2026 GOLDEN PENCIL Honouree
Brent Cator
President and Owner
Cardinal Meats Specialists Ltd
As President and Owner of Cardinal Meat Specialists, Brent Cator leads a dedicated team focused on being the Canada’s leading burger and Sous Vide solutions provider. Cardinal’s Brampton facility is focused on Safe Sous Vide cooked proteins and burgers which are supplied to top restaurants and major retailers across Canada with an emphasis on quality, consistency, and food safety.
Brent is third generation in his family business. In 2025, Cardinal and the Cator family celebrated 100 years in the meat industry and Cardinal is currently celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Cardinal brand.
Brent has worked at Cardinal for 40 years, learning every aspect of the business. His training and experience in all facets of the company have helped his team provide the industry with groundbreaking food safety advances and award-winning innovations.
Brent is proud of Cardinal’s many accomplishments including being the first Canadian beef processor to receive multiple protein HACCP designation, and the first to utilize DNA lab technology for microbiology. The facility is Global Food Safety Initiative Approved with SQF Level 2 designations. Innovative thinking led to the creation of patented equipment that has revolutionized manufacturing processes and benefited customers with first to market best sellers.
Brent’s passion and belief has always been that food safety is not a competition and that working together to improve food safety standards will only result in a stronger/healthier industry. With this in mind, Brent has invested and developed unique technologies for cooked proteins, served on a North American E-Coli task force, and represented the processing industry on a Canadian Food Inspection Agency task force that focused on best practices and regulatory changes for a safer food supply in North America.
Brent is a past-President of the North American Meat Processors (now North American Meat Institute) and supports organizations including We Care (providing camp experiences for children with disabilities) and the Trillium Health Partners Foundation.
Brent is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, where he earned his B.A.
He has always placed a high importance on continuing education for the entire company and has completed numerous courses including those at the Wharton School of Business and the Richard Ivey School.
Brent lives with his wife and two daughters in Toronto. They love to travel, ski, keep active and spend time cottaging.
President and Owner
Cardinal Meats Specialists Ltd
As President and Owner of Cardinal Meat Specialists, Brent Cator leads a dedicated team focused on being the Canada’s leading burger and Sous Vide solutions provider. Cardinal’s Brampton facility is focused on Safe Sous Vide cooked proteins and burgers which are supplied to top restaurants and major retailers across Canada with an emphasis on quality, consistency, and food safety.
Brent is third generation in his family business. In 2025, Cardinal and the Cator family celebrated 100 years in the meat industry and Cardinal is currently celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Cardinal brand.
Brent has worked at Cardinal for 40 years, learning every aspect of the business. His training and experience in all facets of the company have helped his team provide the industry with groundbreaking food safety advances and award-winning innovations.
Brent is proud of Cardinal’s many accomplishments including being the first Canadian beef processor to receive multiple protein HACCP designation, and the first to utilize DNA lab technology for microbiology. The facility is Global Food Safety Initiative Approved with SQF Level 2 designations. Innovative thinking led to the creation of patented equipment that has revolutionized manufacturing processes and benefited customers with first to market best sellers.
Brent’s passion and belief has always been that food safety is not a competition and that working together to improve food safety standards will only result in a stronger/healthier industry. With this in mind, Brent has invested and developed unique technologies for cooked proteins, served on a North American E-Coli task force, and represented the processing industry on a Canadian Food Inspection Agency task force that focused on best practices and regulatory changes for a safer food supply in North America.
Brent is a past-President of the North American Meat Processors (now North American Meat Institute) and supports organizations including We Care (providing camp experiences for children with disabilities) and the Trillium Health Partners Foundation.
Brent is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, where he earned his B.A.
He has always placed a high importance on continuing education for the entire company and has completed numerous courses including those at the Wharton School of Business and the Richard Ivey School.
Brent lives with his wife and two daughters in Toronto. They love to travel, ski, keep active and spend time cottaging.
