The Canadian Produce Marketing Association BB #:153602 is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025, and leading up to the convention in Montreal, the organization has been sharing memories from the early days.
I saw a post on LinkedIn that featured a historic recipe for Potato and Leek Soup from the 1920s and 1930s and knew I had to try it.
We haven’t cooled down to soup weather here in Central Texas yet, but when you live in a hot climate you learn to adapt and just eat the soup.
This also prompted me to consider why Americans just aren’t fans of leeks. I remember a conversation with Anne-Marie Roerink of 210 Analytics about leeks and some data analysis she was doing for a seed company.
They were shocked at how few are sold in our market – only about $42 million in annual sales, according to Circana. I couldn’t find a solid source, but a quick google search pins the leek market in Canada (a country with a little more than 10% of the population of the U.S.) around $18 million.
I could just go by the displays I see at Canadian retailers. In the U.S., you’ll see displays about the size of one RPC in a wet rack. In Canada, especially in Quebec, there are secondary displays, end caps, and large promotions centered on leeks.
When I talk to U.S. consumers about it, I often find cost being a barrier. Leeks also are time-consuming to prepare, though it took me longer to peel and cut potatoes than it did for me to prepare two leeks for this recipe.
Anyway, let’s enjoy a recipe from CPMA history, and I’ll keep an eye out for more as we prepare for the 100th anniversary celebration in Montreal in April.
