The Napoleon Co.

Supplies PCC with: Olive oil, jarred olives, artichokes, mushrooms and peppers, anchovies, smoked oysters and clams and much more, just right for cooking or entertaining.

Four generations strong: The Napoleon Co. counts many descendants of Italian immigrant Antonio Magnano active in the family food brokerage/import business, including several from the fourth generation. The Napoleon Co. celebrated 100 years in business in 2003.

A longtime Northwest presence: Antonio Magnano's company, The A. Magnano Co., was among the first to distribute beer and wine after Prohibition and distributed many name-brand products such as Best Foods mayonnaise, Kikkoman Asian foods, Nestle and S&W canned vegetables. Later on, The Napoleon Co. was the first to import artichokes and olives to the Northwest.

Four generations of imported goodness

It was 1960 when Marco, Angelo and Antonio Magnano banded together to form the food brokerage/import company The Napoleon Co., known to this day for its high-quality olive oils, pickled vegetables, smoked shellfish, capers and other delicacies.

But the Seattle area company's roots run deeper, to Antonio Magnano, the trio's father who immigrated to Seattle in 1903 from Italy at age 24 to launch a wholesale foods business on First Avenue. He arrived after the death of his father, Stephano, to support his mother, Maddalena, and his brothers and sisters.

The A. Magnano Co. grew to become the sole distributor for Best Foods mayonnaise and Nucoa margarine. Antonio went on to run a beer and wine business for a short time after Prohibition, and alternately bought and sold Dennisons and Old Yankee Foods.

Sons Marco, Angelo and Antonio worked in the company during college, and their father renamed it A. Magnano & Sons after graduation. They became the first local distributors of Kikkoman, Mauna Loa, Nestle and Schweppes in the Northwest. In 1960, the three sons started The Napoleon Co., named for their existing private-label brand.

Over the years, new generations of the Magnano family have joined Napoleon, and are proud to carry on the family business of connecting food lovers with delicacies from around the globe.

Whether drizzled atop rustic bread and greens or used to coat fresh veggies for the grill, olive oil makes everything better. Napoleon also provides us with capers, pickled vegetables, smoked shellfish and other delights.