August 2020: Freshii

Matthew Corrin founded Freshii in 2005. When the first location opened in Toronto, it was initially called Lettuce Eatery. The mom-and-pop delis he came across while working in New York under fashion designer Oscar de la Renta inspired Matthew.

Freshii operates to provide healthy food that is convenient and affordable. With “eat. energize.” on the walls of every location, they include customizable salads, wraps, smoothies, and meal boxes with a variety of meals and snacks. As part of their expansion, Freshii has begun selling its pre-packaged meals in various Walmart locations across Canada.

The store opened and met immediate success, which would reflect its fast growth in the coming years. By 2016, the store had opened 220 locations in 20 countries, with rapid expansion in North and Latin America. This included the location we currently know and love located in the Junction.

Freshii Junction was established by James Cappellano, the founder of The Motion Room, a gym by Jane and Dundas (as well as a location in Vaughan), and Kidz360. Cappellano and his business partners have been bringing healthy lifestyle choices in the form of their business endeavours for over a decade. Now, Freshii is the most recent business to join their family. Freshii has rounded out the idea of “eat. energize.” along with its sister businesses to serve the active community of the Junction, whether it be on-the-go families or a busy worker in need of a healthy meal.

While Freshii Junction is not currently offering dining-in as an option, they offer takeout through a variety of services such as UberEats, DoorDash, and their own app. As Toronto moves into Stage 3, keep your eyes open for changes to Freshii’s policies, as well as the possibility of updates from The Motion Room and Kidz360 due to gyms and other recreational spaces being permitted to reopen starting Friday.

Riley Wiley, Journalism Intern, The Junction BIA