Launched in 1958 as a bustling produce emporium at the corner of Harlem and Wrightwood in Elmwood Park, the enterprise has blossomed over the decades into a mini-empire that extends across the Chicago area.

Full-service grocery stores in Addison, Bloomingdale, Downers Grove, Elmwood Park, Hanover Park, Naperville/Plainfield and South Elgin operate in concert with the company’s expansive new warehouse, production facility and corporate headquarters in Carol Stream.

Nestled next door is the crown jewel of the company’s retail domain: a grocery store so well conceived and executed that it must be experienced firsthand to be truly appreciated.

Covering a remarkable 100,000 square feet and containing every imaginable item and amenity, Angelo Caputo’s Carol Stream store takes grocery shopping to new heights.

“We like to think of it as a shopping event,” company President Robertino Presta explains.

The tone is set the moment you walk in the door.

Immediately to your right is an intimate dining area within strolling distance of a bevy of food and beverage stations.

There is a tended bar stocked with premium beers and liquors, a wood-burning oven that churns out an assortment of pizzas, and stations devoted to omelets and crepes; coffee and gelato; sandwiches and panini; sushi and pasta; tacos and burritos; roasted chicken and pork; soups and salads; and yogurt, fresh juice, and cut fruits and veggies.

There are cases laden with pastries and cakes that you know are made fresh because you can see them being created through one of two windows that look into the production facilities.

The store is laid out like a baseball stadium with the bulk of the food stations representing the right-field stands.

An expansive infield sports more than 300 varieties of produce and an outfield of equal size teems with a dizzying array of domestic and imported groceries.

The right-field bleachers house extensive deli, meat and seafood cases; an entire section devoted to home-cooked meals; a fresh pasta station; and a gourmet cheese bar.

If the timing is right, you can watch in wonder as fresh mozzarella is pulled by hand, fresh pasta pours from gleaming machines and a dozen varieties of sausage are conjured before your very eyes.

“We place a huge premium on freshness,” Presta says. “All of our soups, sauces, pastas, baked goods and sausages are made on site without additives or preservatives. And we vacuum seal our meats and cook/chill our soups and sauces to boost their freshness and shelf life.”

Moving on to the center and left bleachers of this veritable field of grocery dreams, you’ll find whole rooms devoted to breakfast foods, chips and sodas, household items, frozen foods, bulk items, and wine and liquor. There’s even a small flower shop near the checkout area.

“Shopping at our Carol Stream store is a family event,” Presta says. “A wife will walk in from work, call her husband and say, ‘Why don’t you come down with the kids?’ and then enjoy a glass of wine until they arrive. After they finish dinner, they’ll shop for groceries for the week.”

For such an immense operation, the Carol Stream facilities leave a remarkably small carbon footprint. “We’re the first in the country and the largest in the world to use all LED lighting and all CO2 refrigeration,” Presta explains. “We take our commitment to the environment and our community very seriously.”

Angelo Caputo’s
520 E. North Ave.
Carol Stream, IL 60188
630-620-4444
caputomarkets.com/

What’s their secret?

“Great quality,” Joe Caputo notes.

“Great value,” older son Nat chimes in.

“Great service,” younger son Vito adds.

The Caputo saga actually began more than a century ago in Mola di Bari, where Joe’s parents, Natale and Caterina, ran a grocery store. When his father came to America to pave the way for the rest of his family, 16-year-old Giuseppe stayed behind to mind the store. “It was a lot of responsibility,” he recalls. “I learned a lot.”

After doing factory and construction work, Joe opened a successful pizzeria, which he ran for several years. Along the way, he married Anna Lieggi and started a family of his own.

Joe worked for his brother Angelo of Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets fame for nearly 20 years before opening the first Joe Caputo & Sons in Des Plaines in 1989. “My dad did this for us,” Vito explains. “He asked if we wanted to start a market of our own and we were all in.”

Nat and Vito were 21 and 19 respectively, and as they grew as grocers, so did the chain. A 55,000-square-foot store was added in Palatine in 2005, and a 75,000-square-foot store was built in Algonquin in 2007.

“As big as our newer stores are, they still have that old-school feel,” Nat says. “We know a lot of our customers by name, we pay attention to what they need, and we give them the best quality and value possible.”

Nat handles operations, Vito does all the produce buying, and although Joe is officially retired, you can still find him at the Des Plaines store at the crack of dawn, helping the staff set up for the day.

“My dad laid a great foundation for us,” Nat says. “He taught us everything he knew, gave us the tools we needed, and pointed us in the right direction.”

Nat is particularly proud of his brother’s contribution to the enterprise. “Vito is down at the market every day, picking out the freshest produce at the best price. There is no middleman,” Nat notes. “My father taught him well, and Vito is a master at what he does.”

There’s so much more for the Caputos to be proud of, including pastries and breads baked from scratch, a meat department run by skilled butchers, a deli stocked with quality meats and cheeses, and a full line of grocery items that include all your favorite Italian specialties.

There are gems in each department, including Joe Caputo & Sons’ signature cannoli, Italian beef and Italian sausage, all of which are handcrafted in house, and a wide variety of Caputo brand cheese products from Wiscon Corp., which is run by Joe’s brother Pasquale.

And after 25 years in the business, there’s so much for the Caputos to be grateful for. “We couldn’t have done this without our staff: they do such a great job, and they’re so good with the customers,” Nat explains. “And our customers? They’re like family. Without them, we’d be nothing, and we try to thank them every day in everything we do.”

Joe Caputo and Sons
www.joecaputoandsons.com