The booming meals firm in London buys six extra and expands its workplace

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The booming meals firm in London buys six extra and expands its workplace

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A London food industry has bought central office space and six other food-related industries, all part of an aggressive national growth strategy.

Publication date:

August 14, 2022 • 26 minutes ago • 3 minutes read • Join the conversation Nick Spina, Chief Executive of Ethey, which operates LiveFitFoods, speaks about the acquisition of six related businesses and downtown office space from their manufacturing facility in London, Ontario. on Friday August 12, 2022. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press) Nick Spina, Chief Executive of Ethey, which operates LiveFitFoods, speaks about the acquisition of six related businesses and downtown office space from their manufacturing facility in London, Ontario. on Friday August 12, 2022. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)

A London food industry has bought central office space and six other food-related industries, all part of an aggressive national growth strategy.

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Ethey, the parent company of LiveFitFoods, is a food company that prides itself on generating zero waste by providing ready meals to consumers.

Ethey has purchased 1,900 square feet of space at 379 Dundas St. to consolidate six other recently acquired businesses.

In addition, it is expanding its food production space at The Grove, a food center at the Western Fair.

“We try to be as big as possible and we impress in a great way. We serve food, reduce food waste and help the environment by being sustainable in every way,” said Nick Spina, CEO and Founder.

Ethey was formed by Spina as the umbrella company under which the new businesses and LiveFitFoods will operate.

The acquired companies include low-carb ready meal company Carb Smart Express, pet food maker Puppy Gang Fresh Foods, juice maker Blank Slate Wellness, a numbered company involved in transportation that goes by the name Ethey Logistics, and two others, Spina said. he couldn’t name them yet.

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He will bring LiveFitFoods’ reduced carbon footprint model to all new businesses. All the material of the food boxes now used is reusable or recyclable.

“It has to happen. I’m passionate about it. Canada has a high percentage of food waste and this needs to happen,” Spina said. “It’s important that we have an impact on the planet.”

LiveFitFoods supplies ready meals to the home consumer, but the food is cooked and ready to serve, which sets it apart from other food box companies like Hello Fresh and Good Food. Spina boasts that its packaging will keep groceries warm for up to three days, but said they’ll be delivered to most doorsteps across Canada a day after ordering, he said.

He declined to comment on how much sales have risen in recent years or the dollar value of his investments in other companies.

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“This is fantastic news. It speaks volumes about the growth in the food and retail sectors,” said Kapil Lakhotia, Chief Executive of London Economic Development Corp. “There will be more food production, more downtown offices, it will bring new economic activity to the city. These are the types of businesses we want to draw to the core and contribute to downtown economic activity.”

Ethey bought five commercial units in the basement of the building.

It has around 200 staff in London and around 70 will be moving to the Dundas Street offices in the autumn. It has a total of about 500 employees, with new acquisitions.

“It’s remarkable and we’re just getting started,” Spina said.

By expanding into other industries, he will also be able to offer other goods for delivery.

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When Puppy Gang Fresh Foods owners Marisa Hoskins and Sarah Tritsaris spoke to Spina, they knew it was the right choice to grow their brand. It has a strong provincial presence but sees Ethey as a strategy to grow across Canada.

“He shared our values, only wanted quality ingredients and wants to start a sustainable business,” said Hoskins. “I don’t think we would see growth if we didn’t join Ethey.”

Both stay with Ethey to run the pet food business. It’s now mostly an e-commerce platform selling high-quality fresh pet food.

“We’re seeing more and more customers asking about sustainable practices,” Tritsaris added.

Ethey has raised more than $14 million over the past two years from private investors attracted by its zero-waste model and growth in ready meal sales.

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Gary Vaynerchuk, chairman of a New York-based media and communications holding company, is an investor and his support sparked coverage of Ethey in Forbes.com last year. In fact, Ethey has been featured in multiple business publications such as emtrepreneur.com, Wealth Inside and Food Service and Hospitality, the Shopify Blog, and Disrupt Magazine to name a few.

Spina met Vaynerchuk through mutual friends.

“Vaynerchuk is a big name in the digital world and brings more than just investments to the table,” said Joe Dales, co-founder and president of a grocery and innovation hub at RH Accelerator Inc. in London.

“They have connections and infrastructure, and it’s a big industry that has developed a lot,” he said of the grocery delivery business.

In moving to downtown Ethey, Ethey also received support from the Core Vacancy Reduction Program to support occupancy of downtown office space. It received an incentive of about $15,000 to purchase the space, and the downtown investment is worth more than $3 million, Lakhotia said.

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