Central Bernard’s size allows it to react quickly to new trends in the marketplace.

Premier Business Partners:

Syri Ltd. Multiplus Inc. Rose Hill Foods Inc. ACAM Transport Inc.

Even when the economy is in a recession, people still must eat, which makes the food processing industry almost recession-proof. However, according to President Billy Dedes of Central Bernard, the competition becomes much fiercer in times like these.

“It is very competitive, and you’ve got to be able to offer something better and unique,” Dedes says. “Packaging is very important, so you need to be very creative with your packaging. The quality of the product is of great importance. And quality is above everything else – even more so than price,. People don’t want to pay too much, but you have to put quality in with the best price possible.”

Nimble Size
Dedes and his brother, Vice President of Operations George Dedes, understand what it takes to be successful in this cutthroat industry. Since helping their father, Theodore Dedes, in the butcher shop he started in 1962 to grow the family business to where it is today, the Dedes brothers have been involved in every aspect of the industry.

Today, Central Bernard specializes in value-adding processes for poultry, catering to the United States and Canada by selling marinated meats with different flavor profiles.

Strong Growth
From the small butcher shop in Montreal, Central Bernard now operates out of a 55,000-square-foot facility that can handle 30 million pounds of poultry annually.

Interestingly, the company imports more than 25 million pounds of fresh U.S. chicken each year.
From this supply, it processes and re-exports to the American market. So it is, in effect, selling U.S. chicken processed in Canada to the U.S. market.

Central Bernard offers frozen and fresh meat, as well as seasonings and flavorings through private labeling, generic brands and its in-house brand, Continental Grill.
Recently, the company has conducted R&D to determine what the latest tastes customers are demanding.

“We believe we have to cater to different tastes, so we’re putting out Asian products, Latin flavors and also Mediterranean products,” Billy Dedes says. “We’ve been going through R&D in flavoring and marinating in the last year, and we’ve worked with a couple of chefs, as well.”

Central Bernard conducted taste testing, developed recipes and presented new ideas through Rose Hill Foods of Montreal. This company provides test kitchens and a bevy of chefs for companies like Central Bernard to conduct their research.

“We narrowed it down to certain recipes among different types of customers,” Dedes says. “Going forward as we develop new things, it might not just be boneless chicken. We plan to move into wings and other parts of the bird as well.”

Nimble Size
Central Bernard takes pride in its size, which allows it to react quickly to new trends in the marketplace, Dedes says. He says this gives the company an advantage over its competitors, which are traditionally much larger in size and slow to come to market with new products.

“Companies 10 times our size are slow to react,” Dedes says. “They are either publicly owned or are co-ops. But if a customer tells me they need something today or tomorrow, we react on the spot, change what we’re doing and get what we need.”

In addition, Central Bernard has room for growth to cater to customer demands. Dedes says once the economy improves, the company may add a second shift to meet its production needs, while increasing its current staff of 130.

“Like everybody else, we’re managing,” Dedes says. “We’re trying to control our costs and trying to be as efficient as we can with labor.”

Dedes also hopes the training of Central Bernard’s current employees will help stimulate growth. He says a certain percentage of the company’s revenues are reinvested in employee training on topics including food safety, R&D and new packaging techniques.

“We’re trying to be a step ahead of the competition on a continual basis,” he adds. “Quality is what has brought us here, as well as customer service and being able to react. If somebody calls me and they need it today, they’ll get it today.”

Safe Operations
Upon receiving its poultry, Central Bernard says the chicken is moved to a refrigerated processing area. The company’s facility in Lachine is equipped with a fully automated conveyor system that includes two independent processing and deboning lines and two counter ready fresh tray pack lines.

Central Bernard says skinning machines rapidly remove the skin, which allows a team of more than 60 employees to begin the deboning process shortly thereafter. “The elaborate conveyor system moves the added-value product in one direction while the discarded remains move in the other direction and are collected for further processing outside our facility,” the company says. “Set up to meet the specifications of our chain account customers’ needs, the boneless chicken products are then bulk or tray packed accordingly.”

Central Bernard also boasts a team of quality assurance specialists who work closely with the onsite inspector from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to make certain that its Continental Grill products meet or exceed all protocols and food safety guidelines.

All incoming and outgoing meat products are logged, monitored and tested, it says.