History - 3 Generations in Business
Grass Roots
In 1955, at age 22, Samuel F. Sorbello and his wife Rose started their own farm with funds from wedding gifts and a used tractor. By age 27 Sam owned 200 acres of peach trees.
Around the same time, Sam and Rose had two sons: Fred and Samuel J. Sorbello. Rose managed the household and the children helped ensure that the quality of the peaches routinely exceeded customer’s expectations to build the farm's reputation.
Over the next 4 years, Sam and Rose ran the same peach farming business. Each year the peaches ripened then were picked, packed, and shipped to the market immediately. Unfortunately, competitors followed the exact process, flooding the market with peaches and driving down prices and profits. Sam noticed this and decided the following year would be different.
The Cold Storage Opportunity
Sam and Rose built their first cold storage facility in 1964, a 1,500 square foot cooler capable of maintaining 36 F°. In addition to storage, it included a packing shed which was utilized to wash, sort, and weigh the peaches. With this infrastructure in place, Sam held the last 6,000 bushels of his harvest, waited a few weeks for the demand to be greater than the supply then sold his peaches at market-demanded premium prices.
The success of the cold storage brought attention from other larger farmers. Sam reacted by building a cold storage for frozen foods such as blueberries and seafood. By 1978, the attention was not only local anymore. At the request of a meat importer, Sam built the first USDA inspection facility in the Philadelphia area. Many other meat importers became aware of the opportunity, and began directing their product from New York’s ports to Sam's facility, Mullica Hill Cold Storage. Shortly thereafter, the more conveniently located Philadelphia ports dominated the meat import business. The Elmer, NJ facility that is now Sorbello Freezers carries forward that same tradition of service, operating as its own entity since 2024 while remaining fully within the Sorbello family.
Sorbello Legacy
In 1985, Sam retired, and his two sons, Fred and Samuel J., took over the business. Growth was sustained throughout the late 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. In 2006, Samuel J. Sorbello and his wife Colleen purchased Atlantic Coast Freezers, marking a significant expansion of the family's cold storage operations. Building on this success, Sorbello Freezers was established in 2024 as its own entity, continuing the family tradition of innovation and service while expanding to meet the growing demands of the industry.
Sorbello Freezers, formerly part of Atlantic Coast Freezers, remains 100% family-owned and operated, continuing the legacy of hard work, dedication, and personal touch inspired by Samuel F. and Rose Sorbello over 55 years ago. Today, Sorbello Freezers serves a diverse range of industries with a commitment to maintaining the quality and service that began with the family's first ventures in farming and cold storage.
Leading into the Future
Sorbello Freezers continues to grow under the leadership of Jeff Sorbello, who brings the same hands-on commitment that has defined the family business since 1955. With shifting trade patterns, evolving regulations, and increasing demand for import logistics near the Port of Philadelphia, Sorbello Freezers is focused on expanding capacity and capabilities at our Elmer, NJ facility to meet the needs of a changing industry — while staying true to the personal service and operational integrity the Sorbello name has always stood for.