Our roots run deep

Photo courtesy of Toronto Public Library

In the original town of York (now Toronto), the parcel of land stretching from Front to King streets and from Church to Jarvis streets serves as the township’s central commercial district and is proclaimed the “Market Block.” 

A wooden structure is erected to house the farmers’ market, fronting on to King Street, the north end of the Market Block. This area later becomes known as St. Lawrence Market, Toronto’s base for the wholesale and retail distribution of goods.

Photo courtesy of Archives of Ontario

Photo courtesy of Bamford Produce

Bamford Produce is a fourth-generation family business established in 1881. James Bamford and Sons was located at the original produce market in Toronto, the St. Lawrence Market. The company played a role in establishing the Ontario Food Terminal in 1954. In 2003, after years spent operating off-site, the Bamford family opened Fresh Advancements at the Terminal. The company has also expanded into packing, shipping and transportation, as well as fresh-cut and farming.

Photo courtesy of Toronto Public Library

Toronto is a fast-growing centre in the late 19th century, with its population increasing from 30 000 in 1851 to 181 000 in 1891. In response, St. Lawrence Market begins housing more merchants in a more organized way. During this period, various fruit and vegetable wholesalers relocate to Colborne and Front streets (located southeast of King and Church streets). Now, they can receive shipments and sell produce from a centralized location. This spot is also more convenient. It’s outside the mainly residential part of the city and has quicker cart access to the nearby rail yard. Proximity keeps delivery costs low and reduces the amount of spoiled produce.

Photo courtesy of Toronto Public Library

In 1904 a new canopied building connects the north and south lots. The farmers’ market takes up the majority of the facility’s north end, while the wholesale companies assemble along the south end. The market, now completely indoors, is open between Tuesday and Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Ontario Food Terminal Board

Cramped conditions and antiquated facilities begin to take their toll on the wholesale produce businesses at St. Lawrence Market. Theft is also rampant due to the high volume of traffic in the market area. At around the same time, produce wholesalers begin to organize and demand a new facility and storage space, making their grievances known to the city and local newspapers.

Founded in 1908 by Italian immigrant Antonio Chiovitti, Chiovitti Banana started with a pushcart. Antonio ran his fruit-peddling business out of his home at Bathurst and Queen Streets. Chiovitti Banana was the first distributor of Chiquita brand bananas in Toronto. In the mid-1950s, the company moved to Etobicoke, and a decade later, Ron Chiovitti joined his father, Sam, in the business. That’s when the pair opened up shop at the Ontario Food Terminal, expanding their customer base to the province of Ontario. Today the company offers an array of tropical fruits in addition to what they’ve always been known for—bananas.

Photo courtesy of Gambles 

The Ontario Produce Company dates back to 1914, when Max and Maurice Wolfe opened to supply army bases with fresh produce during WWI. The Ontario Produce Company, or OP as it was known, has always had a stall at the Terminal and been a key player at the Market. In 2002 Gambles Produce purchased OP and today, Gambles remains one of the Terminal’s largest wholesalers by volume of produce distributed.

Photo courtesy of F.G. Lister & Co.

Founded in 1918 by Mr. Frederick George Lister, F.G. Lister & Co. is dedicated to importing and distributing fresh produce. Nearly a century later, the company continues to supply fresh produce from around the world as well as an array of locally grown fruit and vegetables.

When we think of bananas, we also think of another well-known name at the Terminal—Meschino. Pasquale Meschino arrived from southern Italy in 1914. Four years later, he bought a pushcart with big wheels and sold Jamaican bananas to support his growing family. Although the Meschino family sold their decades-old business to Dominion Citrus in 1997, the name lives on in the world of wholesale bananas.

Photo courtesy of Toronto Public Library

By 1929, the Toronto wholesale fruit and produce market is truly struggling to keep up with the demands of a growing and ever-changing city. Clearly, greater volumes from a better variety of produce sources are needed. Wholesalers and politicians begin to recognize there’s a problem—a bigger and better location is needed to accommodate the swelling volume of produce and increased traffic to and from the market.

Photo courtesy of The Ippolito Group

In the 1930s, Carmelo and Filomena Ippolito launched their wholesale fresh fruit and vegetables business in Hamilton, Ontario. Today, the Ippolito Group is the result of four generations’ worth of effort. Well-known for its Queen Victoria brand of spinach, the company also offers an array of produce at its Terminal stall, Ippolito Produce, opened in 1998. Like several wholesalers at the Terminal, the business also has its own transportation division, farming operations and processing plant.

Established by the Burnett family, Burnac Produce has roots in the industry dating back over 80 years. From a one-man produce trucking operation started in the 1930s, to a vast enterprise today, those roots have clearly spread. Over the years, Burnac Produce has acquired a number of operations. Its two corporate divisions—Provincial Fruit and Rite-Pak Produce—each have stalls at the Terminal. Three generations on, Burnac remains true to the family values at the core of its success.

With the Great Depression, wholesalers begin to face financial challenges. In response, a group of wholesalers led by F.G. Lister, Morton Hunter, Maurice Wolfe and G.H. Reynolds form The Toronto Fruit & Produce Merchants Association. The organization’s goal is to manage and improve credit and collection services for its members, share commercial information, and generally advance their business interests. Although the organization’s name has changed, the Toronto Wholesale Produce Association continues to pursue the same mission.

For more than 70 years, Veg-Pak Produce Ltd. has been a leader in innovation. Located at the Terminal since the beginning, Veg-Pak was the first at the Market to pack celery in plastic bags. Today, Veg-Pak continues to expand and innovate under the direction of the Carnevale family. Company president Vic Carnevale, along with his three children, oversee different aspects of the business, including an off-site packing plant and an exclusive Harvest Fresh produce line.

Photo taken from the Toronto Daily Star (May 17, 1952)

Located in the St. Lawrence Market area, the wholesale produce market is reduced to a charred ruin and all of its merchants are displaced. Out of necessity, many merchants are forced to conduct business out of temporary storage space at the Canadian National train warehouses. The incident brings urgency to the need for a modern, centralized wholesale facility.

Photo courtesy of Ontario Food Terminal Board

The Ontario Food Terminal finally opens, becoming the source for wholesale produce in the Greater Toronto Area, and the new home to the Toronto Wholesale Fruit & Produce Association. The new facility is the first of its kind in Canada. Wholesalers now have the security and technology required to buy, sell and store the best produce available. The Terminal also houses space for up to 450 local farmers to sell their harvests directly to wholesalers and the Terminal’s customers. By 1955, 100 per cent of the space is officially leased.

Photo courtesy of Veg-Pak Produce

Photo courtesy of North American Produce Buyers

Founded by Morris Shoom, North American Produce Buyers has operated out of the Ontario Food Terminal since the beginning and continues to thrive as an importer of fresh produce. Shoom, a reputable businessman at the Terminal, left a solid legacy to his son-in-law, Howard Davidson. Today Davidson’s sons, Larry and Steven, are leading North American to greater heights with added interests in international farming operations that produce top-quality fruit and vegetables to the list of North American’s successes.

In the late 50s Vince Pulla got his start in the bulk food business working at the Terminal’s C. Charles and Co. roasting peanuts. Those formative years led him to cofound Johnvince Foods more than a decade later. Today, the company has grown to become Canada’s largest bulk foods distributor. JVF opened a stall at the Market in 1995 to supply smaller retailers with dried fruits and nuts as well as packaging essentials and various sundries.

Photo taken from The Grower, (August) 1982

Premier Bill Davis formally opens a dedicated Farmers’ Market on the west side of the Ontario Food Terminal. Housing an additional 150 local farmers, the Market is covered by a newly built parking deck. The renovations also make room for restaurant facilities and offices for the on-site security and police services.

Photo taken from The Grower, (August) 1982

Photo courtesy of Evan Dion

As the largest wholesale produce market in Canada, many across Ontario, Québec and eastern Canada depend on us to supply their businesses with fresh fruit and vegetables. In an effort to sustain its leadership in the sector, the Ontario Food Terminal has undertaken several significant renovation projects in recent years. From increased energy efficiency to better accessibility and improved waste management, these changes, and others underway, will ensure we grow the city for many decades to come.