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Quebec’s multicultural heart beats agriculture. As the largest Canadian province, it is home to Montreal, a lively industry hub with a bustling terminal market. The city’s growing demand for ethnic and locally sourced varieties make it a champion of its own growers, and of multicultural produce in a thriving import market. 

Vibrant Night Market
Montreal’s terminal market, also known as the Place des Producteurs du Marché Central, is open year-round and offers a passport to the region’s agriculture and imported commodities. The vibrant exchange of the market takes place just off l’Acadie Boulevard, and it is clear this special place is part of Montreal’s lively food trade. 
Currently, the market remains where it has been situated north of Cinema Guzzo at Marché Central, near the intersection of Highways 15 and 40. Yet the Quebec Produce Growers Association (QPGA), which manages the market, continues to receive pressure from the landowner to move, and a $42 million-offer from three years ago is still on the table. The key is finding the right land to move to while keeping its wholesalers and their top customers.
Growers would prefer the market to stay in the west of Montreal where all the wholesalers are located; however, land is currently only available in the far eastern reach of the city. “We’re afraid if we move, we’ll lose a big part of market share,” says André Plante, general director of QPGA. The current market is also a “very low cost operation,” he says, and if QPGA builds something new, they will need to offer options with low overhead like now.
In preparation for a possible move, QPGA is working with consultants to create a plan for the future of the market. When an opportunity arrives, they want clear-cut incentives that will convince market buyers and sellers to move. “It’s very special to have 100 growers coming together in the same place at the same time,” comments Plante, and protecting these relationships is a very important part of the equation.
New trends are also being taken into consideration. In the past, small retailers came to the market at night to buy for the next day. This, however, has been changing with technology. What Plante calls “the new generation” of buyers isn’t so keen on this nighttime maneuvering and is much more interested in phone apps and online ordering and communicating. Unfortunately, the Marché Central­’s current platform is not equipped to handle such traffic.

Successful Moves & Expansions
One wholesaler did not wait for the market to move: Canadawide Fruit Wholesalers, Inc. found a new home off the terminal market. President and buyer George Pitsikoulis says the company has “fully adapted to our ‘all under one roof’ new facility,” which is now HACCP certified and moving toward Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) accreditation. Canadawide also refreshed its Frescadel brand and packaging, and Pitsikoulis reports that new commodities and products have been added to the lineup—such as “Kalettes” (a cross between kale and Brussels sprouts), which capitalizes on the meteoric popularity of all things kale.