Top 5 Independent Grocery Stores in Mississauga
Published June 10, 2015 at 3:08 am
You can count on these original Mississauga indie grocery stores that have been doing what they do for a combined total of over 200 years to cater to your needs. With roots dating back to the early 1920s, these independent grocers stayed true to theirs – supplying fresh, high-quality products and top-notch service.
The grocery shopping experience is unique to each individual, with preferences ranging from shopping for the best deals regardless of where you have to drive to get it to one-stop shopping where you can purchase everything you need under one roof. Which one are you?
Here are the top five indie grocery stores (listed in alphabetical order) in Mississauga and what sets them apart from the rest:
The Apple Market is a family owned and operated business that originally started out as a local fruit and vegetable farm in the 1950s. In 1973, Tiveron’s Farm Market (the original building and sign still exist) was born, specializing in seasonal produce and plants. The Apple Market expanded their offerings and made additions to the original building to include a dry goods grocery section, bakery, small deli, full-service meat counter, organic produce section and a health and wellness department. The expansions to the market happened in segments – something you notice while shopping in this charming market that makes you feel as though you are walking through the timeline of this family’s history.
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Unique for: The only market on this list that offers a full-service and professional-run health and wellness department. They have introduced natural health products, vitamins and supplements. You can check out their annual health and wellness fair in September to learn more.
Cafe or restaurant: No
Produce: Mix of local, imported and organic produce.
Prepared Foods: Self-serve hot soup. Full-service (cold) prepared foods, including salads, sausage rolls, samosas, cabbage rolls and more. Frozen pies, quiches and cakes.
Fresh Meat: Full-service meat counter that offers antibiotic-free chicken, beef, pork, house-made sausages, plain chicken and beef burger patties, veal cutlets, schnitzel, seafood cakes, marinated meats such as southern-style marinated half chicken, sesame baby back ribs, kabobs, beef and chicken stir-fry’s and more.
Fresh Fish and Seafood: Store cut and packed fresh fish that changes frequently. Currently, you will find trout, tilapia and wild salmon.
Deli: Full-service deli counter includes a selection of deli meats including natural deli meats and imported 18-month aged prosciutto.
Cheese: Small self-service cheese counter.
Olive Bar: No
Bakery: Store-made cookies, pastries, cakes, tarts, Dufflet brand pastries, store-baked loose buns, store-baked Montreal based Boulart brand artisan baguettes, savory and sweet buns and locally-made Italian loaves.
Dry goods: Standard grocery store brands and a few specialty items including coconut water, organic olive oil, pasta, fair-traded and ethical brands of coffee.
Garden Centre: Yes
Battaglia’s Lorne Park Marketplace
Battaglia’s Market is a family-run business located in the picturesque Lorne Park neighbourhood. The family attributes their success to their late grandfather’s traditional business values. Their grandfather immigrated to Toronto with his wife to start a small fruit stand in the 1920s. The sons and their families tirelessly learned the business at various locations until finally settling in Mississauga.
Unique for: The largest garden centre on this indie list, offering a beautiful and colourful selection of plants located in front of the store and occupying a sizable portion in the parking lot.
Cafe or restaurant: No
Produce: Mix of imported, local and organic produce. They also offer smaller portions of pre-packed produce like cauliflower, snow peas, stir fry mix and broccoli to cater to smaller households.
Prepared Foods: Full-service hot prepared foods, including potatoes, rice, chicken wings, chicken and veal parmesan, fish, gnocchi, cabbage rolls and more. Self-serve hot and ready whole chickens from LiberTerre – a Mississauga-based company that supplies fresh, grain-fed, antibiotic-free chicken and other meats. Self-service prepared (cold) food, including beef stew, veal parmesan, veal scaloppini, cabbage rolls, beef bourguignon, penne in vodka sauce, sweet and sour meat balls on fried rice, stuffed peppers, savoury pies and more. They also offer prepared frozen foods, including Battaglia’s own line of frozen burgers and other products from local companies like The Village Kitchen, The Village Grocer and Prestto’s Pasta.
Fresh Meat: Full-service meat counter includes Canadian Triple A and certified Angus beef, BBQ ready beef patties, marinated shish kabobs and store-made antibiotic-free farmer’s sausages. The self-serve meat counter includes LiberTerre antibiotic-free packaged chicken and pork, store-seasoned whole flattened chicken, drumsticks, legs, and thighs in a variety of marinades like Greek, Key West, Mediterranean, jerk, Italian and lemon herb; antibiotic-free beef and dry-aged steaks.
Fresh Fish and Seafood: The full-service fish counter offers store-made smoked salmon and smoked trout, pre-seasoned fish such as almond crusted sole, Caribbean crusted bass, tortilla crusted tilapia, wild halibut and organic salmon.
Deli: Full-service variety of deli meats including naturally-raised and Montreal smoked meat.
Cheese: Small self-serve cheese section with a variety of smoked cheese, aged cheese, Spanish cheese, British cheese and hand-crafted Black River cheeses from PEI County.
Olive Bar: Yes, self-serve.
Bakery: Store-made cakes, butter tarts, pies, La Rocca cakes and a small selection of loose buns, loaves and sliced bread.
Dry goods: Standard grocery store brands and a few specialty items, including award-winning organic olive oil, some organic and gluten free dry goods, organic and fair-traded coffees by Mississauga-based roaster’s Java Works and Mountain Gems Coffee.
Garden Centre: Yes
Cousin’s Market was established in 1978 by Pasquale Battaglia and his two cousins, and like most family businesses, the reigns were passed down to Pasquale’s three sons who manage the market today. Cousin’s is committed to providing locally-sourced produce, high-quality butchery meats and imported fine gourmet grocery items.
Unique for: The most impressive, prepared foods section and BBQ ready fresh meats on this indie list. You will find artisanal prepared hot and cold dishes using the freshest ingredients with no added preservatives or fillers and top quality butchery meats.
Cafe or restaurant: No
Produce: Mix of local, imported and organic produce.
Prepared Foods: Full-serve hot prepared foods are only available until 3 pm daily and include soups, beef roast, lasagna, noodles, sweet and sour chicken and more. The cold selections include grilled chicken breast, potato latkes, samosas grilled salmon, salmon cakes, meatloaf, quiche and colourful fresh prepared salads, including Asian cous cous, quinoa, sesame kale, pasta and wild rice salads, tuna, beet salads and more. There are also hot and ready antibiotic-free chickens from a local company called Beretta Farms and store-made cold pastas, lasagna, chicken dishes, cabbage rolls, potatoes and more, packaged ready to take home. You will also find Cousin’s signature store-made frozen products including burgers, Angus beef stew, chilli, roasted butternut squash and more.
Fresh Meat: Top quality butchery and marinated meats and BBQ ready meats, including Danforth-style Greek Souvlaki kabobs, chicken kabobs, Angus rib eye steaks, seasoned burger patties (Angus cheddar and Angus chophouse), free-range chicken burgers, Mediterranean seasoned free-range turkey burgers, seasoned store-made sausages (Guinness, Cajun, chorizo, spinach and feta), lamb chops, whole tied roasts and more. You can also find marinated whole flattened chicken (pesto, garlic herb, Montreal herb) and Beretta Farms antibiotic-free chicken and antibiotic and hormone free beef on the shelves.
Fresh Fish and Seafood: The full-service counter includes fresh oysters and marinated and crusted fish ready to be cooked. There’s seasonal store cut and packed fresh fish. Right now, you will find wild salmon, trout and scallops.
Deli: Full-serve and self-serve deli counters include Cousin’s signature collection of roast beef and turkeys made without fillers or by-products, Italian meats and dry-cured salami, oven- roasted Montreal beef, local Rowe Farms smoked ham and more.
Cheese: The self-serve cheese section has over 100+ imported and domestic cheeses, including imported Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy. The cheese is cut fresh daily from whole wheels and blocks.
Olive Bar: No
Bakery: Artisanal bread, including baguettes, loaves and loose buns. The pastry section includes Duffet brand cakes, tarts, cupcakes and gourmet packaged nut-free, homemade cupcakes from local company Cakes by Robert and pies from Wanda’s Pie in the Sky.
Dry goods: Standard grocery store brands, including some organic, gluten-free and fair-traded dry goods, and a hand-picked selection of specialty items including fine olive oils and vinegars.
Garden Centre: Yes
The Highland Farms is a private company established in 1963 and is known for offering everything you need, including natural and organic alternatives. Highland commits to offering a lot of in-store specials and boasts weekly flyers with remarkable savings.
Unique for: This place is gigantic and overwhelming with aisles upon aisles of everything imaginable and then some. It is also the largest indie grocery store on this list – your ticket to one-stop shopping where you will find everything (and I mean everything) under one roof. There are 24 cash registers, t-w-e-n-t-y-f-o-u-r! There is a Country Kitchen Cafe located in the front that caters to the local business lunch rush, serving hot prepared foods, including chicken, beef, fish, pasta and cold salads, Panini sandwiches and pastries. In addition, before you even enter the market, there’s an entire section of departments you can shop in, including a Laura Secord shop, a floral department and a card and gift section.
Cafe or restaurant: Yes
Produce: The large produce section includes local, imported and a few organic items.
Prepared Foods: Hot full-serve prepared food section includes ribs, chicken, whole chickens, empanadas,wings and French fries.
Fresh Meat: The full-service meat counter takes up half the length of the store and carries offals and every kind of meat and cuts possible, including beef, pork, chicken, lamb, sausages, and tripe, liver and pork hocks. The self-serve meat section includes halal options and organic chicken from a local business called Yorkshire Valley Farms and more.
Fresh Fish and Seafood: You can find store-cut and packed seasonal fish and the largest selection of wild fish. They’re currently serving wild king fish, ocean perch, haddock, yellow fin tuna, pickerel, red snapper, cod, salmon, and sole. You can also find whole smoked fish including herring, mackerel, and trout.
Deli: Full-serve and self-serve deli sections with every type of meat you can think of, mostly Italian brands, but also meats from a local Mississauga family business called Brandt Meats.
Cheese: Full-serve and self-serve cheese sections with a large selection of domestic and imported cheeses from Italy.
Olive Bar: Full-serve olive bar.
Bakery: The bakery carries cakes from La Rocca and has other sweets including cupcakes, baklava, Italian cookies, cheesecakes, fruit tarts cannoli’s, éclairs and more. You will find a large fresh bread section including their private label Country Kitchen, local Italian bakery brands, loose buns, pizza breads and savory breads sold individually.
Dry goods: Majority of the brands are Italian, however they also carry Canadian brands including some organic, gluten-free, fair-traded dry goods and a selection of specialty items including fine olive oils and vinegars
Garden Centre: No, but they have a floral department.
The Pugliese family emigrated from Italy to Toronto in 1954 and Angelo Pugliese started working in the grocery business at a very young age. In 1967, he owned and operated a local market called Sunkist Market and under his business direction he developed a local following and grew the brand. Following the growth, he opened additional locations.
Unique for: The best produce section on this list. The produce department is expansive, well-maintained and boasts huge variety.
Cafe or restaurant: No
Produce: You will find a wide array of peppers, eggplants, potatoes, onions, green leafy vegetables, cabbage and beans. You will also find a lot of local Ontario produce and a few organics such as celery, kale, carrots, asparagus, and potatoes scattered throughout the store. In addition, there is also an orange juicing machine for your dose of freshly squeezed oranges.
Prepared Foods: The full-service counter includes hot and cold prepared foods, including samosas, pork schnitzel, grilled chicken breast, grilled salmon, savory strudels, salads, lasagna, chicken kabobs, roast beef and Asian noodles. The self-serve prepared section includes pies, soups, pastas and hot and ready LiberTerre antibiotic-free whole chickens.
Fresh Meat: Full-service meat counter includes a small selection of meats, including store-made sausages, red meats, shish kabobs, veal scaloppini and Canadian beef patties. The self-serve meat counter includes beef, Ontario pork, LiberTerre antibiotic-free pork, sausages, chicken and a line of organic chicken.
Fresh Fish and Seafood: The small full-service fish counter carries seasonal fish and currently has wild halibut, wild sockeye salmon, Mahi Mahi, scallops and Blue Point oysters.
Deli: Full-serve deli counter carrying a variety of deli meats.
Cheese: Full-service cheese counter with a variety of domestic and imported cheeses.
Olive Bar: Yes, self-serve.
Bakery: You will find store-baked loose buns and baguettes and local Italian bakery loaves. The pastries include store-made ones and pastries from local brands such as Dufflet’s, Baker’s Street and La Rocca. They also carry cheesecakes from the Cheesecake Factory.
Dry goods: Italian and Asian brands, Canadian brands and specialty imported goods, including organic product lines. You will even find a small bar section of tonics, bitters and cordials and a snack section of nuts and chocolates.
Garden Centre: Yes and also a floral department.
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