Rocky Peanut

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Starting in 1931, Jack Russo sold produce, door-to-door, off the back of a truck. Jack's son, Rocco (Rocky) Russo, worked with his father from the age of 16 until he was drafted for service in the Korean War. When Rocky came home from the service, he took over his father's business; Jack Russo had grown ill and was unable to continue working. Rocky became partners with his brother, Dominic, in 1957. Together, the two sons expanded their father's business into a major wholesale produce distribution company. Rocky purchased a small peanut roasting business in 1969, selling bagged peanuts to Detroit's Tiger Stadium and local street vendors. The new enterprise grew beyond all expectations, and Rocky expanded the nut business in 1971 to a new location in Detroit's historic Eastern Market, on the corner of Russell and the Fisher Freeway Service Drive. There he prospered for 10 years before moving Rocky Peanut Company to a new building nearby - on the original site of the family produce business. Detroit's Eastern Market was settled in 1834 by German immigrants, and in 1891 became a public market for farm produce. It blossomed into a regional hub for wholesale food commerce, serving in that capacity throughout the 20th century. The last surviving public market in southeastern Michigan, the Eastern Market has served Detroiters, Canadians and others for more than 110 years.