Olive Branch vs. Sobeys: A kosher food fight erupts in Thornhill

Sobeys, one of the three biggest grocery store chains in Canada, has vowed to “rectify any issues" after allegations that the manager of its longtime kosher food store in Thornhill, Ont., crossed the line as part of an ongoing feud with the CEO of a rival supermarket. In the first week of April, just ahead of a hectic Passover shopping weekend for Canadian Jews, the CEO of the Olive Branch—a five-month-old kosher market in the Promenade mall, just a four-minute drive down the same street from the Sobeys in question—alleged that the nearby Sobeys manager had threatened kosher caterers looking to do Passover business with both companies. According to a widely distributed letter, Olive Branch’s Justin Lesnick alleged that vendors he hired to sell prepared Passover take out food such as meatballs and kugels at his store were told they would lose their much larger contracts with Sobeys if they did so. The confrontation bled out into social media, where Lesnick’s complaints about corporate bullying took the story viral. Now many customers are vowing to boycott Sobeys over what happened. But is this a true David-versus-Goliath fight? Or is it the latest in a long-simmering war between the two businessmen—neither of whom is Jewish? And what should customers know? On today’s episode of The CJN Daily, host Ellin Bessner digs into the story. She spoke to Lesnick and Sobeys and some concerned customers to understand how the face-off is dividing the community before Passover.

Related links

• Learn more about when the U.S. based Savours company entered the Toronto kosher food scene by buying Hartmans, in 2017, in The CJN.
• When Montreal’s MK Kosher and Toronto’s COR Kashrut organization were feuding over hechsher for Sobeys’ Thornhill location, in 2013, in The CJN.
• Why Passover food will be exempt from Trump’s extra tariffs this year, on The CJN Daily.

Credits

• Host and writer: Ellin Bessner (@ebessner)
• Production team: Zachary Kauffman (senior producer), Andrea Varsany (producer),Michael Fraiman (executive producer)
• Music: Dov Beck-Levine

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