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TORONTO MARKET PROFILE
88 / MARCH 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
Christian Sarraino Vince Bruno
of Fresh Taste of Italian Produce
in shipping and receiving — Koornneef is confident in the business’s future. Koornneef ’s specialty is local greenhouse vegetables. “We are strong supporters of local growers,” he says. “We do a better job of delivering local produce because it’s our specialty.”
Entrepreneur Jackie Kwitko, who makes ice pops using real fruit, gets her bananas and spinach from the OFT. Since her Fressy Bessie Ice Lollies are becoming more popular, she needs to visit the terminal more often. “It’s convenient now, but I’m worried when the busi- ness grows, as it is, that I won’t have time to go down there. Or I may have to hire folks to bring produce to me.” Kwitko’s apples come from different sources, but she always buys Canadian.
“Toronto’s food terminal is unique,” says Michelle Broom, president of the Ontario Produce Marketing Association (OPMA). “The terminal is here for the industry — the restau- rant owner, the smaller retailer, the corner store and the external distribution center.”
The OPMA represents the growers, importers, exporters, retailers and shippers in the produce industry to the consumer. One successful project is producemadesimple.com, launched in 2016.
The average consumer no longer needs to be confused about how to select, store or prepare unfamiliar fruits and vegetables. Producemadesimple.com also teaches about local produce and seasonality, while offering recipes and meal-planning tips. The website has more than 120,000 followers across social media platforms and more than 9.3 million media impressions, says Emilia De Sousa, OPMA’s marketing and communications manager.
A NEW ADVISORY BOARD
The Ontario government has formed an agricultural advisory committee to “provide new perspectives on future growth for the sector,” says Ernie Hardeman, minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The committee plans to meet in March 2019.
Hardeman says he will work with agri- food business leaders on the issues that impact the industry and explore how to offer support now and for the long term.
Members of the advisory group are consulting with the farmers, buyers, distributors