When company founder Isadore A. Rapasadi was only 8 years old he received his first sales experience when he sold apples in a public market for "$1 and a peck.”

In 1920, Isadore and his family came to this country from Italy. At that time Canastota, New York was a dominant area for onion production.

At the age of 14, Isadore's father presented him with a "scuffle" - a hoe with two sharpened edges used to weed between and around onion rows. Through hard work Isadore became a master at working the fields. Soon, with no formal sales education or experience he quickly learned to sell by listening to his father's sales transactions.

Isadore saved every penny he earned and when he was old enough to drive he purchased a car and began selling his products in towns and villages throughout Upstate New York.

From Utica to Watertown, Isadore was selling his bags of onions. However at the end of the day, many of the bags still remained in his car. Realizing he needed a larger automobile to deliver his products, Isadore bought a truck for his deliveries. He began marketing onions grown by area producers to local markets. On one occasion, with only $3 in his pocket, he stopped to purchase supplies from a local grower, promising that he would pay him back when he returned.

On his first trip, he expected to purchase about 100 bags at 3 cents a bag, but the farmer, without asking, loaded 300 bags onto his truck. On his trip to Schenectady, Isadore sold every bag to one buyer. He rushed home with $50 in his pocket and paid the farmer. Young Isadore continued selling until he married his wife Kate in 1936.

Isadore and Kate worked as sharecroppers after they were married. However, a year later they decided to purchase a plot of land where they would grow their own onions. In two years, they saved $8,000 and developed an arrangement with the onion packaging firm of Caruso, Rinella & Battaglia. The firm’s owners had heard of Rapasadi's persistence and, as a result, offered him a wholesaling job.
Isadore earned $25 a week, and 50% of the profits. For the next 20 years, he worked for the company until 1960 when he decided to go into the onion business for himself.
Success happened quickly and In 1961, Rapasadi, once again showing solid business savvy, built his first warehouse on a prime piece of real estate located adjacent to the New York State Thruway at Exit 34 in Canastota. He knew that as his business grew trucks carrying and picking up large shipments would come and go with ease as a result of the new warehouse location.

As the business grew it required much more of his time so in 1971 Isadore and Kate sold the onion farm.

Isadore’s focus now was on packaging and buying onions, potatoes, garlic and locally grown cabbage.

Soon Isadore Rapasadi was buying and repackaging onions and potatoes from Idaho, Florida and California and shipping them to stores and wholesalers throughout the Northeast and Midwest in company owned tractor trailers.

Today Isadore A. Rapasadi & Sons, Inc. proudly attaches the "Raps Blue Ribbon™" label to packages of onions and potatoes. The Rapasadi family business, Isadore’s pride and joy, currently employs over 50 people and today is owned and managed by his son Sam and Sam’s son, Bob.

Sam remembers his Dad’s reply whenever he was asked about the secret of his success. Isadore would smile and say, "If you do what you like, you'll succeed. You'll work harder. I wanted to succeed because I wanted to make my family and myself happy".