About the Company

Our Story

Our story began in 1995 when our founders, John and Pat Quinn, and their business partner Glenn Evans, had a vision to create a company that provided employees to stable career where their hard work and dedication were rewarded along with providing customers a clean, safe, and friendly shopping experience.  During that year they acquired three Food 4 Less stores in Stockton, CA.   Our March Lane, Wilson Way and Lodi Food 4 Less stores became the foundation of PAQ Inc., which grew to 45 successful stores in California and Hawaii. 

Through his unique approach to business and people, John Quinn together with his wife Pat and Glenn Evans, developed a tight-knit family culture of dedication, customer attentiveness and hard work that enabled the stores to succeed when other large-box operators failed.

After nearly 27 years of growth and success, the founders decided to retire and sell the business.  The choices were to sell PAQ Inc. together to one buyer, or break up the company and sell Food 4 Less and Rancho San Miguel Markets separately.  But John Quinn wanted to take care of the employees who helped build PAQ Inc. and he knew that both of these options didn’t guarantee continued employment for over 1,700 employees. So, in the Fall of 2019 the California business, PAQ, Inc., was sold to its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

Today, PAQ is comprised of 24 stores throughout the central valley and central coast of California.  Seventeen of the stores are price-impact, warehouse format under the Food 4 Less banner, and seven stores are Hispanic format with the Rancho San Miguel banner.  Both banners meet a niche need in California.  The price-impact format has strong appeal to value conscientious consumers, and the Hispanic format has obvious appeal to California’s Hispanic communities.

As we move in to the future, our employee owners will carry on the traditions of our visionary founders of taking care of the customer, providing fresh, quality products, and working together as a family – the PAQ Inc. family. 

Cheers!