PURCELL INTERNATIONAL

Purcell International traces its beginning back to the 1950's when Emmet J. Purcell established EMMET PURCELL & ASSOCIATES as an import food broker/agent after having worked many years with the Wilbur-Ellis Company of New York. The first significant account for the firm to represent was the government of Formosa (Taiwan) Food & Agriculture Sector. To handle the growing import distribution of canned foodstuffs, Purcell started the ISLAND SUN COMPANY and opened an office in Taipei. The company was also appointed as North American agents for the J. C. Hutton meat companies of Australia and New Zealand. The business expanded into national distribution in the USA culminating in a full line of ISLAND SUN brand canned retail and institutional food products-fish, fruit, vegetable and meat represented by 40 major brokerage companies throughout the United States. During the 50s and 60s the business grew to include the representation of various primary producers in Japan, Korea, Australia (Metro Meat), New Zealand (government Apple & Pear Marketing Board), Peru, the U.K., South Africa and Alaska. During this period, Emmet Purcell began a lifelong involvement with a firm known then as the French Sardine Company and today known as Star-Kist. EMMET PURCELL & ASSOCIATES functioned as both a procurement division and as private label broker for Star-Kist over the years. In the late 60s and early 70s the sons of Emmet Purcell entered the industry and were sent to work in foreign countries within the factories represented by the firm. In 1974, William Purcell departed to work in factories in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Taiwan & Japan. The sons returned to the firm and proceeded to work in various facets of the industry (trucking, warehousing, retail sales, institutional contracts and field work with brokers representing the lines sold by the firm). In the mid 70s aware of the changes in the global marketplace and the worldwide expansion of the food processing industry, the company made a bold decision to expand the ...