Our History
Earl S. Thomas starts a Food Brokerage firm to represent independent Fruit and Vegetable canners.
1921
The company adds imported spices to its product line.
1930
Green coffee is first imported by the company and by 1940 Cocoa is added to utilize the company’s growing marketing expertise.
1949
Bob Singer joins the firm and broadens the scope of the business to include finished packaged products for the retail trade.
Jack Large becomes a partner and together with Evan Cover, who joined in 1952, takes the company into the Industrial market by supplying ingredients to manufacturers.
1957
The growing firm employed Ted Loewi who helped launch McCain Foods in Ontario. This includes the sale of the first Canadian made frozen French fry into the Foodservice Market and the inception of frozen foods for many foodservice distributors.
1958
Rich Products are introduced by TLS into the Canadian market.
1967
TLS acquires Reinhart Vinegars, now known as Reinhart Foods, reflecting its diverse product lines of Vinegars, Maraschino Cherries, Pie Fillings and Aluminum Foil.
1972
A new division is formed to market Rich’s Bake-Off frozen dough product for Retail in-store bakeries.
1973
TLS builds its own 100,000 sq. ft. warehouse to provide full-service to its Principals.
1974
TLS appoints Ted Loewi as President and Bob Singer as Chairman of the Board.
1979
The Quebec TLS office is opened in a branch plant of the Reinhart Operation.
Grant Small Sales is merged into TLS to create one of Ontario’s largest food brokers with separate staffs in Retail – Grocery, retail – Non-Food, Foodservice, Industrial and Bake-Off.
1992
Launches Tropicana Juices in Ontario – becomes the #1 juice brand in Canada.
1996
Merges with MKQ Sales bringing in three new partners and many new lines including Tetley Tea & Smucker’s.
Reinhart Foods acquires the assets of Dalton’s 1834 Limited (Dalton’s & Jaffa brands and new baking ingredient products).
1999
TLS launches its corporate wide software, synchronous advanced enterprise software.
TLS and Emblem Logistics move into new, wholly owned facility in Woodbridge, Ontario.
TLS acquires Murray Spencer Sales & Terra Nova Brokers in Maritimes & Newfoundland.
2000
TLS acquires Vancouver’s Tier One Brokerage with offices in Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton & Winnipeg.
TLS is the first national Food Broker with the largest staff and most offices in the industry.
2002
TLS responds to the consolidation of the national branded food brokerage business and sells that division to Acosta Sales and Marketing of Jacksonville, Florida.
TLS remains active in Industrial and Private Label Brokerage businesses as well as the buy/sell component of national brands whose sales representation were sold to Acosta.
2006
TLS moves to its new head office in Markham, retaining its warehouse in Woodbridge, Ontario.
TLS begins national broker management services for Equal Sweetener products, managing the retail and food service sales network.
2008
TLS expands syndicated national broker management services to 3 other clients creating a separate division within TLS.
2009
TLS is awarded the buy/sell business of Post Foods Canada requiring an additional warehouse space in a new building in Milton, Ontario.
2010
TLS licenses with MEI for their Troubadour Trade Price/Promotions software, as TLS’s primary platform for forecasting and managing sales and trade spending.
