Eye on Fresh Produce in Ontario

The Ontario Food Terminal, Canada’s largest wholesale produce terminal, helps drive growth of fruits and vegetables.

Toronto is Canada’s largest city, with a 2024 estimated population of 2.8 million. The capital of Ontario, Toronto is located along Lake Ontario’s northwestern shore.

The city has a diverse population, with 50.2% White, 12.7% East Asian, 12.3% South Asian, 8.5% Black, 7% Southeast Asian, and smaller percentages of Latin American, West Asian and Arab residents, reports World Population Review.

The Ontario produce industry contributes over one-third of Canada’s total fruit and vegetable production, totaling more than $4.2 billion and providing over 66,000 jobs to the economy, according to the Ontario Produce Marketing Association. Approximately 43% of this value is field grown and 57% produced in greenhouse operations.

Of the more than 125 different fruit and vegetable crops commercially grown in Ontario, the most common are potatoes, sweet corn, peas and field tomatoes. Fruit commercially grown in Ontario includes apples, grapes, peaches, apricots, blueberries, melons, cherries, nectarines, pears, plums, raspberries and strawberries.

Canada’s largest wholesale fruit and produce terminal, the Ontario Food Terminal in the suburb of Etobicoke, ranks among the top four terminal markets in Canada and the United States by volume of produce distributed. With 1,053,612 tons, or 2.1 billion pounds, of produce distributed annually, this market supplies an average of 5.6 million pounds of produce and horticultural products distributed daily from this 40-acre site.

The self-funded terminal market, which was established in June 1954, is owned and operated by the Ontario Food Terminal Board, an operational enterprise operating under the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

This facility is open daily, 24/7, has a staff of 45, and employs approximately 100,000 people, with about 5,000 Ontario businesses purchasing from the market. Produce is widely distributed, from Fort Albany in the far north of Ontario to Windsor in the south, and as far west as British Columbia and east to Newfoundland. Some buyers also do business in the U.S.

WHOLESALE CLIMATE

Stronach & Sons (2020) Inc., renamed when new leadership took over, has been located at the Ontario Food Terminal for more than 50 years. It is now owned and operated by Vince Bruno, Tony Morano and Joe Scali.

“Stronach & Sons (2020) Inc. took over operations with a strong commitment to ensure all our local growers and international shipper partners maintain the same environmentally sustainable practices we adhere to,” says Scali. “Our company is a leader in our Toronto market when it comes to prioritizing local farmers/suppliers.”

The company provides diverse fruits and vegetables from regions around the world and encourages a “pick your own” mentality.

“The terminal market has a slightly older demographic, however, there has been a noticeable increased presence of younger adults entering the market, probably a result of our market’s unique urban geographic location in Toronto,” says Scali.

He says that locally sourced commodities continue trending, however, “new trends are constantly changing due to our city’s multicultural diversity,” he notes. “Some of these trends quickly become staples, others will just as quickly fade away.”

Due to customer feedback, Stronach & Sons (2020) plans to develop a year-round citrus program and will continue building, improving and expanding its local grower/supplier relationships.

North American Produce has been working out of the Ontario Food Terminal for over 60 years and is one of the market’s original businesses.

“This market is central to the downtown core of the city of Toronto, making it a hub that feeds Canada’s largest city and most populous province,” says Steve Moffat, vice president of finance at North American Produce Buyers. “We also are in close proximity to the Quebec markets, and, with the U.S. border crossing so close to Toronto, we also act as a hub to the western part of the country for the winter import season.”

Moffat says the biggest benefit of being at the Ontario Food Terminal is the daily interaction with customers. “[We receive] live feedback on price, quality and availability,” he notes.

Another terminal market vendor, Gambles Group of Companies, is a vertically integrated fresh produce provider that sources, imports, packages and distributes produce across Canada and the U.S. through a wide network of local and international growers, according to Tom Kioussis, vice president, sales, marketing and category management at Gambles Group.

“We feed every sector, big and small, from chain stores and independent grocers to wholesale and foodservice operations.”

Kioussis says it’s the historical significance that makes the market unique.

“Dating back to the 1950s, the Ontario Food Terminal has remained the hub for fresh produce in Toronto ever since its opening,” he says. “It’s a place where business owners and customers interact, socialize and maintain professional relationships within a setting that encourages the intersection of different sub-industries, such as mom-and-pop shops, large grocers and restaurant owners.”

Kioussis adds that there has been a shift in the demographic from European buyers to those from East and South Asia.

“As demographics shift and new ones emerge in the market, we are seeing increased changes with regards to what items our customers are looking for,” he explains. “Many companies have introduced a wide range of ethnic commodities, such as okra, habaneros, eddoes and lychee, to name a few.”

Prior to the pandemic, the market was often lively and saw lots of foot traffic. Unfortunately, there has been a slowdown over the past few years as customers were forced to find alternative ways to get their fresh produce.

“This increased our delivery service breadth, which continues to grow,” says Kioussis. “Going forward, we hope to bring this bustling energy back into our market and re-establish in-person connections with customers. We are also committed to growing and expanding nationally, in addition to the U.S. market operations continuing to be a focus.”

DIVERSITY DRIVES CHANGE

J.E. Russell Produce has been operating out of the Ontario Food Terminal since 1977. John Russell founded the business after following in his father’s footsteps. The company has 12 multi-generational families of employees.

“The terminal facilities continue to be updated and modernized, which makes operations easier,” says Hutch Morton, senior vice president at J.E. Russell Produce Ltd. “The machinery and technologies that power our businesses have eased the physical aspects and made us more efficient. That said, the ethos and culture that have made our business unique and successful have remained consistent.”

As Canada and the Greater Toronto Area become more diversified, away from a European-centric society, the market has changed to meet these demands. “This directly leads to a diverse product offering that can meet the very unique cultural diet desires and requirements of our society,” Morton says. “It also leads to global fresh produce sourcing, which is exciting for our buyers and customers.”

He continues to see an increase in sales of tropicals and more greenhouse and controlled environment-grown products due to Canada’s winter weather.

In a recent development, two J.E. Russell Produce team members have taken on bigger managerial roles at the company after the sudden and tragic passing of Marco Corbo in the summer of 2024. James Meschino has moved into the role of buyer and category manager for berries, and Reid Warren now serves as operations manager.

Another wholesaler, Dominion Citrus Ltd., has been a part of the terminal market since its opening in 1954 and has expanded into eight divisions over the years.

“We have a tropical division with avocados, mangos and bananas and operate a farm that produces onions and carrots,” says Ted Cira, general manager. “Our packing division handles all the tomatoes for McDonald’s in Toronto, and we also have a company in Quebec.”

The company mainly deals with independent grocers, but also has chain store business, mom-and-pop fruit stores, restaurants and schools as its clientele.

“Toronto has a diverse ethnic culture, so there is more diversity with produce,” notes Cira. “Also, today many commodities are available year-round now, instead of just at certain times of the year, like citrus.”

He adds that competition has been the biggest challenge for produce wholesalers operating in and out of the market.

“People don’t want to get into the produce business due to long hours, and it has become harder to find younger people who want to get into this business,” he says. “But there is always a need, especially with people eating healthier, and Toronto is constantly growing.”

Fresh Taste Produce, run by co-chief executives and brothers Julian and Christian Sarraino, has been on the terminal market in Toronto since 1970.

“The market has always been unique because of the diversity of the customer base,” says Julian Sarraino. “We see a very wide range of fresh fruit and vegetable products flow through this facility.”

Christian Sarraino adds that the market is at an excellent location to fulfill the demands of Canada’s economic capital.

The company supplies fruit, wet and dry vegetables, global produce and tropical fruit. It is committed to moving toward improved levels of waste management, recycling, upcycling and repurposing of production inputs and products.

RETAIL & RESTAURANTS

Toronto’s foodservice industry includes a wide range of restaurants, cafes and other dining options. The Toronto region’s food and beverage sector employs over 64,000 people and is known for having the most quick-service restaurant outlets in Canada.

It also boasts four Michelin-starred restaurants. These include DaNico and Don Alfanso 1890, both Italian restaurants in downtown Toronto; Edulis, a Mediterranean restaurant in Toronto’s west end; and Enigma Yorkville, a contemporary restaurant also downtown.

All four eateries have unique and diverse menus that highlight a wide range of produce, from beets to kohlrabi to shishito peppers, oyster mushrooms, blackberries and bok choy.

In addition to Walmart, there are a number of supermarkets in Toronto with extensive produce departments.

Loblaws is large-scale and upscale, with a wide range of different fruits and vegetables to choose from. With the most locations in the city, Metro’s prices are more competitive and many sites are open 24 hours a day. No Frills is just as the name implies, a budget grocery chain featuring lower prices and savings. Sobey’s is a chain with pricing similar to Loblaws, with smaller square footage and a more condensed offering.