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Vince Bruno of Italian Produce
Dominion’s Scarafile says the rise of organic and vegetarian restaurants as well as juice bars influences organic demand. “We have increased our organic line to serve growing specialty organic shops,” says Scarafile. “The organic category for us is still a small component, but it’s growing much faster than conventional.”
PERSONALIZED EXPERTISE
Wholesalers in the Toronto market describe themselves as providing a custom- ized service and experience. “We’re always looking for and finding the products our customers need,” says Scarafile. “We’re receptive and nimble and cater to our customers. Our expertise really benefits our customers.”
As the food environment in Toronto and Ontario has evolved, the wholesaler’s place in it has also changed, according to Davidson. “In specialty items, there seems to be tremendous support for us to provide some service at all levels,” he says. “For example, stone fruit during the winter is not a primary commodity and the volume sold by any retailer is much lower than in summer. Logistics can be tough.”
Thus, Davidson explains, trying to manage a stone fruit category at retail during this time is quite challenging. “You’re likely not loading major volume to bring in directly,” he says. “You want your turnover to be as quick as possible. That’s where someone such as North American comes in handy. We’re distributing this fruit across the
CPMA CONVENTION SUPPLEMENTPRODUCE BUSINESS / APRIL 2018 / 9
country and are able to manage the integ- rity of the product, keeping it as fresh as possible.”
Holancin of Arc-en-Ciel points out the benefit of sourcing from a business with high turnover. “Managing inventory for
freshness is key,” he says. “Our business has a high turnover, thus assuring freshness as we serve and reach out to so many different customers. High volume enables us to have strong buying power and develop good relations with our vendors.” pb