About Us
History of TMF
Lou Albanese, Chairman and CEO of TMF The Meat Factory, has been developing superior, innovative products for the average Canadian for over 25 years. Lou and Andrew Thomson, President of TMF, develop all of the recipes for the Lou’s line of products at the 80,000 sq. ft. Stoney Creek Ont. plant. Together, they create affordable, delicious time saving products that are prepared just like you would at home.
Lou was first introduced to the meat industry at the age of 15. When he needed a summer job, his uncle got him a position at a local beef-packing house. By the time Lou was 25 years old, he was managing the company and discovered he liked making important business decisions. In 1979, he enjoyed being "almost" self-employed so much that he decided to start his own business, which began in the basement of his house. By 1982, Lou purchased a 3,500 sq. ft. building in Stoney Creek, which he has expanded 7 times since then to what is now an 80,000 sq. ft. state of the art facility.
Lou recognized that consumers were increasingly aware of food safety and wanted every possible safety assurance. In the 1990s, TMF became a Federally Inspected plant and earned the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification, an internationally recognized food safety standard. In 1998, TMF installed a test kitchen to develop and assess what has become the Lou’s line of Award Winning Fully-Cooked products. This product line created by Lou Albanese and Andrew Thomson was created for busy consumers who did not want to compromise a home cooked meal for time. They recognized that two-income families did not have the time or in some cases, the cooking skills required, to provide a healthy, hearty meal that the entire family would love. They wanted to create home cooked products as an alternative to takeout and fast food.
It took two years to develop three initial products that launched Lou’s Barbeque in May 2001. The product line and concept was developed when Lou’s daughter was figure skating and his son was playing hockey. Being so busy with his job and driving his kids to their various sports, he recognized that there was a definite need for high quality, "home-cooked" style meals ready in minutes. Today, Lou’s boasts an extensive line of Beef, Pork and Turkey products that are carefully selected, hand trimmed and slowly cooked. The result is the tastiest, most superior product on the market that’s ready in minutes. Lou believes that families deserve the very best product available, just like he serves his children and grandchildren. If he wouldn’t eat it, he won’t sell it.
Safety and Environment
We have the utmost confidence in our products due to our strict safety initiatives and protocols. TMF The Meat Factory has an onsite inspector from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) ensuring the highest standard for food safety and has had a gold rating for the GFTC’s Food Safety and Quality Systems Audit 2 years in a row.
Community Involvement
TMF believes that nothing is more important to a community than to give time and effort to improve the lives of those less fortunate. TMF is a proud member of Friends of We Care, a charity dedicated to assisting in sending disabled children to summer camps through the Easter Seals. TMF also sponsors many local sporting teams and charitable events by donating food, money and time. For a number of years, TMF has supported the Ontario Association of Food Banks with monetary and product donations.
In 2008, Lou Albanese, Chairman and CEO, donated the largest single donation of 57,000 pounds of meat products to the Ontario Food Banks, which helped over 6,000 families and was distributed among 50 Ontario Food Banks. "We believe that it’s important for every family to be able to enjoy a hot meal together, specially during these tough economic times, so we decided to prepare a large batch of meatloaf to share with other families across the province."
In 2009, TMF The Meat Factory will be receiving an award from the Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce for Outstanding Business of the Year.