Overview

Let me just say, I enjoy eating and cooking. I also enjoy watching the food network; this is why I am so interested in Toronto’s food & beverage cluster. Coming from the Barrie area, I grew up with a limited selection of foods available for purchase, both in grocery stores and at restaurants. Once I moved to Toronto I was introduced to a number of foods from around the world. At first I was a little prejudice of certain foods, then after a while I began to warm up to foods offered by certain cultures. Now that I have tried many of the ethnic foods in Toronto, I believe I have the knowledge to give my opinion on everything I have tried. If you read this blog on a regular basis you’ll receive my opinion whether you like it or not.

Let discuss the cluster for a bit…

Due to Toronto’s vast multicultural population, it’s not surprising that 25% of all food processing plants in Toronto are considered to produce speciality products. Some consider this sub-sector to be the cluster’s most important sub-sector due to the fact that Speciality foods are expected to grow at a rate of 12% for the next 5 years; compare that to the clusters other sub-sectors, who are only expected to grow at a rate of 5%.

Toronto’s food & beverage cluster is the 3^rd largest manufacturing sector in Ontario and Canada. With 50% of Canada’s top food producers head offices located in Toronto, some of which include…

· Campbell Soup Company Limited http://www.campbellsoup.ca

· Kraft Canada Inc. http://www.kraft.com/

· Maple Leaf Foods http://www.mapleleaf.com/

· Nestle Canada http://www.nestle.ca/

Just to name a few…

Now here is some information and a chart to illustrate the importance of the cluster and how it is composed.

• In 2004, the food processing industry in Ontario had sales of $32.1 billion
• In 2000, the food processing industry in Ontario had sales of $29 billion
• Over the last five years, this industry experienced a growth rate of 4% to 5% annually

Until next time, keep eating…

Hey Ya’ll

This is not only my first time using wordpress, it is also my first time blogging! I hope you find what I have to say, or type, interesting. That being said, the focus of my blog will be on the Toronto food & beverage cluster. I know I am excited about studying this cluster, I hope you all share my enthusiasm. ENJOY Mofo’s !!!

Until next time, keep eating…