Hardy Sales

Customer satisfaction is critical in the food services industry. To ensure success and continued growth, retailers and food service businesses must bring quality products to customers at the best prices. Food distributors play a vital role in facilitating this. From tackling supply chain issues to maintaining efficient communication with all stakeholders, they perform all the complex tasks behind a product’s journey from farm to table.

This brings Hardy Sales, Western Canada's most consistent and reliable perishable food distributor, to the spotlight.

Going the extra mile, the Hardy Sales team ensures total customer satisfaction with its full-service distribution, including everything from purchasing and inventory management to order picking and fulfillment. It ensures the timely delivery of meat, deli, seafood, and bakery items to its retail and food service customers.

“We are highly customer-focused. All our processes are customer-driven and aimed at alleviating the headaches associated with sourcing the best products,” says Zane Hardy, president of Hardy Sales. “Whether it’s shipping options for next-day delivery or reducing paperwork and administrative load, our services are designed to make their lives easier.”

Its in-depth knowledge of the industry and robust relationships with vendors and partners enables it to deliver products regardless of challenging circumstances. For instance, the pandemic and the 2021 Pacific Northwest floods caused significant disruptions in the supply chain. Despite this, Hardy Sales found innovative ways to deliver products to its customers, demonstrating its flexibility in the process.

If one freight partner is unable to make deliveries, Hardy Sales always has a backup in place. In case of a looming shortage, its highly experienced team procures excess quantities of products to ensure its customers can fulfill their orders.

Hardy Sales follows a meticulous process to meet customers’ requirements. Each project begins with an assessment to understand clients' challenges, whether it's managing inventory levels, warehouse spacing, or replenishment buying. A tailored solution is then created to fulfill those needs.

Going above and beyond the role of a traditional food distributor, Hardy Sales covers the entire spectrum with a range of services, including global vendor sourcing, prospecting, and importing.

Strong relationships with producers worldwide allow it to source a wide variety of products and remain on the lookout for products suitable for its customers in Canada. When it comes to prospecting, the team selects products that are best suited for its clients. Ongoing market trends, product price, and ROI are all factored in. Appropriate pricing and marketing strategies are also identified to boost profitability for customers.

Complex tasks like customs brokerage, border clearance, labeling, and currency exchange are handled through its importing services. The team also offers supplementary programs to help customers provide more products. It performs spot buys, importing products from Australia or Europe and selling them to customers as a one-off when they need them, like specialty meats for festive seasons.

Having been in the industry for over 40 years, Hardy Sales takes great pride in its 99 percent fulfillment rate. Over the years, it has grown from a two-person brokerage operating out of a basement to one of the most reputed perishable food distributors. As a family-owned and operated business, its commitment to excellence is evident in the vast range of customers who have been with the company for decades.

“Our long-term goal is to be the first call for warehousing and distribution of perishable goods in Western Canada,” says Hardy.