About us

Arbutus Foods, is an independent food company that produces more than 100 food products for retailers across Western Canada. Established in 1997 on Vancouver Island, BC in the beautiful Cowichan Valley, we currently supply and support more than 150 retail stores. In 2015, the company expanded to a new state-of-the-art facility to ensure we continue to deliver our growing client base with the premium products and services we are known for.

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About the Chef

Chef Michael Pelletier, CCC RSE, is an experienced corporate chef with years of experience in catering, food & beverage, menu development, and cooking in professional and industrial kitchens. Michael is the Chef Consultant at Arbutus Foods, working to create the fresh and nutritious product offerings you'll find in your favourite delis and grocery stores.

Stellar Service

We set high standards — a principle that applies just as much to our relationships with retailers as it does to our products. We strive to meet your needs reliably, accurately and efficiently. At Arbutus Foods, we work with our retailers through every step of the ordering process.

Making Strong Connections

We call your Deli Managers twice a week to ensure we get up-to-the-moment information about the products you need, whether they’re our core products or custom dishes we work with you to create communicating product information: We’ll fill you in on everything you will need to know about our products, including nutritional and allergen information and pack sizes to custom designed deli signs.

Quality Products

We never add MSG to our products; we use natural preservatives such as citrus juices and vinegar whenever possible. We add potassium sorbate, which acts to prevent mold and microbes and increase shelf life and it is used in quantities at which there are no known adverse health effects, to Hummus and products that contain Seafood. *Some out sourced ingredients such as mayonnaise, dressings, soya sauce, sour cream and yogurts may contain preservatives to ensure their shelf life stability.

We use local ingredients whenever possible and source many of our ingredients from Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley. 64% of the ingredients we use are from Vancouver Island, 79% are from British Columbia and 86% Canadian as a whole. Buying local plays a supportive roll in our products being as fresh as possible; as well as supporting BC food producers and reduces our carbon footprint.

Culinary Trends

It’s not just potato salad for us (although our Deluxe Potato Salad is tempting). We continue to travel the world looking for delicious recipes and are always searching for the next big food trend to add to our growing product collection. We pride ourselves on making healthy dishes just like you would at home, with international flair. But no one knows your customers better than you! so we love to make custom products for our retailers and would be delighted to work with you to develop dishes that suit your target market.

Tour the Factory

Take a tour of Arbutus Foods with Principal Nels Dugstad and “Cookin’ on the Coast” with Chef Michael Williams. Discover how all our fresh and delicious salads and sides are made in our state-of-the-art facility.