Coldstar Solutions

What Coldstar Solutions does

ColdStar Solutions Inc. is a privately held Canadian cold chain logistics and wholesale grocery company headquartered in Langford (Victoria), British Columbia. Founded in 1999 by Kelly and Jennifer Hawes as a refrigerated trucking company and reorganized in 2014 through the merger of ColdStar Freight Systems Inc. and Wilson Foods (est. 1994), the company operates an integrated platform combining refrigerated transport, public cold storage, and wholesale grocery and produce distribution serving independent grocers, food suppliers, and community organizations across Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and the Lower Mainland of BC.

The company's infrastructure spans five facilities — a 36,000 sq ft Victoria Transport and Storage Warehouse with 1 million cu. ft. of cold storage at -28°F, a 72,000 sq ft Ladysmith Wholesale Distribution Centre holding 6,800+ pallet positions, a 42,000 sq ft Richmond refrigerated cross-dock, a Victoria Produce Warehouse, and a Comox cross-dock — supported by a fleet of 45+ trucks, 50+ refrigerated trailers, and 16 CNG Class 8 tractors plus a Canadian-made Class 6 electric refrigerated truck. Operational technology centers on GPS fleet tracking, on-board temperature control systems, laser temperature probes, HACCP-based food safety protocols, and preventative maintenance programs; a proprietary online wholesale portal (coldstar.mightyoaks.com) supports SKU ordering across 10,000+ products.

ColdStar generates revenue across three streams: food transportation services (200+ daily pickups/deliveries, 500,000+ lbs nightly), wholesale grocery and produce distribution to independent retailers, and public cold storage, cross-docking, trans-loading, and warehousing. GTM is sales-led and relationship-driven, with quote-based per-customer pricing; marketing relies on community involvement (Community Food Project, partnerships with Trucks4Change and Nourish Cowichan), industry awards, and direct outreach via toll-free dispatch lines. The company is 100% locally owned with no disclosed institutional investment.

Name

Coldstar Solutions

Legal name

ColdStar Solutions Inc.

Website

https://coldstarsolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ColdStar Solutions is a privately held Canadian cold chain logistics and wholesale grocery company serving independent grocers across Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and BC's Lower Mainland with refrigerated transport, public cold storage, and wholesale distribution of 10,000+ products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cold Chain Logistics and Food Distribution

NAICS

Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage (49312), Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers (424420)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Goods Transport (Deep-Frozen) (TLADAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen Food Cold Storage (TLALABAB), Frozen Foods Distribution (CRAOABAI), Frozen Foods Wholesale (AFAIABAC)

Keywords

• Cold chain logistics
• Refrigerated transport
• Wholesale grocery distribution
• Cold storage warehousing
• Food logistics services

Headquarters

HQ city

Langford

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food Transportation Services: Revenue generated from transporting fresh, frozen, and dry food products daily between the Lower Mainland of BC and Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands. ColdStar makes over 200 pickups and deliveries daily, transporting over 500,000 lbs of food each night. Services include next-day delivery, custom shipping solutions, and refrigerated trailer rentals.
2. Wholesale Grocery Distribution: ColdStar operates as a wholesale grocery and produce distributor offering over 10,000 products to independent grocers across Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and the Lower Mainland. Products include produce (conventional and organic), temperature-controlled groceries, dry goods, and the largest selection of ethnic Asian cuisine on Vancouver Island. Revenue is generated through product sales to retailers.
3. Cold Storage and Warehousing: Public cold storage and warehouse services providing temperature-controlled storage, cross-docking, trans-loading, holding for pick-up, overseas container loading, and distribution. ColdStar operates the largest public cold storage and distribution center on Vancouver Island.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ColdStar Solutions is an integrated food logistics and wholesale company that picks up, transports, stores, and distributes fresh, frozen, and dry food across British Columbia. It runs a refrigerated fleet of 45+ trucks and 5+ warehouse facilities supporting daily deliveries between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island/Gulf Islands, while also acting as the oldest independent grocery wholesaler on Vancouver Island supplying over 10,000 SKUs to independent grocers.

Product overview

ColdStar Solutions is a food logistics and wholesale company operating a platform of integrated services: refrigerated transportation and storage (Transport & Storage Services) combined with wholesale grocery and produce distribution. The company runs a fleet of over 45 trucks and 5 refrigerated warehouse facilities alongside a dry wholesale distribution center. Key facilities include the Ladysmith Wholesale Distribution Centre for dry groceries, Victoria Produce Warehouse for fresh produce, and the Victoria Transport and Storage Warehouse featuring 1 million cu. ft. of cold storage. The CNG Vehicle Program supports sustainable fleet operations. Services include pickup/delivery across BC, warehousing, trans-loading, cross-docking, and overseas container loading.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transport & Storage Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000+ lbs of food transported per night across 200+ daily pickups and deliveries
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Victoria Rainbow KitchenminorOthersColdStar provides monthly food donations to Victoria Rainbow Kitchen through its Community Food Project initiative, supporting the organization's meal programs for community members in need.
• Esquimalt Neighbourhood HouseminorOthersMonthly food donations from ColdStar support Esquimalt Neighbourhood House's community programs including cooking lessons, nutritious meals, and supportive environments for individuals and families.
• Saanich Neighbourhood PlaceminorOthersMonthly food donations from ColdStar support Saanich Neighbourhood Place community programs for children, families, and seniors in the Saanich area.
• James Bay Community ProjectminorOthersColdStar provides food donations through its Community Food Project to the James Bay Community Project, enabling healthy snacks and meals for children, youth, families, and seniors.
• Fernwood Community PlaceminorOthersMonthly food donations from ColdStar support Fernwood Community Place's community programs and food security initiatives.
• Sooke Family Resource SocietyminorOthersColdStar donates food to the Sooke Family Resource Society to support families in the Sooke region through food security programs.
• Quadra Community CentreminorOthersColdStar has provided generous monthly donations of fresh produce, meat, and dairy products to the Quadra Community Centre for over fourteen years, supporting programs for low-income residents, children, families, and seniors.
• Burnside Gorge Community CentreminorOthersMonthly food donations from ColdStar support Burnside Gorge Community Centre's food programs and community services.
• Trucks4ChangeminorOthersColdStar partners with Trucks4Change, a community initiative, as part of its broader community involvement and food security support efforts.
• Nourish CowichanminorOthersColdStar collaborates with Nourish Cowichan to support food security initiatives in the Cowichan Valley region.
• Blanshard Community CentreminorOthersBulk food donations (chicken, cheese, eggs, meat, peanut butter, yogurt, bread) are delivered to Blanshard Community Centre in Victoria, where volunteers divide donations for distribution to Neighbourhood Houses.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gordon Food Service: Gordon Food Service is a major North American broadline foodservice distributor serving restaurants, schools, and retailers. It is a direct peer to ColdStar's wholesale grocery distribution arm, with overlapping customer bases and product assortments including frozen and refrigerated items.
• VersaCold Logistics Services: VersaCold is one of Canada's largest temperature-controlled warehousing and transportation networks (now part of Kuehne+Nagel). It directly overlaps with ColdStar's cold storage and refrigerated transport offerings, serving similar food retailer and food service customers.
• Sysco Canada: Sysco Canada is the Canadian subsidiary of Sysco Corporation, a leading foodservice and food distribution company. It directly competes with ColdStar's wholesale grocery distribution business, supplying restaurants, hotels, and institutional customers across Canada.
• Day & Ross: Day & Ross is a Canadian LTL freight carrier and subsidiary of TFI International with a dedicated refrigerated and food service logistics division. It directly competes with ColdStar in temperature-controlled freight transport across Canada, including cross-border food distribution.
• Federated Co-operatives Limited: FCL is the wholesale and supply arm of the Co-operative Retailing System in Western Canada, distributing grocery, food, and fuel products to member co-ops. It is a direct peer to ColdStar in grocery wholesale and distribution, with overlapping independent/community retailer customers.

Broad incumbents

• TForce Freight: TForce Freight is a major North American LTL freight carrier with significant Canadian operations (formerly Canpar). It is a broad incumbent competing for the same food shipper customers as ColdStar, though its portfolio extends well beyond refrigerated freight.
• Mullen Group: Mullen Group is a diversified Canadian transportation, logistics, and warehousing company with segments including food logistics. It serves as a broad incumbent in the same industry as ColdStar, with overlapping refrigerated trucking and warehousing services across Western Canada.
• United States Cold Storage: US Cold Storage operates one of the largest public refrigerated warehouse networks in North America. It is a broad incumbent cold storage competitor to ColdStar's public cold storage business, serving similar food manufacturers and retailers at greater geographic scale.
• Lineage Logistics: Lineage Logistics is the world's largest temperature-controlled warehouse and logistics company, operating a global cold chain network. It is a broad incumbent competitor to ColdStar in refrigerated warehousing and transport, though it operates at much greater scale and across many geographies.
• Bison Transport: Bison Transport is one of Canada's largest carriers offering truckload, LTL, and logistics services across North America. While not exclusively refrigerated, it competes in the same Canadian trucking market as ColdStar, including temperature-controlled freight for shippers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Coldstar-Solutions-Inc-525049374524113
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coldstar-solutions-inc-

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coldstar Solutions