Right after college, Wesley Leung joined the family business as a 22-year old, working on the floor with customers. He worked six days a week with long hours to develop a work ethic like his parents who founded Sanwa Food Group and immigrated from Hong Kong.
“By working so closely with our people – not only did I understand their job functions and challenges, but it also really taught me the power of people and relationships,” said Leung. “In our industry – nothing gets done without great people, and that is by far the biggest thing I focus on. If we are always trying to improve both the employee and customer experience, then we are hopefully moving in the right direction.”
In 12 years, Leung has amassed an abundance of industry experience, taking on many roles within the growing organization where he now serves as the chief operating officer.
As the business grew – the focus was always on providing unique products, analyzing where there were business opportunities, and not being afraid to adapt. Those principles helped evolve the company from farming to setting up greenhouses and nurseries, to distribution, to importing, to expanding the product mix outside of produce, to walking away from farming, and to opening the doors of the warehouse and turning it into a farmer’s market, with an eclectic mix of fresh products and restaurant supplies.
Currently, Sanwa Food Group is known to our customers for our two main businesses:
Sanwa Farmer’s Market, an open-to-the-public market, and Sanwa Fresh, the food service division. Under Leung’s leadership, the company has gained 62.5% growth in total revenue, secured key accounts, including SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, revamped the entire compensation structure for the sales force, and developed a service day in Jacksonville.
“My story is different than a typical ‘entrepreneur’ or ‘leader’ because I joined our family business right after college’ therefore, I did not have to navigate the typical ‘corporate ladder’ on the journey to my position,” said Leung. “That being said – I was not given much special treatment when I began, and started on the front lines which was extremely valuable for my maturity and career growth. I learned early on I needed to earn the respect of the team, and that ultimately led to taking on more tasks and raising my hand for some of the more difficult challenges.”
