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MARKET PROFILE
Montreal: A Kaleidoscopic Palette For Produce
Diverse and demanding population drives industry to design business for specific demographics and needs.
TBy Jodean Robbins
he second largest city in Canada, Montreal boasts a unique and varied population of discerning food consumers. The city proper has an estimated population of 1.75 million
as of 2016, according to census data, with the greater metropolitan area logging a population of 4.06 million people.
Consumers in Montreal tend to be very exacting, according to Christos Botsis, pres- ident of Botsis Fruits & Vegetables. “If they walk into a restaurant and have a bad meal once, they won’t go back,” he says. “Montreal’s consumers are demanding, but that’s a good thing because it makes us go the extra mile.”
Lifestyle trends in Montreal affect its food business. “If we look at the restaurant business, it influences retail trends because we always tend to eat at home what we eat out,” says Frank Ferrarelli, general manager of Essex Continental Distributors. “We are seeing more produce options because of the vegan trend. More and more vegetables and fruit are being sold. A lot of consumers are changing their lifestyle to be more fruit and vegetable-based.”
Montreal’s multicultural makeup also affects the produce business. “The ethnic demographic consumes a good amount of produce,” says Joel Lavorato, president of Gaetan Bono. “These cultures have a lifestyle of eating together, cooking and incorporating a lot of produce. Produce is a traditional part of these cuisines.”
Montreal’s largest ethnic groups, according to World Population Review, are those of Euro- pean origins, including French (26 percent), Italian (7 percent), Irish (6 percent), English (4 percent), Scottish (3 percent) and Spanish (2 percent). Statistics Canada reports about 31 percent of the Montreal population is a visible
minority, an increase from just 5 percent in 1981. The most common visible minorities are black (9.1 percent), Arab (6.4 percent), Latin American (4.2 percent), South Asian (3.3 percent) and Chinese (2.9 percent).
Maria Cavazos, president of MC Produce, witnesses the effects of Montreal’s diversity on the food industry. “Because of Montre- al’s growing immigrant population, we see an increase in the ethnic and neighborhood stores popping up in all areas of the city,” she says. “Our city also embraces cross-culture. For example, people of all cultures eat in all different types of restaurants.”
Montreal’s diversity means suppliers must respond in kind. “With so many choices of restaurants, we have to be able to supply all their diverse needs,” says Corri Morison, sales broker with Benny D’Angelo Produce. “We must offer the produce to cater to those needs as well as those of the retailers, from big grocery stores to smaller stores serving partic- ular ethnic groups. It’s fun to see the needs out there.”
Montreal’s cosmopolitan, ethnic develop- ment will continue to drive ethnic-oriented, produce-friendly concepts. “We will have more immigrants from around the world who will live mainly in Montreal,” says Gabriel Isabelle, vice president sales and development for C. Isabelle et Fils, a potato grower/packer. “There are already many specialized retailers and restaurants that bring in new food culture.”
PLETHORA OF RETAIL CHOICE
Pushed by the consumer standards and the city’s diversity, Montreal boasts a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional retail options for produce shopping. “Montreal is a competitive retail environment,” says Nino Chimienti, president of retailer Intermarché Lagoria. “Being a retailer in Montreal is not easy; you have to work so customers trust you. In my neighborhood, Rivière-Des-Prairies, we have big banners including Maxi, Super C and IGA. But, I get good volume from my neigh- borhood. I think I have the biggest market share per square foot in my neighborhood.”
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MONTREAL