Farm Boy’s History
A 300-square-foot produce store on Cumberland St. in Cornwall, Ontario – that’s where it all started!
Jean-Louis and Colette Bellemare opened the doors to their first modest store in 1981 with one goal in mind: to bring their community the freshest produce possible at excellent value.
From humble beginnings, to now over 50 fresh market stores and legions of loyal fans across Ontario, we’ve remained dedicated to keeping true to our roots and providing our customers with:
- An exceptional fresh-market experience.
- Hundreds of expertly curated, high-quality products including our Private Label.
- Excellent value through flyer specials, handcrafted products, and locally sourced goods.
- Unparalleled customer service that’s friendly, helpful, and welcoming.
Come on in and discover our fresh-market experience today!
Fresh produce has always been the heart and soul of our business. Our buyers visit local markets each morning to hand-select only the highest quality fruits and vegetables for customers to enjoy. Delivered to our stores daily, we strive to source from local farms whenever possible, ensuring that our produce is the longest-lasting on the market. This means less waste for you!
We’re proud to offer a wide variety of other wholesome and tasty foods, many of which are crafted locally. At every Farm Boy, you’ll find butcher-quality meats, sustainable seafood, artisanal cheese and deli selections, fresh baked goods, and convenient chef-prepared dishes.
No matter how much we grow, we continue to put quality and value at the forefront of everything we do. Our team is constantly adding new products—including our ever-expanding Private Label—to meet our customers’ evolving needs and lifestyles. Around every corner you’ll find delicious staples, along with fun options that will become newfound favourites. Did you know that we carry hundreds of vegan products? Over 300 products in the dairy category alone! Not to mention our growing selection of organic and gluten-free products, too.
Need a little help? Whether you’re looking for something specific or need assistance packing your bags, our fantastic Team Members are always ready to lend a helping hand and greet you with a warm smile. At Farm Boy, we’ll always strive to provide a fun, satisfying shopping experience that customers can look forward to time and time again.
At the end of the day, when you shop at your neighbourhood Farm Boy…
It’s All About The Food!
Fast Facts
- Farm Boy started as a small produce-only store in Cornwall, Ontario in 1981.
- Today there are 50 Farm Boy stores located throughout Ontario with more stores coming!
- Farm Boy carries hundreds of products made in and/or sourced from Ontario including fresh produce, butcher-quality meats, artisan cheese, fresh dairy and baked goods, sustainable seafood, and chef-prepared foods.
- All Farm Boy stores feature a Farm Boy Chef’s Market with Hot Bars and Salad Bars serving fresh hot and cold breakfast, lunch, and dinner options.
- Farm Boy makes many of our products from scratch without preservatives or chemicals including fresh soups, Artisan Sausages, Gourmet Burgers, kebabs, and ready-to-cook chef-prepared meats.
- Farm Boy has its own line of expertly curated Private Label products featuring hundreds of exclusive items.
- Local suppliers have been a key feature of Farm Boy stores since 1981 and there are hundreds of locally made products in-store!
Timeline
- Cornwall, ON – 814 Sydney Street, opened on December 2, 1981
- Nepean, Ottawa, ON – 1642 Merivale Road, opened on February 25, 1996.
- Hillside, Ottawa, ON – 585 Montreal Road, opened on May 4, 1997.
- Kanata, Ottawa, ON – 457 Hazeldean Road, opened on November 2, 1997.
- Farm Boy™ Lemon Garlic Dressing – First private label product launched in 1998.
- Blossom Park, Ottawa, ON – 2950 Bank Street, opened on July 10, 2003.
- Tenth Line, Ottawa, ON – 2030 Tenth Line Road, opened on December 9, 2004.
- Barrhaven, Ottawa, ON – 3033 Woodroffe Avenue, opened on March 16, 2006.
- Blue Heron Mall, Ottawa, ON – 1500 Bank Street, opened on November 16, 2006.
- Signature Centre, Ottawa, ON – 499 Terry Fox Drive, opened on June 14, 2007.
- Britannia Plaza, Ottawa, ON – 1495 Richmond Road, opened on June 15, 2011.
- Stittsville, Ottawa, ON – 1250 Stittsville Main Street, opened on December 2, 2011.
- Place d’Orleans, Ottawa, ON – 3035 St. Joseph Boulevard, opened on July 16, 2012.
- Kingston, ON – 940 Futures Gate, opened on October 2, 2012.
- Train Yards, Ottawa, ON – 665 Industrial Avenue, opened on March 14, 2013.
- Wellington South, London, ON – 1045 Wellington Road, opened on June 12, 2014.
- Masonville, London, ON – 109 Fanshawe Park Road East, opened on March 12, 2015.
- Beaverbrook, London, ON – 1415 Beaverbrook Avenue, opened on May 7, 2015.
- Whitby, ON – 360 Taunton Road East, opened on August 27, 2015.
- Farm Boy Fresh Zone, Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre, opened on October 11, 2015.
- Fairway, Kitchener, ON – 385 Fairway Road South, opened on December 3, 2015.
- Brantford, ON – 240 King George Road, opened on March 17, 2016.
- Westboro, Ottawa, ON – 317 McRae Avenue, opened on June 23, 2016.
- Cambridge, ON – 350 Hespeler Road, opened on September 15, 2016.
- Pickering, ON – 1355 Kingston Road, opened on September 29, 2016.
- Farm Boy 35th Anniversary, Cornwall, ON – Celebrated on January 18, 2017.
- CF Rideau Centre, Ottawa, ON – 50 Rideau Street, opened on December 9, 2017.
- Shoppes of Alderwood (Etobicoke), Toronto, ON – 841 Brown’s Line, opened on March 1, 2018.
- Harvard Square Plaza, Hamilton, ON – 801 Mohawk Road West, opened on March 22, 2018.
- Farm Boy Joins Empire Company – December 10, 2018.
- Oakwoods Centre, Oakville, ON – 1907 Iron Oak Way, opened on December 13, 2018.
- Leslie & Lakeshore, Toronto, ON – 1005 Lake Shore Blvd East, opened on January 31, 2019.
- Burlington, ON – 3061 Walkers Line, opened on December 5, 2019.
- St. Catharines, ON – 295 Fourth Avenue West, opened on January 30, 2020.
- Westboro, Ottawa, ON – Fresh Urban Concept store – 193 Metcalfe Street, opened on March 5, 2020.
- Newmarket, ON – 18075 Yonge Street, opened on September 3, 2020.
- Toronto – College & Bay – 777 Bay Street, opened on October 1, 2020.
- Toronto – Yonge & Soudan – 2131 Yonge Street, opened on October 29, 2020.
- Ottawa – Train Yards (Flagship Store) – 830 Belfast Road, opened on November 19, 2020.
- Waterloo, ON – 417 King Street North, opened on January 7, 2021.
- Toronto – Front & Bathurst – 33 Bathurst Street, opened on January 28, 2021.
- Richmond Hill, ON – 12276 Yonge Street, opened on April 8, 2021.
- Toronto – Harbourfront – 207 Queens Quay West, opened on May 6, 2021.
- Ottawa – Greenbank – 1581 Greenbank Road, opened on May 17, 2021.
- Oakville – Bronte – 2441 Lakeshore Road West, opened on June 24, 2021.
- Toronto – Dundas West & Aukland – 5245 Dundas West, opened on September 16, 2021.
- Toronto – Dupont & Christie – 740 Dupont Street, opened on November 4, 2021.
- Ottawa – Stittsville (New Location) – 6315 Hazeldean Road, opened on November 18, 2021 (relocated from 1250 Stittsville Main Street).
- Guelph, ON – 370 Stone Road West, opened on March 3, 2022.
- Barrie, ON – 436 Bryne Drive, opened on March 31, 2022.
- Toronto – 81 St. Clair Avenue East – Opened on November 3, 2022.
- Aurora, ON – 10 Goulding Avenue, opened on January 19, 2023.
- Sugar Wharf, Toronto, ON – 100 Queens Quay East, 2nd Floor, opened on February 9, 2023.
- Oshawa, ON – 1280 Clearbrook Drive, opened on March 14, 2024.
- Port Credit, Mississauga, ON – 175 Lakeshore Road West, opened on July 18, 2024.
- Burlington South, ON – 3230 Fairview Street, opened on August 15, 2024.