Domenico Canale

Domenico Canale
Born	Domenico Canale January 16, 1843(1843-01-16) San Pietro de Rovereto, Italy
Died	1919 Memphis, Tennessee
Occupation	business owner, entrepreneur, produce wholesaler, beer and liquor distributor D. Canale and Co. Produce Wagon - 1907 Old Dominick Whiskey Shaker Old Dominick Shot Glass

Domenico "D" Canale (born in 1843) was an Italian-American from San Pietro di Rovereto, a community within the city of Zoagli along the Italian riviera, approximately 30 km southeast of Genoa.^[1] The son of Giovanni Canale and A. Vaccaro, Domenico sailed to America in February 1859 at sixteen years old. He landed in New Orleans after a 65 day voyage, and boarded a steam ship up the Mississippi river to Memphis. In 1869, Domenico, also known as Dominic or D. Canale, married Catherine Solari (1850–1923), the sister of Mary Solari, the famous Italian-American painter and first woman admitted to the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. Catherine and Domenico had eight children (5 sons and 3 daughters): John D., Andrew, Anthony, James, Annie (Welsh), Ester (Hoffman), Catherine, and George. Notable Men of Tennessee, a contemporary publication profiling Domenico during his lifetime, remarked that "he is prouder of having rightly reared eight children than he is of his splendid success in business."

"Self-Made Man"

In May 1859, when Domenico arrived to Memphis, he began working for his uncle, who ran a thriving wholesale liquor business.^[1][2] In 1866, he saved up enough money to start up his own fruit distribution business, "D. Canale and Co.," which grew considerably throughout the Southern United States as he imported fruits from around the world.^[1][2] The company also packaged and distributed a fine bourbon whiskey called “Old Dominick,” and a number of beers including Pabst Blue Ribbon and Champagne Velvet. It was a natural extension for a produce house to distribute beer, since beer at that time was not pasteurized, and produce houses had refrigeration.

Liquor and beer sales ended during Prohibition, but once the law was repealed, the company shifted its interest to the distribution of beer and produce only. Through the next several years, D. Canale became the largest produce distributor in the South.^[2]

In its profile of Domenico, Notable Men of Tennessee observed that "Mr. Canale is what is rightly termed a self-made man, and has won his position in the social and commercial life of Memphis by his industry, his native ability and the exercise of correct business principles."^[1]

D. Canale and Co. Years After

The distributor business passed down to Domenico's eldest son, John D., and then on to John D. Canale Jr. In 1956, D. Canale and Co. sold the produce division, and the company entered the institutional food business. In 1965, a restaurant material business was added, and another food broker was acquired, making D. Canale a force in the institutional food business with distribution in a five-state area.^[2]

In 1982, the food and beer business was spun off from the parent company and D. Canale Food Services and D. Canale Beverages were formed. John D. Canale III became president of Food Services and Chris W. Canale became Chairman of D. Canale Beverages. In 1999, D. Canale Food Services was sold to Sara Lee.^[2]

D. Canale Beverages, with a payroll of over 200 employees, sold over 5 million cases of Anheuser-Busch products annually and had a gross revenue of $80 million in 2009.^[3] Over many decades, it was the primary beer distributor for the Mid-South.^[2]

In September 2010, D. Canale sold its beer distributing business to the Hand Family Beverage Company of Clarksville, TN.^[3][4] D. Canale, a staple of the Mid-South economy for 144 years, is now known as Hand Family Beverage dba Budweiser of Memphis.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Notable men of Tennessee: Personal and genealogical, with portratis, Volume 2, Southern historical association, 1905 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "D Canale Beverages Inc". Artsmemphis.org. http://www.artsmemphis.org/business/detail/463. Retrieved 2011-10-29. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Memphis Business Journal. "Hand Family Beverage makes D. Canale acquisition official". Memphis Business Journal. http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2010/09/27/daily4.html. Retrieved 2011-10-29. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "144-year-old D. Canale Beverage, Budweiser distributor in Memphis, changes hands". The Commercial Appeal. 2010-09-27. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/sep/27/144-year-old-d-canale-beverage-budweiser-distribut/?print=1. Retrieved 2011-10-29. 

Persondata
Name	Domenico Canale
Alternative names	Dominic Canale, D. Canale
Short description	Entrepreneur, produce wholesaler, beer and liquor distributor
Date of birth	1843
Place of birth	San Pietro di Rovereto, Italy
Date of death	1919
Place of death	Memphis, Tennessee