About Us
Growing Relationships Since 1931
Formely Charles E. Gilb Co.
The Marikians started in 1931 as a hardworking migrant family in East Los Angeles. A single horse drawn wagon, filled with bananas, acted as the catalyst for the entrepreneurial endeavor that would blossom into Markian Brothers Produce.
Marikian Brothers Produce distributed produce throughout Southern California for the next 75 years. This rich heritage gave Mike Marikian the foundation and passion for the produce industry that he has today.
Mike Marikian feels it is important to develop relationships based on the historical experience in the produce business. In a world where shallow promises and empty deals often result in fruitless wheel turning, Markian’s goal is to develop relationships that are beneficial to everyone involved.
Mike Marikian says, “I love the Produce business; it’s the place where I grew up. As long as I can remember, I have been down in the market area. From an early age I would stay at my grandfather Bobbi’s house in Alhambra and get up early to go to the warehouse with him. As we drove across the railroad tracks, he always told me, “We are there.” As a kid, it was a glorious place for me forklifts, trucks and lots of produce.
“One of my favorite things about this industry is the people I have met over the years. It really did provide me a sense of larger community and a place where I felt I belonged from a very early age.
“I spent years learning every aspect of the produce industry, coming into to work at midnight every day, I swept the warehouse floor, to using a clamp truck, to operating a forklift, to loading trucks, and restacking pallets; From there I learned how to grow relationships with shippers, growers and customers. Understanding the industry from the warehouse floor on up gives me a unique perspective that I want to see passed on and cemented into the future of the produce industry.”
Why Should You Work With Us?
CONNECTION IS EVERYTHING
Marikian Produce is a dependable produce distributor in Southern California sourced from all over the world. We specialize in potatoes, onions and grapes.
We have developed relationships with growers and shippers all over the country, taking the painstaking efforts to vet the quality, variety, packaging, availability, food safety, and overall health of the companies we do business with. In the same breath, for our shippers and growers, we aim to eliminate risk by partnering with reputable and trustworthy customers. Currently we distribute in excess of 4,000 truckloads each year.
Our Blog
INDUSTRY NEWS, TRENDS AND A COLLECTION OF OUR THOUGHTS
Potato Grower Visit
Potato Grower Recently I went on a trip up north to visit a local potato grower. We've been doing business in potatoes since before most of you were
Charles E. Gilb Co. becomes Marikian Produce
What's to come next? The Marikians started in 1931 as a hardworking migrant family in East Los Angeles. A single horse drawn wagon, filled with bananas, acted as