At a time when the food industry is relentlessly moving forward, there is a place in the western part of Toronto where modernity harmoniously blends with tradition. Here, they still believe in the power of quality products, time-tested recipes, and the craftsmanship of people who transform milk daily into the favorite products of many Canadians. Prominent Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and former Member of Parliament Borys Wrzesnewskyj is preparing an expansion of his family business, the legendary «Future Bakery» and the dairy enterprise «MC Dairy». In an interview with Homin Ukrainy, he spoke about the philosophy of healthy eating, a long-standing battle with bureaucracy, and ambitious plans to turn the enterprise into a true «Ukrainian food wonderland».
The history of Future Bakery dates back to the 1950s, when the first bakery opened at the intersection of Queen & Bathurst streets, a neighbourhood where third-wave Ukrainian immigrants commonly settled after World War II. However, over the years, the community gradually began moving westward through the neighbourhoods of High Park, Bloor West, and later into Etobicoke, Mississauga, and Oakville.
In the 1980s, having just graduated from university, Borys decided to continue the work of his grandmother, who stepped down from managing the business in 1983. The young entrepreneur quickly realized that the old urban location critically restricted the enterprise’s growth.
«The bakery there was very cramped, small, and there was nowhere to expand. It was difficult. So I decided that we needed to build a new factory», Wrzesnewskyj recalls.
In 1994, Etobicoke became the new home for the business, strategically located near Toronto’s vital transport arteries: Highway 427 and the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way). This made it possible to significantly expand logistics and begin the parallel construction of a dairy enterprise on their own spacious property spanning over four acres of land.
In addition to baking, Wrzesnewskyj purchased the «MC Dairy» creamery in 1991 from Mr. Bohdan Wowchak, whose partners at the time were the first directors of the famous «Maslosoyuz» cooperative in Ukraine. Few know that the acronym «MC» is a direct reference to this legendary Western Ukrainian organization, which in the 1920s and 30s exported tons of high-quality butter and cheese to England, Holland, and France. Following the war, its leaders ended up in Canada as political refugees.
Introducing authentic Ukrainian products to the Canadian market turned out to be a long, difficult battle with local regulatory bodies. Canadian legislation simply did not recognize products like kefir or pressed white cheese.
«I was the first to introduce kefir to Canada. It was a two-year battle because such a product did not exist. They wanted me to call it ‘drinkable yogurt.’ I had to explain everything to achieve a result», the entrepreneur shares.
A similar situation occurred with traditional quark/cottage cheese. In the US, such a product is often labeled as «farmer’s cheese», whereas in Canada, Borys officially registered his recipe under the name «Cottage Cheese». Today, the market has shifted dramatically: a new generation of buyers consciously seeks clean, organic products rich in natural proteins.
Now, Borys Wrzesnewskyj stands on the threshold of another major project. Having bought out the adjacent lot from his neighbour, who originally comes from Eastern Europe, the entrepreneur is preparing a complete redevelopment of the complex. The coming months will be dedicated to relocating the bakery, and the vacated 25,000 square feet of space will allow the company to significantly expand its dairy production.
However, the most highly anticipated part is the creation of a spacious cafe and a renovated signature store based on a «Factory Outlet» concept. Even now, customers visiting the enterprise are left delighted. Smiling, Borys quotes one visitor: «I loved it: a woman walked in once, she was a fourth- or fifth-generation Ukrainian, and said: ‘It’s like a Ukrainian Food Wonderland!’»
According to the owner, the secret behind Future Bakery’s success is a strict refusal to use modern industrial chemicals and preservatives, which allow bread to sit soullessly on supermarket shelves for weeks. Wrzesnewskyj is convinced that bread and milk are basic, even sacred things.
«My philosophy is: life is too short to make money from something that poisons people. To me, that seems like a great sin in the food industry», he emphasizes.
While large corporations bake artificial, «inflated» bread using fast chemical yeast, Wrzesnewskyj’s bakery returns to traditional sourdough bread, where the complex fermentation process lasts from 48 hours to three days. Borys explains the unique biological value of such a product in detail.
«Sourdough requires at least 12–14 hours, and ideally, these are round-the-clock processes. Fermentation should take two to three days. Such bread looks heavy, but it is the easiest on the stomach!», he highlights.
Expanding the business and distributing products across vast distances throughout Canada, from Halifax in the east to the city of Victoria on Vancouver Island, demands new technological solutions. Currently, the company is actively experimenting with advanced logistics methods: flash freezing technology and delicate packaging where oxygen is displaced by nitrogen (nitrogen/gas flush). This allows the bread to be delivered without adding a single preservative.
Furthermore, having his own retail network allows Wrzesnewskyj to test new products directly on customers. For instance, the company has started producing Carpathian bryndza, adapting its saltiness to the tastes of modern Canadians. In addition, the entrepreneur plans to revive the recipe for authentic Ukrainian ice cream with a high fat content (18–20% instead of Canada’s standard 10%) and minimal artificial aeration (overrun), ensuring a rich, dense, and unique flavour.
For Borys Wrzesnewskyj, this work is not just a business, but the fulfillment of a historical and moral duty. He proudly mentions that he carefully preserves his grandfather’s original 1905 baker’s diploma, issued during the times of the Russian Empire. To achieve master status, his grandfather not only had to work for seven years as an apprentice but also provide two mandatory accompanying documents.
«To receive an education back then, you couldn’t simply work for 7 years as an apprentice; you also had to get a diploma in trade, to know how to run a business, and one in morals as well. After all, we bakers feed people, and that is a great duty. It requires a responsible approach», Borys shares, reflecting on his family history.
According to Wrzesnewskyj, the expansion project for Future Bakery and MC Dairy is a major financial risk that he is consciously taking on yet again in his life. However, his main goal remains unchanged: to show multicultural Canada the full grandeur and wholesomeness of Ukrainian culinary traditions, to bring back lost recipes, and to prove that an honest business guarding human health is both viable and successful.
Oleksandra Chorna
