Zito's Marketplace

What Zito's Marketplace does

Zito's Marketplace is a single-location, family-owned Italian and European specialty grocery store and food service operation based at 210 Marlee Ave, Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1985 by Angelo Zito originally as Verdi Produce, the business was rebranded as Zito's Marketplace while Verdi continues to function as the retailer's wholesale distribution arm. The company is run by three generations of the Zito family (founder Angelo and sons Adriano and Alessandro), with a headcount of 6 employees and no external investors or institutional backing.

The company's core product line is a curated grocery assortment consisting of fresh produce sourced daily from local farmers and importers, imported European goods from Italy, Portugal, and Greece (including branded items from suppliers such as De Cecco, Nutella, Baci Perugina, Ionia, and ShareMastro), a deli and meat counter, and a line of 'Nonna-approved' homemade products (san Marzano tomato sauce, pickled eggplant, marinated mushrooms, hot peppers, and other antipasti) made in-house. A prepared-food hot table serves Italian dishes such as eggplant parmigiana, lasagna, chicken and veal parmigiana, meatballs, pasta, and pizza. The company also offers custom gift baskets and full-service catering for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, corporate events, bar/bat mitzvahs, fundraisers, graduations, communions, confirmations, and school functions, with catering orders placed via phone or email.

Zito's Marketplace operates an exclusively direct-to-consumer, physical-retail go-to-market model with no e-commerce, no mobile app, no loyalty program, and no third-party delivery integration. All revenue is generated through walk-in retail, in-store hot table purchases, catering commissions, and gift basket sales. Marketing is driven primarily by the physical storefront, word-of-mouth referrals within the Toronto ethnic community, and a basic newsletter signup on the company website. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customer and catering inquiries are handled via phone and email. The company is a privately held, family-operated business with no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Zito's Marketplace

Website

https://zitosmarketplace.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zito's Marketplace is a family-owned Italian and European specialty grocery store in Toronto, founded in 1985, serving the local community with fresh produce, imported European goods, homemade Italian prepared foods, catering, and custom gift baskets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Ethnic Grocery Retail

NAICS

Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (445110)

SIC

Retail-Grocery Stores (5411)

akta.pro primary industry

Country/Region-Specific Ethnic Grocery Stores (CRAHAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh-Format Supermarkets (High-Fresh Mix) (CRAHAAAD), Specialty & Ethnic Grocery Wholesale (AFAIABAJ)

Keywords

• Fresh produce retail
• Italian prepared foods
• Imported European groceries
• Homemade Italian products
• Event catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto, Ontario

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Grocery Sales: Revenue from selling fresh produce, deli items, imported European goods, and homemade products to walk-in customers at the physical storefront.
2. Hot Table Food Service: Revenue from prepared Italian dishes sold at the hot table counter, including eggplant parmigian, lasagna, chicken parmigian, meatballs, pasta, and pizza.
3. Catering Services: Revenue from catering events including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, corporate events, graduations, and other special occasions. Meals are prepared on an individual basis for each event.
4. Gift Basket Sales: Revenue from custom gift baskets filled with gourmet products including homemade spaghetti sauces, hand crafted pasta, cheeses, fruit, spices, and cured Italian meats.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Zito's Marketplace is a single-location family-owned ethnic supermarket in Toronto that sells fresh produce, imported European groceries, and an assortment of in-house Italian prepared and pantry products, alongside a daily hot table of ready-to-eat Italian dishes, custom gift baskets, and made-to-order event catering for weddings, corporate events, and family occasions.

Product overview

Zito's Marketplace is a family-owned Toronto supermarket that operates as a single unified retail operation offering multiple interconnected product lines. The core offerings include fresh produce (fruits and vegetables), a hot table with homemade prepared Italian foods (lasagna, parmigiana, pizza, meatballs), imported European grocery products (from Italy, Portugal, Greece), and a line of homemade products (tomato sauces, olives, eggplants, peppers, mushrooms). The business also provides catering services for events and custom gift baskets. The hot table and homemade product lines share a common kitchen operation, while the fresh produce and imported goods form the traditional grocery inventory. Gift baskets and catering services represent service-oriented offerings that leverage the store's prepared and homemade food products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Produce and Grocery Products

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• IoniaminorOthersPolish food products supplier featured among Zito's supplier logos. Ionia produces various Polish food products distributed through Zito's Marketplace.
• NutellaminorOthersFerrero brand hazelnut spread product supplier. Nutella products are available for purchase at Zito's Marketplace.
• De CeccominorOthersItalian pasta and food products manufacturer. De Cecco products including pasta are sold at Zito's Marketplace.
• Baci PeruginaminorOthersItalian confectionery brand known for Baci chocolates. Products available at Zito's Marketplace.
• ShareMastrominorOthersItalian food products supplier featured among Zito's supplier logos. Products distributed through Zito's Marketplace.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Metro: Metro is a major Canadian grocery chain operating across Ontario and Quebec. Its expanded fresh, prepared, and imported specialty programs compete for the same Toronto shoppers and constrain the price umbrella that independents like Zito's rely on.
• Sobeys: Sobeys is a national Canadian grocer whose acquisition of Farm Boy and expansion of its specialty banners signals intensified competition in the fresh-and-imported segment where Zito's differentiates.
• Trader Joe's: Trader Joe's is a U.S.-based specialty grocer with a curated, imported-foods-forward assortment and growing Canadian footprint. Its private-label approach to Mediterranean and Italian categories overlaps with the everyday-grocery side of Zito's assortment.
• Whole Foods Market: Whole Foods Market is a premium North American grocery chain specializing in natural, organic, and imported gourmet items. It competes for the same quality-seeking, prepared-food, and gift-basket occasions as Zito's, though at a broader scale and with national distribution.
• Loblaws: Loblaws is Canada's largest grocery retailer, with banners including Loblaws, No Frills, and Real Canadian Superstore. Its growing premium, organic, and imported-Italian ranges increasingly overlap with Zito's assortment, putting pricing pressure on independent ethnic specialists.

Direct peers

• Pusateri's: Pusateri's is an upscale Toronto specialty grocer offering curated imported gourmet items, prepared foods, gift baskets, and catering. Its positioning on premium imported European goods, made-to-order catering, and gifting overlaps directly with Zito's hot-table, catering, and gift-basket offerings.
• Eataly: Eataly operates Italian marketplaces combining retail groceries, fresh prepared foods, imported goods, and sit-down dining. Its Toronto location (and broader North American footprint) competes directly with Zito's for Italian-import, prepared-food, and gourmet gift-basket occasions, though at significantly larger scale.
• Longo's: Longo's is a family-founded Italian-Canadian grocery chain operating multiple specialty supermarket locations across the Greater Toronto Area. Like Zito's, Longo's is built around Italian heritage, fresh prepared foods, imported European goods, and in-house production, making it the closest multi-store analog to Zito's curation model.
• Farm Boy: Farm Boy is an Ontario-based specialty grocer (now owned by Sobeys) offering fresh prepared foods, imported items, and a curated assortment across multiple Toronto-area stores. It competes for the same quality-oriented, fresh-focused Toronto shopper that Zito's targets, but with broader distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zito's-marketplace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Zito's Marketplace