Grande Cheese is a privately owned
grocery
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, an ...
chain in the
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. Its
corporate office is located in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, and had been previously located in
Orangeville.
History
Grande Cheese was founded in 1958 by Italian immigrant Marco Contardi who immigrated to Canada in 1955 from
Anzano di Puglia
Anzano di Puglia is a small town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia and region of Apulia in southeast Italy. It rises above sea level.
The town lies along the Apennines, astride the Daunian Mountains at the intersection of two ancient Roma ...
,
Apulia
it, Pugliese
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.
Before he immigrated to Canada, Contardi worked for a landlord tending to his sheep and cows where he learned to be a cheesemaker.
Upon arriving in Canada, Contardi soon opened Grande Cheese on a small farm in Orangeville, delivering their cheeses to Italian grocery stores, restaurants, and bakeries.
During the 1960s, after a third party marketing and delivery system of milk was established, Grande Cheese moved closer to Toronto, a on Milvan Drive. Later, Grande Cheese expanded to a facility in
Vaughan
Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...
.
Locations
Five locations:
*
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
(2)
*
Vaughan
Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...
(2)
*
Richmond Hill
See also
*
List of supermarket chains in Canada
This is a list of supermarket chains in Canada. For supermarkets operating in other countries, see ''List of supermarket chains.''
Major chains
*Georgia Main Food Group operates:
**Fresh St. Market
** IGA / MarketPlace IGA in British Columbia onl ...
References
External links
*
{{Canadian Supermarkets
1958 establishments in Ontario
Companies based in North York
Retail companies established in 1958
Supermarkets of Canada
Privately held companies of Canada
Canadian companies established in 1958