Since 1984, C.W. Shasky & Associates has remained committed to delivering superior products and driving continuous innovation for culinary and beverage leaders within operations throughout the supply chain. Now celebrating 40 years in Canada, it has evolved into an award-winning importer, as well as a sales and marketing agency, serving full- and quick-service restaurants, contract feeders, healthcare, catering, industrial, convenience, mass merchandisers, and travel and leisure service providers.
Along the way it has forged long-lasting relationships with leading industry partners and their premium brands, including Monin, TABASCO® Sauce and Patak’s (where C.W. Shasky is the sole importer for Canada), among others such as Ocean Spray and Rosina.
C.W. Shasky has gone through an impressive evolution, says chef Ryan Marquis, C.W. Shasky’s corporate chef. “It’s been a whirlwind since I joined the company 13 years ago. Our biggest strength has been our belief in working with customers directly. Our own chefs on staff are always there to help operators find solutions to combat rising costs and labour shortages.”
Twelve years ago, C.W. Shasky established the Culinary & Beverage Innovation Centre, complete with kitchen, large boardroom space, mixology center and new Monin Innovation Studio. The new Monin Innovation studio opens September 2024. It has been a central focus for creating recipes and finding new ways to expand product use and improve margins, explains Marquis. “We try to find more uses than one for any product. One of the things we love to show is how you can use something you believe is only for beverages in a culinary application, or something only used in culinary.”
Having multiple flavours that can only be used once tends to eat up a lot of inventory, he adds. “With Monin syrups for example, you can easily find eight things you can use it for in both back of house as well as beverages, such as flavoured cream cheese, yogurt, glazes and sauces.”
The Monin brand has grown exponentially in Canada, says Marquis. “It has shown continuous growth since we took on the line nine years ago — I would say almost 300 per cent over the past four years alone. Part of that is the innovation we are able to present, which is gaining a lot of ground with operators and their customers.”
Building on that momentum, C. W. Shasky has recently launched the Monin Innovation Centre at its Oakville, Ont. facilities. It’s a place where mixology and culinary specialists can work with customers to expand their creative thinking in beverage and food offerings, says Marquis. “Finding multiple ways to use one SKU helps with costs. That’s one of the biggest takeaways for our customers.”
