Hector Larivée started his business by selling fruit and vegetables from a store he opened at Marché Bonsecours in 1940.
Hector’s sons joined the business soon after and they expanded by delivering produce to Montreal’s restaurant industry from their St-Paul Street distribution centre during the 1950s.
Seventy-eight years later, the company’s trucks can be seen bustling throughout the city at all hours of the day.
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President Guy Larivée and supply VP Dennis Angelopoulos joined Global’s Laura Casella to talk about the importance of providing fresh ingredients to restaurants and markets.
The Larivée family name prides itself on service and set a standard of logistics that helps drive Montreal’s restaurant industry.
“We’re open until 1 a.m. When a chef calls at the end of their shift, their products get delivered early the next morning,” Larivée said.
“We help them with fast deliveries, for freshness.”
Guy and his brothers joined the company after his father passed away at the age of 48.
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The current generation now has seven of Guy’s children, nieces and nephews applying the Larivée family work ethic to the business.
“There is no bigger secret than the values and service that the Larivée family provides,” Angelopoulos said.
The Hector Larivée company’s key to success is by keeping sales local.
“They look for the least time the product is away from the kitchen, being distributed from the farms.”
The Hector Larivée company is the largest food distributor in Quebec and also serves Eastern Ontario.