Like many children of entrepreneurial parents, Rene Diaz grew up in the family business. At 9 years old, he was running the cash register at the family's grocery store at Sixth and Peachtree streets.

When he wasn't working with family members, he was dropping into their houses and spending weekends with them at Piedmont Park.

"In 1975, we bought a small house in Midtown, where I grew up," Diaz said. "My whole family lived in Midtown, where the store was, and we all lived on the park. My uncles, grandparents, cousins and best friends were one house from each other, and our backyards were connected, so we saw each other all the time."

Those close family connections are still strong with Diaz, 45. He has taken over the rapidly growing business that has mushroomed into a private company with a board of directors and shareholders. Diaz Foods, which was formed in 1980, is one of the largest distributors of Hispanic products in the United States.

"But it's still largely a family business," Diaz said. "The difference is I can now leverage the expertise of our board when I need help."

And the vision is still the same: Diaz Foods brings authentic food products from South America, Mexico, Cuba and Thailand into Atlanta and sells them to small retail operations and restaurants such as Zocalo and Nuevo Laredo Cantina.

Among the more than 6,000 imported items are canned and dried beans, salsas, sodas, juices and cookies. The variety of items has increased as more immigrants have moved into metro Atlanta and want their favorite foods.

"My father was bringing truckloads of items in from Miami for our four stores," Diaz said. "Then my father introduced me to the owners of the Mexican restaurants in town, and we found out what they needed and got into that business, too. Soon we were selling up the entire East Coast, to Chicago, and as far west as Arkansas. No matter what Latin country you came from, we had the products that you grew up with."

Diaz Foods' hottest product is its tortillas, some of which are manufactured at the company's plant off Fulton Industrial Boulevard, not far from the company's distribution center.

"We go through 5,000 cases of corn flour a week," Diaz said. "That's enough to make more than a million tortillas."

The key to the company's longevity is its dedication to customer service. "It's what sets us apart," he said. "Often, you're either dealing with a small, mom-and-pop operation or a huge, $20 billion corporation. There aren't many players in the middle. But we can bring that balance to the table."

Diaz oversees 330 employees, who illustrate the company's commitment to diversity.

"Our Christmas parties are global affairs," Diaz said with a laugh. "We have people from St. Thomas, St. John, Asia and Colombia as well as African-Americans. And not everyone is bilingual. In fact, I have three buyers who are Americans who studied abroad and speak Spanish better than I do."

No matter what their position, Diaz employees contribute to the company's goal of complete customer satisfaction.

"Our sales reps know our customers by their first names; they know their anniversaries," Diaz said. "That's not a requirement, but it creates a bond."

Making close community connections has contributed to the company's steady growth; Diaz Foods makes more than $115 million in annual sales.

"We're up 20 percent over last year and 30 percent over the year before," Diaz said. "And it's coming from our existing customers, who tell other businesses about us."

And while many relatives and extended family members are still a part of the business, Diaz laughs when asked about his own children, ages 14 to 5 months.

"I'd love to have them work here," he said. "I tell my oldest, 'Come on; try it!' My mother is a clerk who does filing, but it doesn't matter if you're family or not. We're really a nice company with nice people, and that rubs off, no matter who you are."

A NEW VENTURE

After years of supplying some of the city's top Mexican restaurants with ingredients, Rene Diaz is ready to open his own eatery. Lime Taqueria is under construction in the West Village complex in Smyrna.

"I had a chef from the Ritz-Carlton show up in my office, looking for a job, and he said he felt most comfortable in a kitchen," Diaz said. "So he became our corporate chef. But this area really needs a good chef-driven restaurant. So he'll be at Lime, doing things like seared ahi tuna on homemade corn tortillas and mango papaya cilantro salsa. And there will be plenty of martinis, margaritas and daiquiris. It will be what you'd find if you went to Mexico City and sat down in a fine restaurant."

Lime is scheduled to open this fall.