Vincent Gruppuso
Former deliveryman who founded the Kozy Shack pudding company.
Vincent Gruppuso, born in Brooklyn on October 25, 1940, to Joseph and Mazie Ditta Gruppuso, was an American businessman. After serving as an aerial photographer in the Navy in the late 1950s, he returned to Brooklyn and worked various jobs, eventually becoming a deliveryman for Arnold Bread. His marriage to Virginia Pantaleo ended in divorce. While on his route, he discovered a delicatessen and began selling its puddings to customers. He bought the recipe in 1967 and founded Kozy Shack, which grew into a multimillion-dollar company. Gruppuso died at his East Hampton home on December 29, 2007, from diabetes complications at age 67.
Quick Facts
- Born
- October 25, 1940
- Died
- December 29, 2007
- Place of birth
- Brooklyn, New York
- Company founded
- Kozy Shack
- Number of plants
- 3
Facts from the source article.
Kozy Shack Enterprises
During the 1960s, Gruppuso worked as a bread deliveryman in Brooklyn. One of his delivery stops was the Cozy Shack delicatessen on Seneca Avenue. He began selling trays of its puddings to his other customers on his route, in addition to the bread. In 1967, he bought the recipe for the puddings outright from the Cozy Shack delicatessen and opened a small factory in Ridgewood, Queens. The small company quickly expanded into a major business. As of January 2008, Kozy Shack had more than 400 employees working in three plants, located in Turlock, California; Hicksville, New York; and Lough Egish, Ireland. The company estimated its total revenue at around $140 million in 2007, much of it from the sale of 115 million containers of pudding and pastries during that year. Kozy Shack puddings are sold throughout Europe, the United States, Mexico and Canada. In 2006, The New York Times named Kozy Shack's rice pudding as one of its 'Grocery Gems.' In 2012, Kozy Shack Enterprises was sold to Land O'Lakes.
More in Snack Food Manufacturers of the United States
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced