Grande Cheese
 | |
 Grande Cheese in Richmond Hill, Ontario | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail supermarket |
| Founded | 1958 in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada |
| Founder | Marco Contardi |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 5 |
Area served | Greater Toronto Area |
| Products | Bakery, dairy, delicatessen, frozen foods, general grocery, meat and poultry, produce, snacks |
| Website | http://grandecheese.ca/ |
Grande Cheese is a privately owned grocery chain in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. Its corporate office is located in Toronto, and had been previously located in Orangeville.
History
[edit | edit source]Grande Cheese was founded in 1958 by Italian immigrant Marco Contardi who immigrated to Canada in 1955 from Anzano di Puglia, Apulia.[1] Before he immigrated to Canada, Contardi worked for a landlord tending to his sheep and cows where he learned to be a cheesemaker.[1] 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.[1]
During the 1960s, after a third party marketing and delivery system of milk was established, Grande Cheese moved closer to Toronto, a 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) on Milvan Drive. Later, Grande Cheese expanded to a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) facility in Vaughan.[1][2]
Locations
[edit | edit source]Five locations:
- Toronto (2)
- Vaughan (2)
- Richmond Hill