Over 4 million people live in the Montreal metropolitan region (along with another 4 million in the rest of Quebec), and their demand for fresh fruit and vegetables continues to outpace other Canadians.
This strong demand is influenced by immigrants, a growing desire for organics, interest in new grocery and “grocerant” options, and a robust hotel and restaurant scene—all thriving in and around this vibrant, multicultural city.
Encouraging this emphasis on fresh is the 500-member Quebec Produce Marketing Association, which has had significant success in prompting Quebeçois to consumer more fruits and vegetables.
Florian Damy, communications and partnerships coordinator, said the group’s latest marketing campaign includes social media pushes on Facebook and Instagram, to once again “create a movement in Quebec around more consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.”
On the supply side, Quebec’s growers may well be poised to partially replace some California shippers as a source of produce for the eastern half of the United States. This is due to Quebec’s strategic location, including its deepwater Port of Montreal, which can reach 40 million people by truck in one day, and another 70 million people in two rail days.
As demand for fresh fruit and vegetables continues to grow strong in Quebec, suppliers are meeting this demand with an array of new offerings. The wholesale sector will soon have a new and improved terminal market, and retailers are working to keep up with changes in their own marketplace.
In the words of Damy, the answer to steady business and ongoing success requires only one variable and its inevitable outcome. Simply put, “Eating more fruits and veggies is healthy!”
This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full article.
