This document summarizes the food and beverage cluster in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). It notes that the GTA food and beverage cluster is one of Toronto's key industries, with annual sales of $17 billion, and is the 3rd largest in North America. The cluster employed 50,000 people in 2002 in Toronto's food processing industry, and employment has been growing at 5% per year, with an expected doubling of growth rates in the next 10 years. The cluster benefits from support structures like the Toronto Food Industry Advisory Committee and Guelph Food Technology Centre. It also discusses competitor clusters in Norway and Chicago.

1. FOOD & BEVERAGE CLUSTER
Marcela Morales
GTA CLUSTERS
April 2009

2. WHAT MAKES THE GTA FOOD & BEVERAGE
CLUSTER?
Business Cluster
“geographic concentration of interconnected
businesses, suppliers, and associated institutions in
a particular field. Clusters are considered to
increase the productivity with which companies can
compete, nationally and globally. In urban study, the
term agglomeration is used.”*
*Taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industry_cluster

3. ABOUT THE GTA FOOD & BEVERAGE
CLUSTER…
• One of Toronto’s Key
Industry Cluster
• Annual Sales figure of
$17 billion
• The 3rd largest in North
America

4. ABOUT THE GTA FOOD & BEVERAGE
CLUSTER…
• In 2002, there were 50,000 people
employed in Toronto's food processing
industry.
• Employment in this sector has increased
at a rate of 5% per year.
• Within the next 10 years, employment
growth rates are expected to double.

5. CLUSTER MEMBERS

6. HOW IS CLUSTER DIVIDED?

7. SUPPORT STRUCTURES IN PLACE…
The Toronto Food & Beverage Cluster benefits
tremendously from the support of many, such as:
Toronto Food
Industry
Advisory
Committee
Guelph Food
Ontario Food
Technology
Terminal
Centre
Support
Structures
In Place

8. WHERE TO GET INFORMED…THROUGH
MARKETING & SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES
Winterlicious @ Toronto
Restaurants
Presented by American Express
Experience a series of
mouth-watering culinary
events or indulge in great
food at great value with the
ever-popular prix fixe
restaurant promotion.
The WinterCity Festival and
Winterlicious are scheduled to run
from January 29 - February 11,
2010.

9. WHERE TO GET INFORMED…THROUGH
MARKETING & SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES
Summerlicious
150 of Toronto's top
restaurants offer residents and
tourists alike the opportunity to
sample a wide variety of
diverse and innovative cuisine
through prix fixe menus.
Summerlicious is scheduled to
run from July 3-19, 2009

10. COMPETITOR 1:
NORWEGIAN FOOD CLUSTER

11. NORWEGIAN FOOD CLUSTER
The Norwegian food industry consists of companies

that turn raw materials into processed goods, like
fish products, chocolate, meat products, bottled
milk, pizzas, beverages etc. Raw materials are
mainly supplied by domestic farmers or fishermen.
There is hence a strong interdependency between

the food companies and the domestic producers of
raw materials.

12. COMPETITOR 2:
THE CHICAGO PROCESSED FOOD CLUSTER
Chicago: 5th most-popular
headquarters location for
Fortune 500 companies

13. CHICAGO PROCESSED FOOD CLUSTER
Over the past 150

Processed Food

years, access to dairy
Cluster one of the
and grains gave rise to
largest manufacturing
a robust dairy, meat,
sub-sectors in the US
milling, baking, and as
economy
technology improved, a
specialized processed
food cluster built
around global branded
food companies, such
as Kraft, Quaker and
Sara Lee
http://www.isc.hbs.edu/pdf/Student_Projects/Chicago_Processed_Food_2006.pdf

14. THANK YOU
Bon Appétit