes Archived July 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine KATU North Portland Community, November 24, 2009
  29. ^ "Zupan's Markets help spread some Sunshine this Thanksgiving". KGW. September 17, 2009. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  30. ^ Villanueva, Mia (November 17, 2023). "Thanksgiving boxes for families in need from Sunshine Division and Zupan's". KPTV. Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  31. ^ Project Ray of Hope Archived June 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine KATU AM Northwest, March 30, 2009
  32. ^ Gottberg, John; Lopeman, Elizabeth (June 1, 2010). Best Places: Portland, 8th Edition. Sasquatch Books. ISBN 978-1-57061-699-0. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  33. ^ Burgess, Ann Carroll (2003). Secret Portland, Oregon: The Unique Guidebook to Portland's Hidden Sites, Sounds & Tastes. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-586-0. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  34. ^ Williamson, June; Dunham-Jones, Ellen (January 15, 2021). Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Strategies for Urgent Challenges. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-14918-7. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  35. ^ Webber, Angela (August 9, 2011). "Zupan's Market designed for Lake Oswego | Daily Journal of Commerce". Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  36. ^ Dresbeck, Rachel; Johnson, Dave (2005). Insiders' Guide to Portland, Oregon. Globe Pequot Press. ISBN 978-0-7627-3408-5. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  37. ^ Gebolys, Debbie (August 18, 1994). "Grocery store opens with a twist". The Columbian. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ "A Zupan's Sits Empty and Unstable on Hayden Island". Willamette Week. October 8, 2022. Archived from the original on October 30, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  39. ^ "Walmart and Green Zebra Are Closing Stores in Portland, but Don't Panic". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  40. ^ "Salmon Creek's deserted Zupan's to be demolished". Daily Journal of Commerce. August 11, 2000. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  41. ^ "Zupan's to Close Portland Store". Supermarket News. April 14, 2009. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  42. ^ Oakley, Myrna (August 1, 2016). Oregon Off the Beaten Path®: Discover Your Fun. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-2588-6. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  43. ^ Oakley, Myrna (2009). Oregon: A Guide to Unique Places. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7627-5249-2. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  44. ^ Zupan's closing Belmont store in SE Portland after 20-year run Archived 2017-10-19 at the Wayback Machine The Oregonian, January 9, 2017
  45. ^ "After 20 years, Zupan's will close its Belmont store". KGW. January 9, 2017. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  46. ^ Bell, Jon (July 13, 2017). "Exclusive: New grocer signs lease for former Zupan's space on Belmont". Portland Business Journal. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  47. ^ "Old dairy becomes new neighborhood". Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce. November 11, 1999. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  48. ^ Baker, Linda (January 9, 2017). "Zupan's departure dismays local businesses". Oregon Business. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  49. ^ Frane, Alex (March 28, 2019). "H Mart is Really, Actually Opening Soon". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  50. ^ Russell, Michael (April 19, 2019). "Five things to know about Portland's new H Mart". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  51. ^ Gallacher, Blair (November 18, 2022). "14 Best Grocery Stores Of The Pacific Northwest, Ranked". Tasting Table. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  52. ^ Carlson, Trevor (April 25, 2023). "The 12 Best Grocery Store Deli Counters, Ranked". The Daily Meal. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  53. ^ a b Gujavarti, Shalini (January 23, 2012). "Portlandia: Don't Forget to Bring Bags to the Market". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  54. ^ Gujavarty, Shalini (January 24, 2012). "Zupan's is no PCC". Eater Seattle. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  55. ^ Beckwith, Ryan Teague (February 19, 2015). "Six 'Portlandia' Sketches that Explain Oregon's Big Political Scandal". TIME. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  56. ^ Owen, Rob (January 18, 2015). "Tracking down the real sites used in 'Portlandia' comedy". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ^ Fowler, Eric; Derrick, Matthew (2018). "Yipster Gentrification of Weird, White Portlandia". The California Geographer. 57: 189–210. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024 – via EBSCOHost.
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