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MARKET PROFILE
Toronto Wholesalers Going Strong
Ontario food terminal covers 40 acres and logs sales pushing
$300 billion annually.
PBy Linda Brockman
roduce families have deep roots in Toronto, many of them spanning three and four generations. Some began with pushcarts at the historic St. Lawrence Market in the early
1900s – until the opening of the Ontario Food Terminal (OFT) in 1954. Long-estab- lished companies such as Bamford, FG Lister, Dominion (formerly Meschino Banana Co.), Ippolito, Burnac, Ontario Produce Company (now Gambles), and Chiovitti Banana — the first distributor of Chiquita brand in Toronto — are still going strong.
Whether through foodservice or retail grocers, these wholesalers have been providing the people of Ontario with fresh produce for more than a century. In the early days of the terminal, most shipments arrived by rail. Today, it boasts 40 acres — the largest produce distribution center in Canada — of prime real estate, near several main roads and highways.
The OFT’s tenants have the same issues as other terminals, including food safety, food waste and finding good labor.
Steve Bamford’s fourth-generation family business began as James Bamford & Sons in 1881, located in Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market. After operating off-site for years, the family opened Fresh Advancements, a subsid- iary of Bamford at the OFT in 2003.
The terminal helps small- and mid-size businesses thrive, while keeping prices competitive, says Bamford, chief executive of Fresh Advancements. “Without this facility hundreds of thousands of pounds of produce would go to waste each month.”
Because of overstock, companies often have more food than intended. Rather than discard time-sensitive food, Bamford’s company recovers the additional extra produce and finds a client to buy it, most likely for commercial use, fresh-cut or indus- trial use (such as using the better part of soft
tomatoes for sauce). Aside from fresh-cut, Bamford’s company is also involved in packing, shipping and transportation.
“The Food Terminal’s location in the country’s biggest market — the Greater Toronto Area — means that consumers have better availability, choice, quality and price for fruits and vegetables than would otherwise be available to them,” says Bamford, who is vice president of the Toronto Wholesale Produce Association (TWPA), also housed in the terminal.
The Terminal not only employs 2,500 Ontarians, but it is also relied upon by inde- pendent grocers, restaurants and others throughout the Greater Toronto Area, says Bamford.
“Annual sales are close to $3 billion per year and in excess of $400 million worth
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