Scottsdale resident John Bergman was already the successful founder of Arizona’s On Q Financial mortgage banking company when he parlayed his foodie globe-trotting into a new venture. In 2021, he, along with his business partner Devin Dvorak, launched WorldClass, an importer and distributor whose motto is “Discover Hidden Treasures.” Motivated by their shared experiences and extensive travels, the entrepreneurs made it their mission to seek out the finest global products and introduce them to the U.S. restaurants, starting with Arizona.
“As Devin and I traveled, we discovered that food abroad was fresher, healthier, and tasted better, while the trend in America is for food to be increasingly processed. That really bothered us,” Bergman explains, “and we recognized there was a real opportunity here.”
To curate the world’s best, Bergman and Devlin leveraged relationships they’ve cultivated with top chefs worldwide. Among their consultants are Oriol Castro Forns, Eduard Xatruch Cerro, and Mateu Casanas Puignau, former head chefs at elBulli. Founders of three Michelin-starred Disfrutar in Barcelona, they connect Bergman with purveyors who share a commitment to ethical and sustainable practices.
Since its inception, WorldClass continues to gather rare and sought-after ingredients from around the globe, including Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile. Its extensive catalogue features caviar, carefully curated meats from award-winning producers, sustainably caught seafood, and specialty products such as gourmet Caviaroli olive oil pearls and teas by renowned blender Inés Berton in Argentina.
“And in order to be the best in the world, you can’t rely on shortcuts or chemicals,” Bergman emphasizes. “None of our meats have any growth hormones or antibiotics.”
From Chile comes lamb grass-fed on Patagonian prairies, from Spain, Fermin pork and cured jamón from Iberian pigs reared free-range in pastures and oak groves, and from Argentina, Devesa beef from Azul Natural Beef S.A from cattle raised on the famed grasses of Las Pampas.
“Fermin is a third-generation family who are raising pigs the same way they have for the last 300 years,” says Bergman. “And Devesa is a multi-generational family that has continuously won gold medals in the yearly World Steak Challenge, including South America’s Best Steak in 2023. The land their cattle graze on gives them an advantage—250,000 acres in a beautiful climate with perfect soil—and the animals are eating natural grass, corn, wheat and barley grown on that land.”
“We love Devesa beef,” says Ben Wald, executive chef of Café Monarch and Reserve in Old Town Scottsdale. “We baste the tenderloin with butter, garlic, and thyme, and serve it with endive, smoked cauliflower puree, and Romanesco. It’s super tender and has great meaty flavor.”
This sentiment is echoed by Gregory James, executive chef of elements at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain, who organized a blind tasting of prime ribeye and tenderloin from five beef suppliers.
“I wanted to make sure that we were giving our customers the best product,” he explains. “All four panelists unanimously chose WorldClass for both. The palatability and texture were off the charts, and both cuts were extremely flavorful and tender.”
At elements, James serves his ribeye with enhancements such as Crab Imperial or Lobster Mornay and showcases the filet as luscious beef tartare with onion consommé.
Since its 2021 launch in Phoenix and Scottsdale, WorldClass has expanded to Houston, where Bergman now splits his time, with plans to roll out direct-to-consumer options within the year.
“We're growing extremely fast,” says Bergman, “by almost four times over the last year. When food is about producing things quicker and cutting corners, it’s not good for our health or for the environment. What people really want is a return to the old way of doing things, when products took time and were raised naturally. All of our producers have amazing stories with phenomenal products that taste incredible, and I’m proud to share them.”
“I wanted to make sure that we were giving our customers the best product.”
