Our Roots

In1991 the first Tru Value Foods sign went up over a store in the village of Brentwood Bay on Saanich Inlet. The store’s new owner was Wayne Verch, who, along with business partner Jerry Rainer, had learned the retail food business under Alex Campbell at Thrifty Foods. The two were actually working for Alex when the Brentwood Bay store came up for sale. Alex knew of Wayne’s dream to start his own chain of local food stores, and supported him in his decision to pursue a new path.

When Brentwood Bay Tru Value opened its doors – four days after Wayne and Jerry took possession! – customers were treated to a full-service grocery store that reflected its neighbourhood niche, offered excellent variety and selection, and was on the lookout for ways to benefit the communities of the Saanich Peninsula.

In the years that followed, three other destinations in the Gulf Islands became home to Tru Value Foods: Pender and Mayne Islands, and most recently, Quadra Island near Campbell River.

What We Value

Something we’ve learned over the years is that a store won’t be a good place to shop if it isn’t a good place to work. That’s why we work hard to ensure our staff and managers feel valued and respected, and that they’re trained with care to deliver service our customers can rely on. Our strength, quite simply, is our people. We put them first so they can put you first.

Good Neighbours

Tru Value Foods knows about being a good neighbour. Each of our stores contributes to its home community through the Spirit Board, a program we launched in 2001. The program directs 1% of sales to the customer’s group of choice. Once a community group has been approved for the Spirit Board, it receives ongoing donations in the form of food vouchers and resellable food cards. These donations are significant for the community groups – just ask them, and you’ll hear how Tru Value has benefitted their many programs. On Pender Island, for instance, the Spirit Board raised $24,000 to help fund a new medical clinic.

Serving our Customers, Island Style

While our stores all carry the familiar Tru Value banner, each venue reflects the uniqueness of its home community. Our common ground from store to store, however, remains the same: small-town friendliness and uptown selection.

We carry a full complement of conventional grocery fare as well as a wide variety of healthy, all-natural and organic products.

We support local producers as much as we can (depending on what’s in season), and we welcome requests for items you don’t see on our shelves.

At Tru Value Foods we aim to provide exceptional service for all our customers.

Are you visiting our Gulf Island stores by boat? When you’ve finished your shopping, we’ll take you and your groceries back to the dock.