Informations

National network of local distributors

PRO*ACT is a company involved in the trade of fruits and vegetables throughout North America. This supply chain of fresh products regroups 7200 employees coming from 50 different companies who strive to the needs and new demands of their clientele while guaranteeing quality, safety, service, and a reduction of costs.

The Québec climate

Unfortunately, Quebec climate does not allow our local growers to harvest year round. For this reason, Hector Larivée is a member of the largest network of fruits and vegetable distributors in the world, Pro*Act. We are the only Québec distributor who can promise the shortest time delay, less than three days, between harvesting from fields and delivery to kitchens during the cold winter months.

A competitive advantage

Pro*Act gives us direct access to American producers offering the best quality/price ratio available in California and Mexico. The combined purchasing volume from Pro*Act members represents a competitive advantage in terms of price and quality of products because it allows producers to plan their harvests in a way that provides the largest and most dependable yield.

Our storage facilities are 70,000 square feet including multiple refrigerators and a freezer, without forgetting 30 forklifts and 5 hand pallet trucks.

We are proud of our “Green Business” certification as well as our level two SQF (GFSI) certification for food cleanliness and safety, received in December 2017.

Our experienced team includes 9 operation managers, 70 warehouse contributors, one operations coordinator/RH, one HACCP/SQF (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) coordinator, and one inventory coordinator.

The quality of our products is the hallmark of our company. Our reception team, composed of one recipient and one quality control inspector, work relentlessly in all phases of their work. Our inspector thoroughly examines the products during each delivery and completes regular rounds of the warehouse outside of receiving periods to verify product quality and to take necessary action, when needed.

Our SQF level 2 (GFSI) certification is a sign of confidence for our clientele, guaranteeing that we respect all hygiene standards for the health of consumers.

Responding to and surpassing food safety requirements is one of our biggest priorities at Hector Larivée. Our goal is to guarantee the freshest and safest products throughout the process, from fields all the way to your kitchen.

Our food safety program ensures that all products can be retraced to carry out an efficient recall, if necessary. It also assures that all products delivered to clients are perfectly clean, to avoid all risk of food intoxication. Our food safety processes are subject to constant updates. The six steps of our control system are subject to a strictly enforced valuation :

• Verification of suppliers/producers: An evaluation is performed once a year to guarantee that our standards are met.
• Reception: Our team verifies that our truck and products conform to standards directly upon arrival to the warehouse to avoid the introduction of products to our distribution process that do not conform to standards.
• Storage: We assure adequate storage of products to avoid all forms of contamination - cross contamination with allergens, contamination with foreign bodies (wood, plastic), contamination caused by inadequate temperature, etc.
• Shipping: We assure that the shipping of our products is carried out without intentional or accidental contamination (inadequate temperatures, strawberries squished by a bag of potatoes, contaminated/unclean trucks, etc.)
• Transport: Temperature tracking is strictly administered up until delivery of products to the client’s kitchen.
• Traceability of products: We assure traceability of our products from receival at our warehouse up until delivery to our client’s kitchen.

Other controls are administered throughout the six main steps. Likewise, we make sure that our collaborators are trained to be able to apply these strict controls and that our buildings and equipment equally conform to food safety norms.

The fleet of delivery trucks at Hector Larivée is made up of around 70 trucks depending on the season and order volumes. Our fleet includes trucks measuring 21 feet, 26 feet, and 30 feet long as well as several smaller transit vans.

Technology from the company Digi Cool, which is used in our trucks, ensures the maintenance of cold and guarantees the safety of our food throughout the delivery process, from the warehouse to the client’s kitchen.

Omnitracs Roadnet Transportation Suite technology is used to ensure the timeliness and correct destination of each of our deliveries. Omnitracs Roadnet combines GPS surveillance technology and equips each vehicle with easy-to-use maps and reporting software. Our logistics team is capable of coordinating the quickest itineraries so that we can guarantee fast delivery of products. This technology also allows our clients to trace their deliveries online through a portal on our website.

Hector Larivée has a total of 75 ambassadors in our delivery team. All ambassadors wear a specific uniform: a blue cap with the Hector Larivée star, navy blue pants, a polo or dress shirt, and last but not least, a branded Hector Larivée jacket.

A good relationship between our ambassadors and our client’s kitchen staff is an essential ingredient to secure the smooth functioning of our distribution network. This is why we use regular delivery routes whenever possible. By sending the same ambassador to deliver, at the same time of the day, we are able to familiarize ourselves with the particularities of your establishment while solidifying our relationship with your kitchen personnel. These details encourage a more efficient delivery process and allow us to create the best relationships with our clients.

As the main point of contact for our clients, our ambassadors are the image of our company. Their training is aimed at forming close collaboration with your kitchen personnel to ensure that the proper products are delivered at the agreed upon price and in the correct quantities. Whenever a disparity is present, they are authorized to correct the situation immediately. Once the delivery is approved by the client, the products are placed in the designated refrigerator for smooth delivery and to avoid hindering the productivity of your kitchen.

We hire ambassadors with impeccable driving experience, excellent knowledge of their allocated territory, and experience using buggy style carts during a delivery. A professional attitude and customer service that stands up to the exceptional reputation of Hector LariAvée are key considerations at the time of hire.

Our delivery areas include all of Québec as well as the Ottawa area up to Cornwall in Ontario. Deliveries are carried out between the hours of 4am and 6pm.

The span of our delivery area responds to the growing demand of our clientele, which is getting increasingly larger. We take pride in being able to serve our clients throughout Québec and the east of Ontario, who are interested in creating business ties with producers that offer new alternatives, allowing them to create more original and unique menus.

Interesting facts:

• The farthest client we deliver to onroad, on a weekly basis, is in Sept-Îles, 897 km from Montréal.
• Last summer, we delivered an order to a cruise ship in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Key Drop program is used to deliver products when the client is absent. In this case, they have trusted us with a key and code to their alarm system. The Key Drop program offers many advantages by saving time and eliminating factors that may slow down a business’ productivity.

• Products are delivered outside of high traffic hours to avoid impeding circulation at the delivery site and to avoid distracting the present employees.
• Allows better control of inventory by avoiding the need to order larger quantities at the risk of not receiving a delivery in time.

*All clients interested in becoming a part of the Key Drop program have to simply make the request with their Hector Larivée representative and one of our service managers will be in contact with you.

At Hector Larivée, the environment is important! Having recently obtained our environmental certification by becoming a part of Green Business Bureau, we are proud of the green initiatives we have adopted.

We hope that our commitment and our services suit your needs as we strive to be a facilitator in the journey towards a greener future.

For the past few years, we have adopted actions with the objective of protecting our environment as well as the future of our children. Here are a few:

• Ecological packaging for bagging (cellophane packaging)
• The elimination of cardboard boxes (replaced by reusable plastic boxes for orders)
• The use of plastic palettes in our delivery vehicles
• Modernisation of our truck fleet: vehicles that are less energy-intensive
• Choosing suppliers that have taken action towards environmental protection
• Elimination of cheques, replaced by e-transfer
• Recuperating cardboard
• Systematic recuperation of computing equipment, batteries, ink cartridges, fluorescent lamps and bulbs
• Installation of automatic light switches for all of our offices
• Modernized refrigeration system in our warehouse
• Hybrid trucks in our delivery fleet
• Power cutting system on our refrigeration system and in our traditional trucks
• Recuperation of heat from our refrigeration systems to be recycled
• Transport program of fruits and vegetables to charitable organizations to avoid their destruction or dumping in landfills
• Infrastructure to encourage the use of bikes by employees (reserved parking for bikes and showers for workers)

These are some of the initiatives that have grown over the past months and years thanks to the willingness of not only management, but also thanks to the creation of a committee of employees who hold the future of the environment close to their heart.