In October, Big League Food Company, the Toronto-based food platform is opening a 1220 square foot Dear Grain specialty bakery at Shops at The James on Scrivener Square in Toronto’s upscale Rosedale neighbourhood. And later in the year, the specialty chain opens at The Waterworks Food Hall on Richmond St West in downtown Toronto’s Fashion District. The openings bring the chain to five locations by the end of 2026 and Max Daviau, Big League Food’s Co-Founder explains a second location in Hamilton, a 10,000 square foot state-of-the-art bakery beside Gage Park with significantly greater capacity is expected to open in the first half of 2027. Dear Grain is a specialty bakery that features a range of fresh-made sourdough breads and pastries. Introduced in a café in 2018, the first standalone Dear Grain bakery opened on Lower Ossington in Toronto in late 2021 and in mid-2022, a bakery and commissary was opened in Hamilton, a block from Jackson Square. Daviau adds that Dear Grain has recorded a 25 percent same-store-sale growth this year and the chain continues to source expansion opportunities, adding two or three locations next year. The chain continues to seek highly visible units in the 1500 to 1800 square foot range with patios and convenient access in Central Toronto’s Eglinton West, Lawrence Ave and Yonge/Eglinton area. Chris Wanzel at Urban Reform Realty handles the site selection for the chain.
Urban Reform Realty Inc., 121 King St West, Suite 1120, Toronto, Ontario M5H 3T9 (Chris Wanzel- 416/450-2098 chris@urbanreformrealty.com)
Big League Food Company, 1786 Mattawa Ave., Mississauga, Ontario L4X 1K1 (www.blfg.com) & (www.deargrain.com)