1945

Founding of Atalanta

The story of Atalanta Corporation begins with Herbert Moeller and Leon Rubin, two businessmen looking to fill a void in the U.S. domestic food importing market. Originally billed as Atalanta Trading Corporation in 1945, the company quickly made their mark as one of the industry's biggest importers of canned hams from Poland, Denmark and Germany and Quick Frozen Seafoods. The company's rapid growth due to their success compelled them to move offices twice in New York City, starting on Beaver Street, then moving to 77 Hudson Street and finally settling at the iconic 17 Varick Street building for the next thirty years.

1947

First Seafood Import

In 1947, Leon Rubin, then Vice President of Atalanta, began importing Rock Lobster from Cuba under the Conga label. Within five years, the company expanded their imports from Cuba as well as South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and the Bahamas. In another milestone, Rubin was a great facilitator in helping design the very plant that processed the first package of Fresh Frozen Peeled and Deveined Shrimp that came into the U.S., with imports of the first Indian shrimp brought in by Atalanta.

1948

Exclusivity on the Import Meat Market

Much of Atalanta's early success was centered on key relations with the international community. Their exclusivity on the import meat market began with the Polish foreign trade enterprise Animex in 1948, followed by Holland (1949), Romania (1952), Hungary (1969) and the Celebrity Brand from Denmark (1970). More than just a purchasing relationship, Atalanta invested heavily in the technical capabilities of their suppliers.

In 1969 Atalanta commenced the operation of a federally inspected slicing and pre-packaging meat facility in its New York City warehouse.

1953

First Cheese Import

Prior to his work in the importing business, Leon Rubin held experience in the domestic cheese market. Although initially not considering dairy as a part of the Atalanta portfolio, there was some procurement of Argentinian Edam cheese in the early 1950s. Then in 1953, Irving Perlman joined Atalanta and the Cheese Department was officially initiated. With Perlman at the helm, Atalanta was able to become the exclusive agent for Tiger Cheese of Switzerland in 1956, Finland (later to become Finlandia) in 1959, eventually gaining exclusive rights on all Polish cheeses in 1965.

Today, Atalanta imports quality cheese from over 50 countries around the world.

1965

George Joins the Family

After earning three degrees from Cornell University (BS, MBA and JD), Mr. Gellert was admitted to the New York Bar in 1963. It was not long after that he entered the family business, joining Atalanta in 1965. After being named Vice President in 1969 and President in 1973, Mr. Gellert enjoyed continued success, being named Chairman of the Board in 1980.

1970

Celebrating 25 Years!

In 1970, the "Atalanta Trading Corporation" celebrated 25 years and underwent a rebranding, changing its name to the current Atalanta Corporation.

1971

Atalanta Goes Public and Grocery Department is Born

In January 1971, after earnings reached an all-time high, Atalanta offered a public stock option, issuing 300,000 shares. Their listing on the American Stock Exchange sold for $1.00 Par Value of Common Stock.

The Grocery Department was formed in 1971 with Eddie Adler as its director. Adler is credited with introducing Celebrity Mushrooms, which were canned in Taiwan. Adler also created the Del Destino line of tomato products imported from Israel, Romania and Spain. Adler was an avid music lover; Atalanta's coveted brand of grocery items, Del Destino, has its name adopted from the famous opera "La Forza Del Destino."

1972

The Goddess Atalanta

"Atalanta," the beautiful sprinter and archer of mythological distinction, was immortalized by Polish sculptor Henryk Kuna in the act of picking up the golden apple – which led to her downfall in a famous foot race with Hippomenes.

The sculpture is a one-of-a-kind piece of art by Kuna (1881-1945). Created in 1930, it wasn't discovered until the early 1970s by the Polish government and was brought to the United States in 1972. It is one of the few works of art ever permitted to leave the country by the Polish government. Leon Rubin, Founder of Atalanta Corporation, discovered the statue in the small Polish village of Nowa Wies, near Warsaw. The "twin" of the statue stands in Wilanow Park, part of the National Museum in Warsaw. Permission to move the statue to America was granted to Mr. Rubin in appreciation of his efforts in developing U.S. trade relations with Poland.

The statue now stands in the entryway of the Atalanta headquarters in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

1988

Atalanta Moves to New Jersey Facility

Headlined as "Building towards a global future", Atalanta opened its new headquarters at the Seaport Industrial Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The facility included corporate offices, a food processing plant, U.S.D.A. meat inspection station and over 3 million cubic feet of refrigerated and dry food storage. The new facility was a physical confirmation of Atalanta's continued competitiveness in the market over 40 years after its inception.

June 1990

First Business in Italy

Pecorino Romano, Grana, Parmigiano Reggiano

May 1995

Atalanta's 50th Anniversary

May 2008

Second Building Addition

Atalanta broke ground on a 75,000 square feet warehouse expansion to accommodate its significant business growth. The commercial building consisted of a multi-temperature warehouse, an office mezzanine and a 38-degree loading dock with 10 fully automated dock openings.

January 2010

Atalanta Goes Environmental

Atalanta began to invest in more environmentally friendly technologies, with a state-of-the-art solar panel installation on the roofs of the entire headquarters. The energy production from this photovoltaic system consisting of 3,415 ~235W solar panels is providing nearly 50% of the energy requirements of the entire building complex, including the refrigerated warehouse.

October 2012

Atalanta Strong: Rebuilding from Hurricane Sandy

On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast with her full fury; the extensive damage left behind reverberated throughout the region, taking its toll on Atalanta's headquarters in New Jersey. The facility sustained significant damage from the storm surge, bringing business to a standstill. The entire Atalanta family united and in just a few short weeks, the building was thoroughly cleaned, inspected and pieced back together. As 2012 came to a close, life returned to "normal" around the warehouse and offices in Elizabeth, grateful for the time and energy given by all employees around the country.

2015

Atalanta Celebrates 70 Years

In early 2015, Atalanta will celebrate 70 years of service in the food industry. The expansion of our portfolio and customer base over the past 70 years parallels the growth of the market's demand for quality and specialty imported foods. As current Vice President of Atalanta Tom Gellert reflected , "70 years is significant. To hit this milestone means we have been able to adapt as business demanded. We have had to have flexibility and strength to navigate the ups and downs over these seven decades. Few family businesses have been able to achieve this. We have had hundreds of hardworking, dedicated employees that have helped us get here. Loyal customers, supportive suppliers have all contributed to our success."

2018

Atalanta acquires ANCO Fine Foods

ANCO is one of the largest and broadest specialty cheese importers in the U.S. Atalanta is looking to gain synergies from the acquisition using ANCO's network of relationships with suppliers, customers, and employees.

2019

Swiss Chalet Fine Foods becomes a division of Atalanta

Swiss Chalet Fine Foods was founded by Hans and Claire Baumann in 1968 with the goal of bringing fine European and imported ingredients to the foodservice industry. Swiss Chalet has been a Gellert Global Group member company since 2007.

2020

Atalanta celebrates 75 years of creating great food experiences!

In 2020, Atalanta Corporation is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The company kicked off the new year and this momentous milestone with a 200-person town hall and a 75th Anniversary reception at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. Atalanta Trading Corp. started in 1945 in an office at 82 Beaver St., New York City, when Herbert Moeller and Leon Rubin began importing ham from Poland. Today, Atalanta imports thousands of unique items from more than 60 countries around the globe. The expansion of its portfolio and customer base over the past 75 years reflects the growth of the market's demand for quality and specialty imported foods.