se T Ting The TaBle For inTernaTional suCCess

Think of farm-to-fork food production and you might imagine a small-town ripe with local expertise on where to find the best and freshest foods.

What you might not expect is the rest of the world at your doorstep, craving a bite of that local plate and eager to set up shop.

With more than 7,500 acres of farmland fueling supply chains, located minutes from Ontario’s Food Terminal and strategically positioned with access to transportation and advanced manufacturing expertise, the City of Vaughan’s flourishing food and beverage production sector is elevating the region as a prime foreign direct investment opportunity.

pr oduce, production and possibilities

Nearly 10 per cent of Vaughan’s employment base - 21,700 workers at 500 companies – service Toronto’s regional food and beverage sector, representing more than $21 billion in annual sales.

Along with feeding the GTA, Vaughan is home to nearly 100 million square feet of industrial assets contributing to Ontario’s food and beverage manufacturing revenues, which exceed $37 billion annually.

The secret ingredient? Affordable industrial space coupled with access to talent and transportation infrastructure.

“Riverside employs more than 400 full-time staff, and being steps away from the subway and bus stops has truly made a huge difference in the health and happiness of our workforce, many of whom use transit to commute to work each day,” said Robbie Bossin, Director of Finance, Riverside Natural Foods Ltd. “Vaughan is also a hotbed for food and beverage manufacturing, which has enabled Riverside to build strong relationships with many vendors and service providers who support the food cluster in Vaughan.”

Reaching global taste buds – as many as 1.2 billion customers in 44 counties thanks to 13 free trade agreements – is easy via the nearby Ontario

Food Terminal, where over two billion pounds of produce is distributed annually.

“Choosing to locate our facility in Vaughan was one of the best and easiest decisions we’ve ever made. The city’s diversity, infrastructure, professional talent pool, expanding transportation services and its close proximity to Toronto Pearson International Airport were what initially attracted us,” said Guy Ozery, Co-President of Ozery Family Bakery. “Our facility is easily accessible to not only our team members but to our customers and buyers as well. Being at the very centre of everything has definitely proven to be very advantageous.”

The future of food

Vaughan’s proximity to many post-secondary institutions offering education in the food services and hospitality industry and food science and technology provides a much-needed talent pipeline.

To attract Vaughan’s next generation of food and beverage entrepreneurs, partnerships with organizations, such as York University’s YSpace, offer specialized workshops through Venture Catalyst and the York Region Food Accelerator programs.

And to highlight Vaughan’s globally competitive farm-to-fork industry cluster, the City, in partnership with York Region, will be onsite at the Anuga FoodTec Conference in Cologne, Germany this October.

“Vaughan will continue to collaborate with partners such as Toronto Global, the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service and other critical international trade stakeholders to position itself as a destination of choice within York Region, the GTA and internationally, with a focus on making valuable connections abroad to grow this sector,” said Vaughan Mayor, Steven Del Duca.

More information on Vaughan’s food and beverage sector is available at vaughanbusiness.ca