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When Art Ruttan started selling frozen fruits,
toppings and related items in 1958, under the name
of A. Ruttan Sales Co., little did he know that
his small beginnings would grow and eventually
become part of Miller & Smith Foods, one of
Canada’s leading suppliers of frozen fruits
and many other products, to the Food Service and
Food Processing industries.
In the early 1960’s Art Ruttan moved his
office from Overend Street to the old Terminal
Warehouse building, which now forms part of
Toronto’s Harbourfront complex. Later, in
1967, Peter Smith started up W.P. Smith Trading
Ltd., a business that was similar to, but did not
compete with Ruttan, so he was able to rent a
small cubicle in Ruttan’s one-room office
for $25 per month, including a desk and a chair.
Although both businesses dealt primarily in
fruits, they were complementary rather than
competitive. Smith Trading handled a variety of
other products including gherkins in brine,
silverskin onions, tomato paste and was based
mainly on commission sales, whereas Ruttan
operated mostly on buy/sell or inventory sales.
As a result of following a policy of honesty in
business, fair pricing, good service and hard
work, both businesses expanded. By 1970, Smith
Trading was established and eventually purchased
A. Ruttan Sales.
A deal was made in 1972 and the present Miller
& Smith Foods was formed with Ron Miller.
By continuing to concentrate on quality products,
integrity and good service, the business grew and
further expanded its range of products to include
fruit juice concentrates and a variety of related
products for food processors, bakeries and the
food service industry in general. During the
1970’s Miller and Smith became
Canada’s leading exporter of frozen cherries
and frozen whole kernel corn to the United
Kingdom. In the early 1980’s Charles Masson
of Montreal was expanding his frozen fruit
business and acquired Peter Smith’s shares
in Miller & Smith to help expand his rapidly
growing business into the Ontario market. Ron
Miller and Charles Masson’s retirement in
the early 1990’s brought more changes and
the company was transitioned to David Masson and
Rennie Asada and, where today, it is now owned by
Rennie Asada.
With the advent of the US and Canada free trade
agreement and NAFTA and as well the freight
deregulation that was occurring, the markets
shifted toward North American sourcing. The tomato
business expanded very rapidly, where now Miller
& Smith is Canada’s largest importer of
tomato for processing.
The business expanded with the purchase of several
storage facilities in the Toronto area of nearly
100,000 square feet, Dorval Refrigerated and
Distribution Services of Toronto by 2007.
Suntrade International, an established fruit juice
brokerage owned by Rick MacNeil and Lou Vitkov was
acquired in 2010 to help solidify the juice
business and sales expanded to approximately $70
million annually.
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