Our Story

The history of VersaCold in refrigerated warehousing and logistics

Our roots go back to 1946, when B.C. Ice and Cold Storage Company (now called VersaCold) first opened its doors on Vancouver's waterfront to serve the fishing industry.

By the 1980s, VersaCold had established a strong operations base in the West, with eight facilities in BC, Alberta and Washington totaling 16.8 million cubic feet of refrigerated space.

In the 1990s, Atlas emerged as a major player in the industry, acquiring Bell Cold Storage in Minnesota in 1994 and entering the Canadian marketplace in 1996 with two sites in Toronto. VersaCold continued to grow - acquiring QF Foods and Trans Canada Freezers -building new facilities in Calgary and Toronto and expanding existing buildings.

As the new century dawned, both companies continued to thrive and compete in the dynamic frozen and refrigerated food industry. Atlas merged with Associated Freezers and acquired Blue Star Cold Storage - with operations in Alberta and BC, and CS Integrated, with 16 US facilities and the vital 3PL business.

VersaCold expanded its US operations in 2003, with the acquisition of Geneva Lakes Cold Storage and Wisconsin Logistics. Two years later, VersaCold went global with the purchase of P&O Cold Storage, adding operations in the US, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina.

Eimskip (www.eimskip.com), a worldwide leader in shipping, transportation and logistics services, acquired Atlas in 2006 and VersaCold in 2007.

In 2008, Atlas and VersaCold came under one banner. Later the next year, Eimskip sold 49% of its interest to The Yucaipa Group of Companies.

In December 2010, VersaCold sold its non-Canadian assets to its sister company, Americold, and returned to its Canadian roots with 38 temperature-controlled facilities across Canada.

Today VersaCold operates the largest cold storage network in Canada with more than 38 temperature-controlled warehouses and distribution centres and a national fleet of trucks that provide local/regional/national transportation servicing every province across the country.

Find out more about the services that make us First in Cold.