Gourmet Imports was founded by Nicole Grandjean in 1989. Born in France's Loire Valley, she began her wholesale specialty food business “Nicole’s Gourmet Foods” with the goal of providing customers curated, quality goods and personal service. She sought to bridge the gap between producer and Chef. In the early days, the warehouse was her garage, the office was her dining room, and the sole delivery vehicle was a wood-paneled 1979 Plymouth station wagon. Nicole delivered all the orders herself in the morning; afternoons were dedicated to sales. Her hard work and dedication resulted in a loyal following of culinary professionals, many of whom are still customers today.
In 1997, Nicole’s son Steve joined the company, bringing our workforce to a total of three. We began to change many things including the company name – Steve thought "Nicole's" sounded too small & personal to be taken seriously in an industry dominated by big corporate distributors. We vastly expanded our line of specialty cheese (being the first company in L.A. to source from affineurs when the word was hardly known), charcuterie, pantry items, and of course baking, chocolate, and pastry products. Almost 40 years later, a lot has changed. Though "Imports" is in our name (and import we do!) many of our favorite cheeses & charcuterie are now hand-crafted in the USA by dedicated artisans. We also now have a dedicated sales & support team staffed by passionate professionals (including two award-winning Chefs & three amazing Cheesemongers). We have a GDP certified warehouse in Alhambra complete with a test kitchen and Education Center where we hold regular tasting, education, and training events. We have recently opened our second warehouse in Northern California, serving the Bay Area and North Bay. Our station wagon has long been retired in favor of a fleet of refrigerated delivery trucks that drive to Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, the Central Coast, San Diego, and throughout the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
What hasn't changed is our dedication to our staff, our customers, and our producers. Nicole passed away in 2020, but her spirit lives on. To call her a pioneer, is an understatement. Her contributions to the L.A. dining scene and to the producers we serve are incalculable.