Polarica's European style Storefront

In 1984 Mitch Niayesh was studying engineering in the Bay Area when he got a call from his brother living in Europe asking him to pick up a package at SFO International Airport. Once he got through customs and drove away with a case of frozen raw reindeer meat wrapped in butcher paper, it's doubtful he realized in that moment his whole life had changed. The reindeer would become his first specialty food product sale and the beginning of Polarica, now one of the leading distributors and suppliers of wild game, game birds, wild mushrooms, wild berries, and smoke house products in the United States. In the next fifteen years, Polarica will expand from selling one product to over six-hundred, extend it's clientele from only San Francisco Chefs, to the finest restaurants, hotels, private clubs, airlines, and cruise ships in all fifty states and establish an impeccable reputation based on superior products and quality service.

Mitch was finishing Graduate school in Engineering when the package of Swedish reindeer arrived. He wasn't sure what to do with it, so he relied on the minimalist instructions his brother had given which were, "Try and sell it."

Your first step in a situation like this can be your most perfect, unclouded by knowing too much or having stacks of marketing reports telling who would buy and why. Mitch didn't have the weight of numbers or marketing strategies on his back, he just wanted advice. He surmised if anyone would know what he should do, it would be someone who knew the most about food.

With the bundle of reindeer wrapped in butcher-paper, he walked into the Western St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco and asked for the Chef. He happened to be from Europe and probably hadn't seen commercially available reindeer since the last time he was overseas, when out of nowhere Mitch walked into his kitchen knowing very little to nothing about the product he possessed. Mitch's original idea was to go talk to the Chef to gain advice and direction, instead he ended up making a sale.

After examining the quality of the product, he bought almost everything Mitch had and proceeded to inquire excitedly about what else he could get from Europe. In 1984 the specialty food market didn't exist. There was no one doing what Polarica had started then and still does better than anyone today.

As Polarica began to grow, taking up more of his time Mitch would soon leave his engineering job altogether. He started to enjoy dealing with the chefs and restaurants, absorbing everything being taught to him about the food he was procuring for them. The fact that Polarica developed directly with what chefs wanted is a very interesting aspect of this business. He knew he had good products to offer but lacked the knowledge necessary to interpret what the market requirement was. By talking to the exact people who would eventually be his customers, he learned how best to serve their needs.

The Chefs in San Francisco became his first teachers and customers in the food service business, they would tell him what to get and Mitch would find it. The core philosophy of Polarica is the same as it was in the beginning, supplying customers with an uncompromising standard of excellence to ensure that they receive only the most delectable ingredients of the highest quality. The community of Chefs operating at the most refined level of cooking is a very tight knit and close group in San Francisco. Word spread about what the company was doing and soon they started selling throughout California, and now serve all fifty states.

As the 1980's marched forward, so did shifting trends in the restaurant world which would force Polarica to adjust. California Cuisine as a real concept was flourishing as a signal of change in the way Chefs thought about food. Now it's hard to pin point one interpretation of this catch phrase today, but the roots are in the belief that all ingredients must be as fresh as possible and local. As Chefs caught on and "California Cuisine" became the standard, Polarica had to shift away from frozen products and find the same specialty items only fresh. Mitch did his research and found a New Zealand company that raised and shipped hormone free fresh venison. Little, by little he found a way to turn everything he sells into fresh products and now over 80% of the products are from California.

Though not falling under the California cuisine mantra, another trend has been developing simultaneously for the past ten years also aiding in Polarica's growth. From San Francisco to New York, there has been a rejuvenation in how people think about food and a willingness to try new ingredients. An explosion of taste and experimentation has also inspired an upward mobility towards specialty foods. Polarica has been at the forefront of this transformation and still is, with a constantly shifting product line reflecting seasonal changes and always listening to the needs of the chefs who rely on Polarica's products for their menus. The company can operate with this high level of fluidity since they deal directly with people at the highest levels of the culinary food chain. They can service the order as it happens expediting the product directly from the producer or farmer whether it's truffles from France, caviar from Russia or foie gras from Northern California.

Now in their sixteenth year, Polarica still leads in an industry they helped to create, by giving customers precisely what they want. With offices in New York and San Francisco they can serve the needs of the high end food industry from coast to coast. Bringing with them the experience and quality standards of all the Chefs and Food professionals who gave their imput and expertise along the way.