Our Story

Leo (Emilio) Micucci grew up in Berlin, New Hampshire, the son of Italian immigrants. In the 1940s, while pursuing his boxing career, he was living in Portland, Maine. His boxing career often brought him back and forth to Boston, and every trip revealed something special: Italian foods and products he couldn’t find anywhere else. Wanting to share these with his Italian family and neighbors back in Berlin, Leo bought a truck and began bringing them home. What started as a thoughtful gesture quickly grew into something bigger. He built relationships with Boston wholesalers, established roots in Portland, and planted the seeds of what would become Micucci Grocery Company.

In those early days, Leo stored products in a basement in Portland’s East Deering neighborhood. His wife, Iris, soon joined him in the venture, helping him strengthen wholesale ties and even purchasing pasta directly from the Prince pasta factory. But the basement could only hold so much. As the business grew, the couple moved through several locations in East Deering, Middle Street, and Commercial Street before finally settling at 45 India Street, in the heart of Portland’s Little Italy. The building looked like a simple storefront from the outside, but inside it was really a bustling warehouse, packed with specialty foods that reminded families of home.

Around that time, Maine’s pizza scene was taking off and Leo was right there to meet the demand. He supplied shops across the state, including local favorites like Angelone’s in Portland, Luigi’s in Lewiston, and Pat’s in Orono. While Leo was out making deliveries and growing the wholesale side of the business, Iris kept the store running strong, creating a community of loyal customers who came not only for the food but for the warmth and familiarity she offered. As American diets changed, Leo and Iris made sure their shelves reflected the times, always carrying products no one else had. In fact, Micucci Grocery Co. were the first to bring things like ricotta cheese and balsamic vinegar to Maine. It’s a tradition we’re proud to keep alive today.

By the 1970s and ’80s, the second generation of the Micucci family had joined in. The family worked side by side with their father unloading heavy shipments from trains down on Commercial Street and working back in the store with Iris. A scene that shows just how hard everyone worked to keep the dream alive. The wholesale business had outgrown the India Street warehouse by then, so the family built a larger warehouse outside the city. From there, Micucci’s grew into two separate entities: Micucci Wholesale Foods and Micucci Grocery Co.

Back on India Street, the store flourished and began offering specialty wholesale products of its own. Rick Micucci carried forward his parents’ passion for serving the community and restaurants across Maine. In 1999, his wife Anna joined the business, helping to usher in a new era of growth while never losing sight of the family values at its heart.

Then, in 2007, Micucci Grocery Co. added a bakery. It didn’t take long for the community to fall in love with its offerings from the now famous Sicilian Slab pizza to Luna Bread and pastries, all baked with the same care and authenticity that has defined Micucci’s for generations.

Today, owned by Rick and Anna Micucci, Micucci Grocery Co. still stands proudly on India Street, holding fast to the values Leo and Iris began with back in 1949: serving the community, bringing people together, and always offering the very best Italian specialties. What began as one man’s effort to share a taste of home has grown into a family tradition that continues to nourish Portland and beyond.