Westbridge Ranch is pleased to present this commercial proposal for the introduction of Sweet Red Galmi across Metro Inc.'s six banners. Sweet Red Galmi is a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)-recognized West African heirloom onion variety, grown by Westbridge Ranch in the Senegal River Valley and the Oti River Valley. It is sweet, mild, and visually distinctive — serving the same customer need as Vidalia sweet onions, with a colour, a provenance, and a supply continuity that no North American variety can offer.

Westbridge Ranch holds the registered trademark on the Galmi name in Canada. No competitor can grow this variety and bring it to the Canadian market as Galmi.

Two complementary SKUs are proposed: a loose bulk format positioned within the sweet onion tier at MSRP $6.89/kg, and a premium bagged format at $7.99 per pack. Both are available for forward order. First shipment sails June 18, 2026, with arrival at Port of Montréal expected July 11–16, 2026. Processing at MERCATO, Place des Producteurs, Montréal, commences immediately on arrival.

Pallet configuration: 60 bags × 25 kg = 1,500 kg per pallet

The observations below draw on 25 months of continuous biweekly pricing intelligence collected across 11 major Canadian grocery chains — Metro, Loblaws, Costco, Safeway, Sobeys, Save-On Foods, Avril, Walmart, and Whole Foods — in Montréal, Ottawa, and Calgary. Metro Inc. banner stores — Metro, Metro Plus, Food Basics, and Super C — in Ottawa, Kanata, Barrhaven, and Gatineau were most recently visited the last week of May 2026.

The sweet onion category across every major Canadian grocery chain monitored is served by a single origin: Georgia, USA. The Vidalia certification applies exclusively to onions grown within a defined production area in Georgia, with a primary harvest window from May through August. Supply outside that window draws on Peruvian and Mexican origins to maintain year-round shelf continuity, while retaining the Vidalia brand name. This pattern holds without exception across all 11 chains surveyed. American sweet onions are currently subject to Canada's retaliatory tariffs on American produce imports — a sourcing risk that did not exist eighteen months ago.

* Spring/summer rate. The established seasonal band runs $5.49/kg May–September, rising to $6.49/kg October–May, based on 2025–2026 Metro Inc. observations.

Loose red onions across Metro Inc. banners are priced at an established seasonal band: $5.49/kg in spring and summer, rising to $6.49/kg from October through May — a pattern observed consistently across 2025 and 2026. The bagged red format is handled by Dutch imports and Canadian product. In the Montréal market, Adonis carries a Québec-origin jumbo red at $6.59/kg and Avril carries a certified organic red at $6.59/kg — the current ceiling for any red onion across the Metro Inc. banner set.

* Spring/summer rate. October–May rate: $6.49/kg, based on 2025–2026 Metro Inc. observations.

The same onion. The same store. The same day. In the bin: $5.49/kg. In the bag: $6.61/kg. The pack added 81% to the retail price — and all of that flows to margin. This is not an exception. It is a pattern confirmed across 3 cities, 11 chains, and 25 months of monitoring. Sweet commands zero premium in a loose bin at the majority of banners surveyed. The missing format is what drives revenue and margin.

The Galmi loose format enters the sweet onion tier on flavour, origin, and visual distinction. The Galmi bagged format operates in a different conversation entirely — one where format, provenance, and FAO-recognized variety combine to justify a retail price with no current ceiling in the Metro Inc. onion set.

Vidalia is a seasonal crop by nature. Its Georgia harvest runs May through August; the rest of the year draws on Peruvian and Mexican origins. Galmi is grown across two distinct valleys at different latitudes in West Africa, producing three independent harvests per year:

For a fresh produce operation managing multiple banners, year-round supply from a single named origin means consistent shelf positioning — the same SKU, the same provenance story, the same product across all twelve months.

The Galmi onion is recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as a West African heirloom variety of documented agricultural heritage. This recognition attaches to the variety itself — to the seed, the genetics, the growing tradition — not to any single farm or certification scheme. It cannot be acquired by a competitor; it can only be grown and brought to market authentically.

Westbridge Ranch holds the registered trademark on the Galmi name in Canada. Any competitor wishing to sell this variety in Canada must do so under a different name — forfeiting the provenance signal entirely.

We are proposing a two-SKU entry into Metro Inc.'s onion category. The loose format is designed to complement the existing sweet onion offer with a visually distinct, FAO-recognized alternative. The bagged format is positioned as a premium provenance product for the customer who already reaches for cippolini, organic shallots, and specialty varieties.

The bagged format is intended to sit in a different conversation from the standard onion set. The premium mesh pack — available in a 6-count open cardboard tray and a three-onion premium mesh bag — lets the product's deep red-purple colour and artisan presentation carry the story at shelf level before the customer reads a word.

We have modelled two retail price scenarios. Both generate a strong Metro margin. The bag format carries a reduced shrink allowance of 8% versus 12.5% for loose, reflecting the significantly lower handling exposure of a sealed pack.

Pack configuration: 1.36 kg (3 lb) equivalent. Shrink 8% applied to bagged format vs 12.5% for loose — reduced handling exposure in a sealed pack.

Onion pricing across Metro Inc. banners follows an established seasonal pattern — lower in spring and summer, higher from October through May. The $6.89/kg spring/summer MSRP reflects current market conditions. A $7.49/kg October–May rate aligns naturally with that seasonal rhythm — and Galmi's November/December harvest delivers fresh, single-origin supply precisely at the highest-value window in the category calendar.

The ladder below represents the complete onion price architecture observed across Metro Inc. banners during the last week of May 2026, ranked by retail price per kilogram descending. The 25-month monitoring program confirms that the spread between the commodity floor and the premium ceiling has held without compression since April 2024. Sweet Red Galmi's proposed entry introduces a tier above the current ceiling.

The same product positions differently across Metro Inc.'s banner architecture. A single Off-Take Agreement (OTA) covers all six banners, with SKU selection and retail pricing calibrated to each banner's customer profile.

Galmi is grown across two distinct growing valleys at different latitudes in West Africa — the Senegal River Valley and the Oti River Valley — producing three independent harvests per year. The practical result is consistent, single-origin supply across all twelve months.

Year-round availability means consistent shelf positioning — the same SKU, the same origin story, the same product across all twelve months.

Westbridge Ranch's production operates within the SOKAM Marigot agri-industrial development — an 8,043-hectare project funded under the World Bank AgriConnect program, with a contribution through Global Affairs Canada. In April 2026, Global Affairs Canada organized a meeting to support Canadian private sector engagement within AgriConnect and invited Westbridge Ranch to attend.

First shipment sails June 18, 2026. Arrival at Port of Montréal expected July 11–16, 2026. Processing at MERCATO, Place des Producteurs, commences immediately on arrival.

We would welcome a conversation about which banners and formats make the most sense as a starting point, preferred shelf positioning, and any supplier onboarding requirements on Metro Inc.'s side. We are ready to move at whatever pace works for the category team.

We propose a single Off-Take Agreement covering all six Metro Inc. banners, with SKU selection, volumes, and retail pricing confirmed by banner as part of the commercial discussion.