Back in 2003, Yasir Shah was facing multiple challenges leading the family business and was becoming increasingly frustrated.
He was still new to the role of general manager for Mission, B.C.-based BC Frozen Foods when the company faced labour shortages, unpredictable weather and increasing competition. The company – which freezes fresh fruit and vegetables – decided to diversify the business, but struggled to find interested retailers until a break in 2005.
“Co-op was one of our first companies when we switched from a bulk packer to retail products,” Shah said. “After that, we’ve never looked back.”
Keeping it fresh and local
BC Frozen Foods sources and freezes all produce for Co-op, from frozen blueberries and strawberries to carrots, beans and peas.
The family business dates back to the mid-1980s with Shah’s father as the original owner. Shah has worked with his parents since he was 12, learning to operate a forklift, cleaning the processing plant and transporting fruit to the factory.
When his father passed away in 1997, Shah’s mother became president. Shah returned to the family business as general manager after completing his MBA in 2001.
“We had a good workforce, and we had a growing region that had a multitude of different fruits and vegetables, which a lot of our competitors didn’t have.”
The majority of the company’s produce is grown within 50 kilometres of their facility nestled in the Fraser Valley. Their antioxidant-rich Saskatoon berries are sourced from contracted fields—fittingly—in the Saskatoon area.
“One thing we believe in is that the freshest frozen product is the one that is processed from bulk into finished goods in the shortest time frame possible—and that means we do smaller runs,” said Shah.
Harnessing opportunities
One of Shah’s biggest breaks reads like a movie script. After meeting, Co-op gave Shah a chance by starting him on a small contract. At the end of that first meeting, Shah said he’d be back the following year for Co-op’s entire frozen fruit and vegetable line. And that he did.
“I exceeded their expectations and the timing was right—and within two years they gave me the whole portfolio for frozen fruits and vegetables. From there on, it just catapulted me forward to be able to grow our business.”
“Our core values of providing the freshest and most local products to our consumers aligns very well with BC Frozen Foods and is one of the reasons for our long-term relationship,” said Nena Pidskalny, a Store Brand Specialist at Federated Co-operatives Limited.
“They have a continual focus on local and innovative products which has made them a great fit for our business.”
Shah said he’s proud to be growing the business and continuing his father’s legacy alongside his mother.
“It has its challenges and it has its benefits,” he said. One of those benefits being strong relationships with customers like Co-op. “We’ve been serving Co-op for 11 years now and we’ve grown with them. They’ve always been supportive of our innovation and initiatives.”