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About Us
Dieter Dubberke and his family--wife and four young sons--were on vacation in 1978 and passing through the small town of Mariposa, gateway to Yosemite, on their way to see the breathtaking beauty of this great national park. In Mariposa he saw a mini-mart offered for lease. Aggressive and decisive as always, he quickly negotiated a five-year lease and resolved to start out on his own, utilizing his years of experience in the retail grocery business. Returning home to Ojai, where he had risen to store manager during a long and steady career with Safeway, he submitted his retirement papers and made ready to embark on this new venture. His first mini-mart opened in June 1978. He quickly saw that Mariposa needed a large and efficient supermarket. As the mini-mart prospered and a gas station was acquired, he began raising capital for Mariposa's first real supermarket. Pioneer Market opened in 1981, occupying a mere 8,000 square feet. More was to come, and by 1983, Pioneer had expanded to 10,000 square feet. Mr. Dubberke's dream came to real fruition in 1984 when Pioneer Market moved to its present site, Prospector Center, where it occupies 30,000 square feet, offering a full line of meats, beverages and groceries, a supermarket in every sense.
As time has passed, Pioneer Market and its related businesses have become true family operations. Dieter's son Jason, now a partner and president of Jason S. Dubberke, Inc., is the day-to-day manager. His wife Tracy is a senior vice president who divides her time between nurturing Jason and two little ones and being chief financial officer for Pioneer Market and the smaller businesses, which include two mini-marts, a gas station, and various real properties. Dieter himself, who gradually has backed away somewhat from daily operations, remains an eminence grise, basking in the affection and admiration from his many employees and from his flock of grandchildren, over all of whom he reigns as a benevolent and gracious patriarch. Just as the family name is now synonymous with Mariposa, so is the name of Pioneer Market synonymous with that of a well-run, modern and efficient grocery operation, the equal to any in the bigger cities, providing its customers with a personal touchwhile enjoying the patronage of the community which it serves. |
