Kin’s Farm Market isn’t the least bit discouraged about the 2009 recession. In fact, Kin’s is planning to expand its already successful chain of specialty produce stores to nearly 75 locations while tripling its workforce to over 2,000 employees by the year 2014.

Despite the economic downturn and forecasts of growing unemployment in Canada until the third quarter of 2009, the BC-owned enterprise is performing stronger than ever. Unlike other industries, the food industry is generally recession-proof. The general trend during a recession is for consumers to minimize spending on luxuries while maintaining, or even increasing, their weekly food budget.

Kin’s, in particular, is a strong performer within the produce category. Families in Canada generally favour healthier options, and specialty produce stores like Kin’s provide fresh, high quality fruits and vegetables that cater to those needs at a reasonable cost.

“Food will always be a basic necessity, and in times of economic hardship consumers want to lower their expenses by dining out less and buying and cooking their own food at home,” says Kin Hun Leung, VP Operations and co-founder of Kin’s Farm Market. “Our sales are going up with the recession and our development team is looking into expanding our operations. In this first quarter of the year, we’ve already opened two new stores in BC.”

In addition to boosting the size of its operations and workforce, Kin’s is opening its doors to franchising opportunities. “Many people are considering a change in career,” says Mr. Leung. ”Kin’s franchising program offers an invaluable opportunity for those who are interested in new challenges and are wanting to start their own successful business.”

Lorraine McLachlan, President and CEO of the Canadian Franchise Association, couldn’t agree more. “During challenging times such as this, people definitely want to have greater control over their financial destiny. Our members are finding that the general population has an increased interest in exploring the opportunities of owning a franchise business.”

During periods of economic crisis, we are bombarded daily with bleak information. Yet it is important to highlight that some industries and companies are doing very well. Kin’s Farm Market is continuing its long tradition of providing customers with fresh, quality produce – while creating new jobs and opportunities for its dynamic workforce.