Fresh For Your Success. Right For Our Environment.™

About United Salad Co.

Leo Spada, the immigrant son of an Italian farmer, and his wife Mary, began farming small parcels of land in a tiny coastal town in Oregon. Like all children of that era, the Spada’s young sons Ernie and Leon, were brought into the farming business at a young age.

With solid connections established in the farming and orchard community, Leo and Mary Spada moved their family to Portland in 1940 and founded United Salad Co. The company was originally located at 10th and SE Belmont Street in Portland, Oregon. In 1946, United Salad Co. moved to a larger building at 3rd and SE Alder Street.

In 1949 sons Ernie and Leon were brought into the family business as partners. Leon, known affectionately as “Junior,” had just come back from the war. From then on, the two boys worked side by side for the next 50 years - and never once had an argument.

The unbreakable bond between them was enhanced by their different personalities. Junior was gregarious, very social and loved life. His motto of “work hard and play hard” served the company well. He had a way with people and was soon in charge of buying and sales. He was known and loved by everyone in the industry and is missed very much.

Ernie was the planner and the entrepreneur. While his brother was away at war, Ernie worked from midnight to eight in the morning for his folks, and finished high school during the day. To this day, he remains tireless and is always looking ahead in search of newer and better ways to shape and grow the family’s businesses.

By 1960, United Salad Co. had become a full-line wholesaler to the local produce trade and sold all varieties of fruit, vegetables, herbs, along with specialty and processed produce. We employed over 120 people in our retail packing department alone. In 1964, the company moved again to 10th and SE Alder Street and continued to grow.

In 1985, United Salad Co. purchased Duck Delivery Produce, Inc. to meet the needs of the food service industry.

In 1999, when the construction of our new technologically-advanced 136,000 square foot plant, warehouse, and office complex was complete, we moved one more time into our current location on NE 33rd Drive.

Pride Packing Co.

In 1972, Ernie started Pride Packing Co. in eastern Washington and was one of the first companies to adopt the “Two Leader” growing and pruning technique. It is now recognized as an innovative method that lets more sunlight onto the fruit, which increases sugar content and produces sweeter tasting fruit. Because this method also shortens harvest time, the fruit arriving at your local market is much fresher than traditionally grown fruit.

Over the past 37 years, Pride Packing Co. has worked to became one of the top 20 stone fruit producers and top 100 apple producers in the United States. After building a new state-of-the-art packing and processing facility, complete with controlled-atmosphere storage for 500,000 packages, we quickly became one of the leaders in our industry and employ more than 600 people on more than 40 ranches.

With more than 3,000 acres in production and three packing facilities, Pride Packing Co. recently became the first Food Alliance Certified grower and shipper of stone fruits (peaches, nectarines, and apricots) in the United States. Pride Packing Co. also grows several varieties of cherries, apples and pears and currently ships more than 2.5 million packages of fruit annually to national and international destinations.

Duck Delivery Produce, Inc.

Duck Delivery Produce, Inc. has been supplying Pacific Northwest customers with the freshest, highest quality fruits, vegetables and custom-cut produce for over 30 years. In our continuing effort to “never break the cold chain,” our warehouses, loading and receiving docks, and all of our trucks are refrigerated.

In 1985, United Salad Co. purchased Duck Delivery Produce, Inc. to meet the needs of the foodservice market. Duck Delivery Produce, Inc. was originally founded by a graduate of the University of Oregon, which explains its unusual name. Under United Salad Co. ownership, Duck Delivery Produce, Inc. grew from a company of 30 employees to a full-service institutional produce distributor that now employs more than 300 people.

Our commitment to our customers led to another expansion in June of 1999. When the construction of our new technologically-advanced 136,000 square foot plant, warehouse, and office complex was complete, both companies moved into their current location on NE 33rd Drive. Combined, United Salad Co. and Duck Delivery Produce, Inc. employ over 575 people.

Duck Delivery of Washington, Inc.

In order to supply our customers with the highest quality produce at a competitive price and on a timely basis, we re-focused our efforts on product transportation. In August 1999, United Salad Co. purchased a produce distribution operation in Sumner, Washington and employs over 50 people. This facility operates as Duck Delivery of Washington, Inc. and gives United Salad Co. the broadest distribution base of any independent produce company in the Pacific Northwest. Together, our family of companies makes up one of the largest privately held produce house in the Northwest.

Family Tradition

The Spada family tradition of hard work and long hours continues into the following generations. Ernie Spada, Sr. is still active in the day-to-day decisions and oversees operations at Pride Packing Co. The children of Ernie and Marie Spada also carry on the family’s heritage of providing the very best “farm to fork” produce from Northwest farms and orchards.

Today, Ernie Spada, Jr. manages and oversees United Salad Co., Duck Delivery Produce, Inc. and Duck Delivery of Washington, Inc. Older sister Teresa Spada has been a practicing CPA for over 30 years and runs her own practice. Younger sister Charisse manages the Accounts Receivable and Credit Divisions for all companies.