Canadawide began as a small greengrocery in Montreal, founded John Pitsikoulis and his wife Angeliki within a year of arriving in Canada from their native Greece. More than 30 years after officially founding Canadawide as a fruit and vegetable wholesale operation, sons Michael, George and Nick now oversee a newly constructed state-of-the-art facility in Montreal.

Canadawide sells and distributes its products from around the world with the bulk of its business in its home province of Quebec. Their clients range from small family-based businesses to national retailers. With the buzz of activity all around, The Produce News was invited for a behind-the-scenes look at the facility, where employees were busy ensuring rotation of products and inventory and assisting customers with orders.

Located on de Beauharnois Ouest, Canadawide has settled in nicely to their new state-of-the-art facility in Montreal. Featuring the latest in refrigeration, energy efficiency, racking systems and a fully refrigerated shipping dock with tight seal doors, the warehouse is Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) certified and has allowed Canadawide to increase its production capacity. The new facility includes seven different temperature zones. Products are grouped according to ideal temperature with items that co-exist well together to avoid the break down process.

With a full product line including bananas, exotics, organics, tomatoes, lettuce, and many more, there are carefully controlled environments for all. Banana ripening rooms ensure various degrees of ripening per their clients specifications. Facilities were carefully designed to ensure order expediency and the preservation of the cold chain. Canadawide also works closely with local growers to ensure daily rotation of available local products in season. A fleet of refrigerated trucks are at the ready for delivery directly from the Canadawide expedition docks to clients’ loading docks.

Canadawide also has an on-site packaging division, Frescadel, specializing in clamshell, bag and container packaging of fruits and vegetables. Recent investments in new packaging equipment has helped increase productivity dramatically. The Frescadel product line features a variety of products, such as kiwis, grapes, peaches, plums, nectarines, snow and sugar peas, Brussels sprouts, peppers and citrus. Packaging for the line is carefully designed to highlight the products with an excellent view of the featured product a top priority in the design.

Top attributes Canadawide looks for in its own suppliers are food safety and quality. “We want our suppliers to be HACCP certified as we are and as our clients request as well, ” said Fernande Bernier of Canadawide-Frescadel.

“We have high standards, and our suppliers must meet them as well,” said George Pitsikoulis of Canadawide-Frescadel.

There’s a café and restaurant on site for clients and customers can pick and pack their own orders. The sales team is on the floor mornings, available to help customers requiring assistance and guiding clients in selected the products they need. Multiple cashiers are available on site for efficient invoice processing to help expediate customers’ orders. An Indoor garage allows customers to stay warm and dry during inclement weather — much appreciated during the Canadian winters.