Though Country Grocer co-founder Peter Cavin has been honoured by colleagues in the grocery industry, he insisted on sharing the spotlight.
“It’s very flattering, but I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my partners,” he said.
Cavin, who founded Country Grocer with his brother-in-law Mark Wilson and business partners Wally Large and Henry Zwynenburg, was recognized as “a true Canadian grocery entrepreneur” by the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers in Vancouver on April 22.
Cavin was presented with the book, Celebrating 50 Grocery Entrepreneurs in Canada.
It tells the stories of 50 independent grocers – including Country Grocer – in business today who are considered to be true entrepreneurs.
Today, Country Grocer employs 650 people at stores in Nanaimo, Esquimalt, Royal Oak, Cobble Hill, Lake Cowichan and on Salt Spring Island.
The company is preparing to open its largest store at a second location in Nanaimo in November.
“It’s been quite an evolution, really, to where we are,” Cavin said. “It’s something we’re all pretty proud of and never expected.
“We just wanted to be great neighbourhood grocery stores that supported the communities around us.”