Pasquale LaManna Founder of the famous Lamanna Melbourne supermarket passed away suddenly. Let’s see what happened to him and Pasquale LaManna cause of death in this article.
Who is Pasquale Lamanna?
Pasquale (Pat) LaManna came to Essendon Airport from Italy in 1948 with dreams of beginning a new life in Australia, as did many other new Australians coming from Europe during the post-World War II era.
Little did Pat realize that his son and grandson would later establish one of Australia’s top supermarkets in the identical building 62 years later as he got off the plane and caught sight of a large red brick structure just meters away (a TAA workshop at the time).
Pat, a 16-year-old with no formal schooling and no English, arrived at Essendon Airport with plans to open a modest fruit stand. He spent a few years collecting vegetables before opening his first fruit shop in West Preston in 1953.
His reputation for dependable service and dedication to quality quickly extended throughout Melbourne.
Business Growth
Pat quickly established businesses in all of Melbourne’s major shopping centers and rose to prominence as a home delivery innovator. In the 1970s, Pat’s sons Vince and Greg joined him.
Together, they entered the banana wholesale business and grew it into Australia’s largest banana wholesaler, with warehouses in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.
Although the company was sold in 2003, many Australians would still be familiar with the recognizable LaManna banana commercials from the era.
Vince, Pat’s oldest son, had a dream of creating Australia’s greatest fresh fruit market using the expertise he had gained working with his father. Vince founded LaManna Direct in 2010 after seeking for years the ideal location and was shown an old hangar at Essendon Airport.
A true family enterprise, Vince runs the company alongside his wife Linda, children Tanya, Patrick, and Stefanie, as well as all of their grandchildren. As of right now, Patrick, the son, is the CEO.
LaManna Supermarket began as Australia’s largest 100% Australian Grown Fruit & Vegetable market but has since expanded into a 10,000sqm culinary nirvana that includes a butcher, deli, seafood, bakery, patisserie, groceries, and a café that possibly serves the greatest coffee in Melbourne’s North-West.
A day spent working at or visiting Essendon Fields is never complete without a pit break at LaManna since everything they do is still driven by traditional customer service, a dedication to quality, and the same entrepreneurial spirit.
Pasquale Lamanna cause of death
LaManna Melbourne announced the passing news of Pasquale LaManna with deep sorrow and the statement reads the following,
Our journey began in 1948 when Nonno Pasquale landed at Essendon Airport, and today, his journey ends.
It is with a heavy and broken heart that we announce the passing of our beloved Father, Nonno, and “big nonno”, Pasquale LaManna. He passed away peacefully this morning with family by his side.
He will be dearly missed but his legacy lives on within our family forever. Pasquale LaManna 10.06.32 – 10.02.23
About Lamanna Melbourne supermarket
LaManna’s is an Australian Family Owned and Operated business, based at Essendon Fields Airport. From a humble family, beginning back in a small Italian town just outside of Reggio, Calabria, to Nonno Pasquale’s first job in Australia working on a potato farm in Colac, and his first fruit shop in Preston in 1952, the LaManna name has been synonymous with fresh produce.
Online Business
In 2008 LaManna’s was originally established as an exclusively online business, delivering fresh produce and other essential grocery items, whilst providing exceptional customer service to customers’ homes in the East of Melbourne under the business name LaManna Direct.
A business ahead of the trend, LaManna Direct was the premier up-and-coming niche food delivery service in Melbourne. After 18 months, the business outgrew its initial Blackburn North site and was in need of a larger footprint to ensure continued growth and distribution, and through this process, a new opportunity arose.
LaManna’s Founder, Vince LaManna, came across a new site, Hangar 89 at 10 English St, Essendon Fields, which is in the location of Melbourne’s original airport Essendon Airport, where his father Pasquale landed over 60 years earlier.
At the time, the 10,000-square-meter building was derelict, after years of neglect and non-use. The building was essentially three different dwellings, with cyclone fencing and brick walls separating them, and what is now the LaManna carpark was grassland, at the time being used for the storage of construction vehicles in a shed.
Vince LaManna son of Pasquale (Pat) LaManna
The site had previously been rejected by many small businesses and large corporations, it seemed there was no one who had the vision for what opportunities this building could provide, however.
Vince LaManna knew it was something special when he first laid eyes on it. He had the courage and he had the will, and his vision was clear in his mind.
With that vision in mind, Vince brought his family together to share his new idea, an idea that at the time seemed like an impossible task, but Vince was determined to build his dream.
Vince’s idea for developing business to an extent
Vince had a simple idea, “That food needs to be better”. He wanted to create an environment that could “Bring people closer to food and family”, taking what can be a chore for most and turning it into a shopping experience to anticipate.
A place that makes you feel good and taps into your emotions, one that gives you that same feeling you get when you are surrounded by your family, eating Nonna’s homemade lasagne whilst enjoying a glass of Nonno’s wine and a few too many homemade cannoli.
In February 2010, the journey began, with a team of 13 people, comprising of the LaManna Family, a Fruiterer, a Butcher, a Plumber, a Shoe Salesman, a Panel Beater, a Legal Secretary, an Accountant, a Chef, and only one person with supermarket experience. They all had one thing in common that made the team so special, a shared passion and love for food, family, and friends.
Building a Supermarket
On the agenda on day one, Vince said to his team, “Ok guys, we have a supermarket to build. Anyone knows how we do that? Get in your cars and go look at some stores and we will meet back next week”. This is the birth of what is now Australia’s Largest Independent Grocery Store.
On the 23rd of November 2010, the LaManna Family and their team of 65, with no idea what to expect, finally achieved their first real milestone – the opening.
Vince’s passion for Customer Service, Quality Food, People and most of all, Family, is what underpins the business’ success and notoriety.
The LaManna Family has always had strong family values, and LaManna endeavors to provide that same sentiment to each customer by inspiring everyone to celebrate food, family, and friends in a way that only the love of food can provide.
Today, the family business is having been passed down to the third-generation grocer, Vince’s son, Patrick, alongside his immediate and extended family of dedicated and loyal team members.
As trends in food, business, and culture change, LaManna does what we believe is right, making decisions that benefit our customers, and keeping the business steadfast for the future.
Continual improvement & positive change drive decision-making, with the goal to be the best at what we do, each and every day.
KEEP READING,
Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.
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