macgregors meat & seafood: about us: history

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Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. is proud to embark into the third generation of family leadership as brothers Don and Duncan take on roles as Co-Presidents in 2005. 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 fifth generation of the Wickson family, which founded the meat purveying business in 1834. Yes, Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd. is actually in its eighth generation as a family owned business - Proudly Canadian!

Our second generation leader, Duncan Macgregor Sr., is still active in the company to date as CEO. Duncan Sr., through his entrepreneurial spirit and ability to keep Our Core Values at the center of how Macgregors conducts business and treats our MacPeople, has been the thrust behind our growth as a family owned business.

We hope you enjoy reading a little about Our History - from Peter Macgregor's humble yet successful years at the St.Lawrence Market to our leading edge steak-cutting, foodservice, and cooking abilities we are proud of today.

The sturdy Scot, Peter Macgregor, (second from the left) training in Glasgow before embarking to Canada

The Beginning of Peter Macgregor
– Purveyor of Meats

From J.H. Wickson to Peter Macgregor (as reported Saturday, March 5, 1949 in THE TELEGRAPH – by Ed Palmer)

Butcher Business Passes From Family After 115 Years – Takes Over Business Same Age as Toronto

A Canadian business dynasty covering more than 100 years ended this week, and a family firm operated by four generations passed out of its hands.

In 1834, the town of York became Toronto and was incorporated as a city, the firebrand William Lyon Mackenzie was elected as its first mayor and James Wickson of Walworth, near London, England, came to the new city to found a meat purveying business which remained in the family for 115 years. Good beef was about seven cents a pound then.

One hundred years later, both the city and the Wickson business celebrated their centennial. Both had seen the growth of Canada from a dependency of Britain to an independent world power. The price of meat had risen considerably, too.

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This week, John Wickson, a member of the fourth generation of the Wickson family, handed over control and ownership of the concern to his manager, Peter Macgregor, a sturdy Scot, Glasgow-trained, who came to Toronto 20 years ago to work at the Wickson stall in St. Lawrence Market. Now 42 years old and the father of two children, Mr. Macgregor will retain the family name for the time being.

Breaks Family Link
But for the first time since 1834 there will be no member of the original family in charge. John H. Wickson, the last member of the family in the market, has no children.

The story of the Wickson family reads like the prototype of all those earnest, hard-working, family businesses....Mr. Wickson is proud to be connected with such a well-known business – a business that has become almost a tradition. But, he says, “I’m getting on. Too old for these young chaps now. Family businesses are almost a thing of the past now. Look at Michies.”

The Wicksons always have prided themselves on their temperate personal habits. Mr. Wickson neither drinks nor smokes and points to the time when his father displayed a card at the stall which said; “One hundred years of total prohibition from all manner of liquor, wines and tobacco is our boast.”

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The Early Years of Peter Macgregor Ltd. (1949 - 1968)

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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 - 1990)

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 - 2003)

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 - Present Day)

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.

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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 2^nd 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 (please see Our Facilities). 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.

265 Garyray Dr., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M9L 1P2 :: 416.749.5951 :: Order Desk - 1.888.383.3663