Toronto, Ontario - Friendlier, a Canadian-owned reusable packaging company, and Farm Boy Company Inc., one of Ontario’s leading fresh-market retailers, are expanding their partnership across the province. Friendlier reusable containers are now available at 49 Farm Boy locations across Ontario, including stores in the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, London, Hamilton, and Kitchener-Waterloo, giving customers an easy way to enjoy take-home meals without single-use packaging.

Friendlier reusable containers are available at Farm Boy locations that feature hot and salad bars, allowing customers to enjoy ready-to-eat, take-home meals, without adding to the problem of plastic pollution. Friendlier’s durable, reusable containers are a part of the growing circular economy. The program is designed to fit seamlessly into existing shopping routines, making reuse simple and accessible for everyday grocery trips. Full details on how the program works can be found at www.friendlier.com/farm-boy. 

“Farm Boy continues to lead by example in making sustainable choices easier for customers,” said Kayli Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of Friendlier. “Reusable packaging historically has been limited to small pilots or urban areas.This first-of-its-kind expansion shows that reuse can scale when it’s built into everyday grocery shopping experiences.”

This expansion contributes to Friendlier’s growing environmental impact, with more than 4.5 million containers reused to date, helping avoid millions of single-use items. Partnerships like Farm Boy play a key role in scaling reuse at everyday destinations where consumers shop for prepared meals.

The province-wide expansion builds on the program’s steady growth over the past two years. Friendlier first launched with Farm Boy at the Stone Road location in Guelph in August 2024. In January 2025, the program expanded to five additional locations in Brantford, Hamilton, Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge. Today, the reusable take-home meal program is available at Farm Boy stores across Ontario, reflecting growing consumer demand for practical, waste-reducing solutions.

“At Farm Boy, we’re always looking for ways to make everyday choices easier for our customers. Expanding our partnership with Friendlier allows us to offer a simple, convenient way to reduce single-use packaging without changing how our customers shop,” said Shawn Linton, President and General Manager of Farm Boy Company Inc. “Together, we’ve built a reuse program that integrates seamlessly into the Farm Boy experience, making it easy for our customers to reduce waste while enjoying the fresh, prepared foods they love.”

Designed to fit naturally into daily routines, Friendlier’s reuse system helps customers reduce waste without changing how or where they shop. With durable containers and convenient returns, reuse becomes an easy choice at the grocery store.

To learn more about how the program works or to find a participating Farm Boy location, visit www.friendlier.com/farm-boy or download the Friendlier App on the Apple App Store or Google Play.

About Friendlier

Friendlier is a trusted reuse partner for campuses, foodservice operators, and institutions across North America, delivering turnkey reusable packaging systems that simplify the shift away from single-use packaging. Our model combines durable packaging, digital tools that support engagement and environmental impact tracking, and reliable collection and sanitization services that keep reusable containers in active circulation while easing operational demands.

Founded in 2019 by University of Waterloo Chemical Engineering graduates Kayli Smith and Jacqueline Hanton, Friendlier has grown significantly and continues to expand its work with organizations seeking practical ways to reduce single-use waste. Our system integrates smoothly into existing workflows and provides measurable data that helps partners track progress toward their sustainability goals.

Friendlier delivers reusable packaging systems that are accessible, scalable, and designed to integrate easily into everyday operations.

To learn more about Friendlier, visit www.friendlier.com or follow along on Instagram and LinkedIn.

For Friendlier media inquiries, please contact:

Nicolette Tsafantakis

Marketing Manager, Friendlier

nicolette@friendlier.com

About Farm Boy Company Inc.

Farm Boy provides a friendly, fresh-market shopping experience featuring signature farm-fresh produce, butcher-quality meats, artisan cheese, fresh dairy and popular private-label products at great value. Farm Boy has grown from a small produce stand starting in Cornwall in 1981 to 51 stores located across Ontario, with further expansions underway.

For media inquiries, please contact:  

Aaron Wade

Manager of Public Relations and Community Investment, Farm Boy Company Inc.

media@farmboy.ca