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Private company

Knob Hill Farms

Logo: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/canadian-isms.1041487/page-9, Non-free logo, via Wikipedia3

Former Canadian supermarket chain

Knob Hill Farms was a supermarket chain in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada that operated from 1953 to 2001 and was owned by businessman Steve Stavro. It began as a single produce store in the east end of Toronto in 1953 before growing into one of Canada's largest grocery chains, all with only 10 locations in and around Toronto.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1951Founded1
  • Industrysupermarket1
  • HeadquartersToronto1
  • Legal formcompany1

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Knob Hill Farms was a supermarket chain in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada that operated from 1953 to 2001 and was owned by businessman Steve Stavro. It began as a single produce store in the east end of Toronto in 1953 before growing into one of Canada's largest grocery chains, all with only 10 locations in and around Toronto. Knob Hill Farms was an early innovator in the field of "big box grocers" in the early 1960s, culminating in Knob Hill Farm's Cambridge location being the largest grocery store in the world at the time of its opening in 1991.2

The story

Founded by Steve Stavro in 1951.1

Knob Hill Farms began as a small east Toronto fruit stand in 1951, operated by Steve Stavro, his brother Chris and their father. Stavro said he took the name from a box of produce from California. At the time, Stavro had dropped out of high school to work in retail with his father. By 1954, Steve was running his own traditional grocery store at 425–427 Danforth Avenue. By the late 1950s, Stavro was operating nine grocery stores and outdoor markets in Toronto.

From Wikipedia’s article on Knob Hill Farms, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Leadership

Who has led Knob Hill Farms, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Timeline

  1. 1951Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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