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About Us

Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. proudly embarked into the third generation of family leadership in 2005, as Don and Duncan accepted roles as Co-Presidents. This meat business definitely “runs in the family” as Peter Macgregor was handed control of the Wickson butcher business by Mr. John Wickson in 1949. John Wickson was a member of the 4th generation of the Wickson family, which founded the meat purveying business in 1834. Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. is in its 7th generation of Canadian family ownership! Duncan Macgregor Sr., our 2nd generation leader in the Macgregor family, although often in our midst day-to-day, officially retired January of 2011.

Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. is a Canadian family-owned company that is committed to responsible growth through our customer focus, our people-oriented culture, and our continued reinvestment in our business, our people, and our community.

It is through his unwavering attention to the business over more than 45 years, his entrepreneurial spirit, ability to keep Our Core Values at the centre of how Macgregors conducts business and treats our MacPeople, that our success story continues as a family owned business. Our History is a storied one – from Peter Macgregor’s humble yet successful years at the St.Lawrence Market to our leading edge steak-cutting, foodservice, and cooked capabilities with which we are proud to this day.

Meet The Macgregors


From Don Macgregor (left), Duncan Macgregor Sr.(centre), and Duncan Macgregor Jr.(right), we welcome you to Macgregors online! By putting together information online about Macgregors we hope you learn more about us and our products.

It is with pride that we operate as a Canadian family owned business in its 3rd generation of Macgregors. Duncan Sr. has incorporated an entrepreneurial spirit and the values instilled by his father, Peter, in a unique way of operating in what is often viewed as a very tough and competitive industry. Don and Duncan Jr. are committed to continuing Macgregors traditions found in Our Core Values and are excited by the challenge of continuing to do business in a marketplace that is both vibrant and ever changing. A moving target we wish to be! It is with this in mind that we continue to bring together and work with what we feel are The Best staff assembled within Canada's meat industry as well as continually re-investing in our future. Thank you for visiting us online and we look forward to being a part of your centre-of-the-plate experience!

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Food Safety

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Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. owns and operates two facilities which are both HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) recognized by the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency).

The CFIA works in collaboration with Health Canada concerning food safety issues, and both establishments (Est. #303 and Est. #566) are federally inspected and monitored by CFIA’s CVS (Compliance Verification System) conducted daily.

Macgregors maintains eligibility to export to the United States of America by adhering to the standards and regulations extended through their relevant authorities, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and the FSIS (Food Safety Inspection Service).

Annual 3rd party food safety audits are conducted at both facilities/establishments. Our Fully Cooked Facility, Est. #566, is SQF (Safe Quality Food) certified – SQF is an auditing scheme recognized by the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) with the sole purpose of harmonizing food quality and food safety standards globally.

Adhering to all of these standards at Macgregors ensures that the food we manufacture is processed for our customers safety under the strictest of guidelines. Make no mistake, if a food processing plant in the province of Ontario is not governed and inspected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, it’s impossible for it to be HACCP recognized!

Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability

At Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. we believe our successes lie in the sound balancing of economic prosperity, social equity and environmental health. Throughout our purchasing decisions and product offerings we embrace business, social and environmental practices that benefit our customers, staff and community as a whole.

We firmly believe that our capacity to maintain a successful ongoing business is directly dependent on the health and well being of our natural resources, our supplier partners, our customers, our people and our community.
The Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. corporate responsibility & sustainability cornerstones:

- We conduct ourselves with a high level of honesty and integrity throughout our business
- We challenge ourselves to be well informed resources for our customers on all aspects of the products we procure, process and supply
- We strive to promote and employ products that lessen our environmental impact
- We have a high level of transparency with all products we process and sell
- We are leaders in promoting sustainable seafood
- We are leaders in producing and marketing the safest possible food products
- We treat our people, suppliers and customers with dignity and respect
- We re-invest in our people
- We re-invest in our community
- We continually re-invest and upgrade our processes, technologies and infrastructure to increase our efficiencies and in turn lessen our environmental impact

Sustainability is not static nor is it easily arrived at. It is an ongoing challenge and a dynamic and changing landscape. It requires a commitment to engage our suppliers, customers and ourselves to continually learn, challenge, change, adapt…and most of all, continually improve.

The Early Years

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The South St.Lawrence Market (c.1983) housed five generations of Wicksons and a good part of Peter Macgregor's legacy.

1949 - Peter Macgregor purchases business from John Wickson - new name became "Peter Macgregor - Purveyor".

1953 - "Peter Macgregor - Purveyor" was incorporated and became known as "Peter Macgregor Limited" - at this point the business was still located at the St.Lawrence Market.

1958 - Peter Macgregor Ltd. is one of two firms to introduce the Cryovac system of aging fresh red meat in Canada in order to better service the needs of major hotels and restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area.

1964 - Duncan Macgregor joins his father, Peter, to continue the heritage and tradition of the family business into another generation.

1966 - Peter Macgregor Ltd. sells off all interest in the St.Lawrence Market and leaves its history of retail activities behind as the firm moves into its first Federally Inspected Plant in Rexdale at 124 Belfield Rd. After leading the company for 17 years, Peter moves "aside" and Duncan takes over as General Manager. The company focuses business towards the foodservice side of the meat business.

Garyray Facility Era Begins

1969 - Upon realizing the plant on Belfield Rd. was too small for the volume of business the company had taken on, Peter Macgregor Ltd. moves to its second Federally Inspected Plant at 265 Garyray Drive - the present home of Macgregors portion controlled protein and foodservice production.

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The front of 265 Garyray Drive is much different than this shot from the early 1970's. See expansion--1986.

1972 - Peter Macgregor Ltd. introduces and invests in equipment for continuous "in-line" cooking and pre-browned red meat products.

1974 - Introduction of Profit-Sharing program for staff.

1976 - Our 265 Garyray Drive facility expands, doubling in square footage in order to increase capacity for the cooked operation.

1985 - Peter Macgregor Ltd. is selected as one of the "100 Best Firms to Work for in Canada" by the Financial Post.

1986 - Our 265 Garyray Drive location expands again with additional office space, larger cafeteria for staff, and future space (see 1992). Total square footage of building is the maximum the land will permit at 46,000.

1987 - Peter Macgregor passes away at age of 80. Peter Macgregor Ltd. begins concept of custom cutting in red meats department.

1988 - Graham Newton becomes President as Duncan Macgregor moves to the position of Chairman (Duncan led company for 22 years).

1990 - Peter Macgregor Ltd. re-dedicates its efforts to the Foodservice Industry in Central Ontario and "Boxed Meat" customers. All direct marketing of products to the Retail Industry under the "Macgregor Label" are discontinued.

Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. Era Begins

1991 - Peter Macgregor Ltd. changes its name to Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. in order to reflect the addition and introduction of our fresh and frozen seafood division.

1992 - The North End area of 265 Garyray is developed and would house our continuous cooking operation until 2005. Macgregors is awarded the first "Certified Angus Beef®" license in Canada.

1992 - Don Macgregor joins Macgregors and becomes the first member of the third generation to join the family firm.

1993 - "Chef Poulet" becomes a Macgregor trade-mark as Macgregors introduces and starts its Poultry division.

1994 - Macgregors "Signature" products division is added to further diversify our product line. Duncan Macgregor Jr. becomes the second member of the third generation to join Macgregors.

1996 - Duncan Macgregor is elected President of the North American Meat Processors Association. Saturday deliveries in the Greater Toronto Area become necessary. Certified Angus Beef® sales surpass 40,000 lbs. per month.

1998 - In order to move in a strategic direction of getting into "batch" cooked and smoked meat products, Macgregors purchases Simon DeGroot Meat Products business and building in Brampton and Duncan Macgregor leaves main location for a 2 year commitment to the acquisition. Macgregors starts shipping fresh steaks coast to coast in Canada and our red meat and ground meat departments are re-organized to respond to the demand for portion control.

1999 - Elizabeth Macgregor, wife of Peter, passes away at age 87.

1999 - The company becomes the first in Canada to install a computer controlled, automated "Intelligent Portioning Machine" for fresh red meat steak cutting. At the same time, more portion control butchers and trimmers are hired as our portion business continues to expand. In addition to these innovative changes, Macgregors adds Produce to its product line-up. HACCP Certification at 265 Garyray Dr. (Est.# 303) is awarded by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. New impingement oven is purchased for continuous cook line in order to double capacity.

2000 - DeGroot Meat Products operation is renamed "North Country Smokehouse" and enters into the manufacturing of fresh fully cooked protein entrees. A poultry automated "cone" line is added to further enhance serving the foodservice side of the business.

2001 - In order to continue growing and moving forward in the "batch" cooked and smoked meat business, Macgregors sells its Brampton plant housing North Country Smokehouse and leases space under CFIA inspection in Mississauga for a four year period. Frigo replaces original CO2 freezing capability on continuous cook line at Garyray Drive with a state of the art mechanical freezing ammonia system.

2002 - Macgregors is presented its first Certified Angus Beef® "Silver" Award and is the first to purchase more than 2,000,000 lbs. of Certified Angus Beef® in Canada. Macgregors introduces smoked and cooked pork back ribs product to selling mix. "Macpeople - Macgregors at its Best!" article is featured in the September 2002 issue of Meat Processing Magazine - a tribute to the dedication and commitment of the staff at Macgregors.

Expansion Continues

2004 - Graham Newton retires as President after leading the company for 16 years, and Don and Duncan Macgregor Jr. take over as Co-Presidents. The Macgregor Family furthers its commitment to growth in cooked meats by securing a building at 60 Hanlan Road in Vaughan in order to house Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd.'s continuous and batched cooked business and production. Macgregors obtains North Country Cookhouse™ trademark. Macgregors further invests in Intelligent Portioning technology as the first company in Canada to implement the new generation of equipment.

2004 - Macgregors “entrepreneur”, Duncan Macgregor, celebrates 40 years of commitment to family business and the meat industry – a testament to his dedication and part of his legacy as a 2nd generation leader of Macgregors.

2005 - After 129 days of construction from the ground up, Macgregors fully cooked facility in Vaughan is completed. This state-of-the-art facility houses our continuous cook-line and batch cooking (North Country Cookhouse™) operations. Macgregors Produce division closes and the space at 265 Garyray Dr. becomes fully entrenched in servicing the needs of Our Customers at the foodservice level.

2006 - Macgregors is awarded a Certified Angus Beef® Value Added Product licence to process fully cooked products out of Hanlan Rd. Another step in Macgregors commitment to the Certified Angus Beef® brand and our offering of products to the retail and foodservice trades.

2006 - After more than 5 years as the exclusive manufacturer of 44th Street® fully cooked entrées, Macgregors purchases the 44th Street® brand and related trademarks in order to better manage growth and the future of its batch cooked business.

2007 - Macgregors surpasses $100 million in sales for the first time in history and 3 million lbs in purchases of Certified Angus Beef® - another first in Canada.  During 2007 and 2008 the Macgregor family further commits to the future with significant capital investment to house Canada’s premier steak cutting operation.

2008 – In order to service ongoing Canadian retail sales growth through the 44th Street® brand and private label cooked and portion control products, Macgregors adds a Director of Retail Sales.  “Sprinter” style delivery vans are added to our fleet of trucks in efforts to be responsive to the ever growing foodservice business in the Greater Toronto Area. 

2009 – Macgregors proudly purchases in excess of 4 million lbs. of Certified Angus Beef®, continuing a history of being in the Top Five purchasers of the CAB® brand in North America and the only remaining privately held business in this exclusive group of specialty meat purveyors.  Char-marking capability is added to our continuous cookline in efforts to service growth of cooked protein products.  Despite the “great recession”, Macgregors soldiers on not laying off a single MacPerson.

2010 – Our staff celebrate four consecutive years without a lost time accident at both our Garyray and Hanlan facilities – Macgregors Core Value of “Work Safely” pays dividends.