fresh Produce

We have a long-held reputation for carrying the highest quality organic produce in town.  It is sourced, where possible, from small, local farms.  The relationships that we have built up over years in the business allow us access to the best quality, local produce grown in season.  We love the farmers who work so hard to grow our food, and we love to support them.

Cheese

Our blossoming cheese department carries a variety of sheep's milk cheese from Best Baa farms - a co-operative of Ontario farmers in Fergus, an assortment of artisanal cheese from Fifth Town in Prince Edward County and Monforte Dairy in Stratford.  On top of these local offerings we also carry a wide selection of specialty cheese from small Quebec farms such as Grey Owl, Baluchon, Riopelle, Pied du Vent, 14 Arpents etc., as well as a variety of goat cheeses, feta and organic cheddars.

Fresh Breads

Jeff, our baker, formerly of the Woodlot Oven, bakes fresh bread every day except Mondays.  All breads are naturally leavened, using only organic flours from local Ontario growers, and from other parts of Canada.  Among the variety of breads he bakes are the whole-grain red fife, baguette, khorasan, milk bread, multigrain, all-rye and some delicious gluten-free options including his unique, flour-less nut-and-seed bread.

bulk

We have an extended collection of carefully sourced bulk products and have begun to develop our own brand of prettily jarred herbs and spices among other things.  The latest additions to the 4life line are olive oil, maple syrup and directly traded roasted coffee.

Meat

Our carefully selected, ethical meat selection comes exclusively from small, Ontario farms.  We have certified organic chicken from Fenwood Farms, pasture-raised, hormone-and-antibiotic-free beef from Enright Cattle Co and Venison from Deer Valley Farm.  We also carry some beautiful cured meats, locally handcrafted in the Italian style from Dolce Lucano and Il Tagliere.

PREPARED FOODS

Our kitchen provides the store with wide range of fine, house-made foods prepared from organic ingredients fresh from the shelves.  From dips like humus, cashew curry and veggie mushroom pate, through jarred soups and stews, to ready meals like veggie and vegan lasagne, baked perch with pesto quinoa and organic roasted chicken - we've got you covered when you haven't got time to cook.

THE KENSINGTON MARKET GREENHOUSE PROJECT

We want to build a rooftop farm in the heart of Kensington Market, and the Modular Farms Co. have created a design for us.

Their controlled environment indoor farms use energy efficient led grow lights and 95% less water than field grown produce.

The kensington Market design will include:

-5000 sq ft of indoor growing space capable of producing more food than 12.5 acres if conventionally farmed produce, year round.

-800 sq ft of greenhouse space allowing for production of larger fruiting varieties.

this project will be a flagship for global urban agriculture and we are so excited to be part of it!

We will be bringing the food miles of our greens down from the national average of 4000 km to about 100 ft!

This means a massive reduction in carbon footprint and guarantees the freshest, healthiest produce possible.