Canada's 158th birthday is coming up on Tuesday, July 1st, which is always a special time of the year, and even more so in 2025 considering the need to maintain our national sovereignty and support local Canadian companies.
An unforgettable Canada Day wouldn't be complete without fireworks, swimming, music, family, and of course firing up the barbecue and enjoying a home cooked meal outdoors! At Vincenzo's in Waterloo, we carry a wide variety of products from local Canadian companies — not only produced here in Ontario — but from across the country. You can visit us in-store in Waterloo at 150 Caroline St S, or shop online to place a grocery, catering or basket order. As a reminder, we are CLOSED for Canada Day.
Read on to learn about some of our Canadian brands that are offering new summer items; plan out your cocktail (or non-alcoholic drink) menu; get a head start on selecting some excellent local meat for the grill; support local by ordering a Canadian gift basket for your family and friends; and see how we can help cater your Canada Day party!
At Vincenzo's we carry a wide assortment of Canadian-made products, as it is important to support local and ensure we are reinvesting to uplift our communities. We have some exciting new and popular items that are ideal for summer snacking.
Ontario has some of the best produce available across the country, and the summer allows us to grow a wide variety of fresh goods. We are now carrying Ontario Strawberries, which are perfect for snacking as is, however you could incorporate them in a homemade strawberry rhubarb pie or strawberry shortcake. A unique option is Canadian-grown Haskap Berries, which have a tart flavour that is a mix between blueberry and raspberry, and can be used for baked goods, salads, smoothies, jams, and yogurt. In terms of vegetables, don't forget to pick up Ontario Asparagus while it's still available, as well as Ontario Tomatoes and Lettuce as a perfect topping for burgers.
For your summer salads, consider using Feige's Gourmet Dressings as a great local option from Listowel. They have perfect light fruity dressings such as Honey Mustard & Poppy Seed, and Raspberry. A newer option is the Matheson Food Company from popular Canadian celebrity chef Matty Matheson, who has a line of classic salad dressings that includes Italian, Greek, and Balsamic. If you would prefer to skip the mixing bowl, we offer pre-made salads ranging from potato and pasta salads to caprese.
We also carry a wide selection of grilling sauce, marinades, rubs and bread options as an accompaniment to your grilled meats. Kozlik's is a long-standing Canadian staple that have incorporated their mustard seed into their Pork Rub, Poultry Rub, and Steak Rub. A newer Canadian company is FLAVRBOMBS who offer rubs in a convenient resealable bag designed for effortless meals at home. Some of their options are Jolted Cowboy (American BBQ style), Piri Piri (Portuguese style), and Sweet Jerk (Caribbean style). A local company from right here in Kitchener is Phlippens, who produce their sauces in small batches with hand-smoked ingredients, ranging from Phlippen Original Sauce to Phlippen Jerk Sauce. As mentioned above, the Matheson Food Company also carries a line of BBQ sauces such as Maple Molasses and Bama. You can't forget bread as the vehicle for your grilled meats, so stop by and check out our selection of artisan buns and rolls from ACE Bakery, or pick up Martin's famous potato rolls and bread.
Offering snacks as an appetizer is the ideal way to tide your guests over until the grill gets going. Hardbite Chips from British Columbia has a range of classic flavours such as Smokin' BBQ, Ketchup, and Smoked Paprika & Garlic. One of our most popular brands is Covered Bridge, and their seasonal The Weekender chips always sell out, which is a blend of vinegar, pepper, barbeque and jalapeno all in one. Barrie's Asparagus offers a line of snacks including Pita Crackers and Cracked Wheat Crackers. To pair with these salty snacks, you can't go wrong with any of our house-made dips, including Pesto Hummus, Bruschetta, Pimento, or Tzatziki.
If you have a pizza oven at home and are looking to fire it up this weekend, Vincenzo's has everything you need to craft high quality pizza. We offer pizza dough in our freezer section, as well as various sizes of our ready-to-use pizza crusts. For sauce, we carry many brands, but Favuzzi from Laval makes an excellent Pizza Tomato Sauce. In terms of toppings, we have everything from fresh mozzarella and burrata, kalamata olives from Greece, prosciutto from Niagara, chili oil, to Caputo 00 Flour to make your own dough. To top if off, you can't forget about the irresistible hot honey from Rosewood in the Niagara region.
Lastly, the best way to beat this recent heatwave is with a cold beverage. Lighthouse Lemonade from the Maritimes offers summer in a bottle with their Lemonade Cordial or Lime-Lemon Cordial, which are ideal for making large batches of lemonade. Of course, Fever Tree is one of our longstanding brands for drink mixes, with everything from Ginger Beer to Sicilian Lemonade. We also carry cases of La Croix across various flavours, which are convenient for parties, including Beach Plum, Mojito, Passionfruit, and Mango. A local brand from Guelph is the Hitchhiker Beverage Company who have a range of lemonade and cold teas such as Front Porch Peach, Sole Mileage Mango, and Casual Traveller Lemon. One of our new offerings is Balloon from Toronto, who have created an all-natural sparkling water as a soda alternative, with unique flavours such as Fruit Punch and Green Apple.
If you're serving up a large batch of summer cocktails, or even if you don't drink alcohol and are looking to beat the heat with a refreshment, Vincenzo's has a large variety of cocktail mixes, syrups, and alcohol-free spirits and beverages.
While entertaining on Canada Day, nothing pairs better with the barbecue than a refreshing cocktail. We offer a number of cocktail mixes to help you quickly whip up a pitcher for guests.
If you want to make a simple drink with a light fruity profile, Master of Mixes has a variety of options including a Mango Mixer, Mojito Mixer, Watermelon Mixer, and a Margarita Mixer. If you are looking for a classic cocktail, Stirrings makes it easy with their real juice mixes such as Simple Paloma, Cosmopolitan, or Margarita Mix. Another great company is Fever Tree who offers a Mojito, Margarita, and Caesar mix.
If you prefer to make your own cocktails from scratch, we have all the tools you need! Visit us in-store to purchase everything from glasses for cocktail, beer and wine; bitters and rimmers; premium cocktail ice from Hensall Ice Company; to a range of simple and cordial syrups.
Having a non-alcoholic option at your disposal ensures all of your guests feel included! Whether that is a ready-to-drink option such as a mocktail, non-alcoholic beer or wine, or an alcohol-free spirit, we have a growing portfolio of options.
Non-alcoholic beer is one of the fastest growing categories in North America, and there are no shortage of amazing options. Partake Brewing is a Calgary-based company with craft non-alcoholic beer such as Peach Gose, IPA, and Pale Ale. We also stock non-alcoholic options from popular brands including Peroni, Corona, and Heineken.
Ready-to-drink mocktails are another great option for your Canada Day celebration. Olé Cocktail Company is a newer Canadian brand that has perfect summer packs including Margarita, Paloma, and Chili Mango, which are made with Mexican agave nectar. Benjamin Bridge created Nova Scotia's first non-alcoholic wine spritzer Piquette Zero, which has expanded to three flavours in Original, Ruby, and Pink. Another popular brand is Harrington from Quebec who produces unique alcohol-free tonic cocktails such as Cucumber & Wintergreen, and Apple & Clover.
If you are looking to make your own mocktails with an alcohol-free spirit, Seedlip remains one of the most popular options. They have custom blends such as Grove 42 which has Mediterranean citrus notes, or Garden 108 as an herbaceous option. Another great local company is Sobrii from Stratford who produces highly-awarded spirit-free options in 0-Gin and 0-Tequila.
Rolling out the barbecue and firing it up for your family and friends is a staple of any Canada Day celebration. At Vincenzo's, we are partnered with the Bauer Butcher to provide a range of ethical and sustainably raised meats. They have a large selection that is perfect for this time of year:
We also carry some frozen meat options including our popular house-made Mild Italian Sausage and Hot Italian Sausage, along with different types of Spiedini and Chevapi.
If you are unable to get together with the whole family, or maybe you have a friend across the country, consider celebrating what makes this nation unique by sending them a Canadian-themed gift basket. At Vincenzo's we offer pre-made gift baskets, however you can also modify them to your preference or create your own.
Our "A Taste of Canada" gift basket is the ultimate way to celebrate the holiday, as it contains an array of Canadian-made products from coast to coast. We have them ready to pick-up in-store or they can be modified if required. Some of the contents include the following:
To place your basket order, you can visit the "Gift Baskets" page on our website to order online, call (519) 741-1437 and ask for the Gift Basket department, or email [email protected].
If you're hosting a large gathering for Canada Day or heading up to the cottage on a tight schedule, Vincenzo's has the ideal catering solutions to help you host on a whim. Select from our assortment of sandwich trays, charcuterie boards, salads, fruit/veggie trays, or cooked entrees.
Some of our delectable offerings that are perfect for hosting during the summer:
To place your catering order, you can visit the "Catering" page on our website to order online, call (519) 741-1437 and ask for the Catering department, or email [email protected].
150 Caroline Street South at the Bauer Buildings ( King & Allen )
Waterloo, Ontario
519-741-1437
General email: [email protected]
Mon to Fri: 8:30am - 8:00 pm
Saturday: 8am - 6pm | Sundays: Closed | Special Holiday Hours
