Celebrating 20 years in business in 2025, Wakefield Canada is the exclusive distributor and strategic partner for Castrol here in Canada. Proudly Canadian, Wakefield continues to invest in this country as they expand market share and grow their commercial, industrial and automotive lubricant businesses.

Wakefield’s relationship with Castrol is rather unique. Back at the turn of the last century, the Castrol brand was acquired by British Petroleum (BP). Soon thereafter, BP conducted a strategic review and decided that they wanted to focus their efforts on larger markets.

That’s when Bob MacDonald entered the picture. MacDonald spotted an opportunity and a bid for the business was proposed. A transaction was successfully completed on July 1, 2005 and Wakefield was created.

At the time, this was a unique business model, and quite the opposite of what most manufacturers were doing at the time: restructuring their businesses to be managed from the U.S. The Wakefield business model turned the then status quo on its head. Bob Macdonald then teamed up with Dave Fifield, an experienced Castrol veteran to help build the Wakefield business. Here were two Canadian businessmen, eager to leverage a global brand and run operations from Canada.

In retrospect, the benefits are clear—Canadian owners with a thorough understanding of the Canadian consumer, focusing on the unique needs of the Canadian market, dedicated to top-notch customer service. A classic win-win scenario.

“This business model was so successful that Castrol later employed versions of it in other international markets, where it came to be known as The Wakefield Model,” explains Bob MacDonald, Founder of Wakefield.

In 2010, Wakefield acquired the manufacturing facility in Toronto from Castrol, where they blend and package Castrol and Wakefield-branded products. On July 1st of this year, they’ll be celebrating their 20th year in business, and Wakefield continues to be a strategic partner with BP, as well as the exclusive Castrol brand distributor for the Canadian marketplace.

A national presence

Since the initial acquisition of the business, MacDonald and Fifield have continued to build out their distribution footprint, and today Wakefield Canada has warehouses and delivery capabilities across the country, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal and Moncton. Their business model is unique in the Canadian market: They manufacture and distribute, bulk and packaged lubricants directly to their customers.

Wakefield is Canadian-owned and Canadian-operated with a blending and manufacturing plant in Toronto. Moreover, as a customer-focused organization they are proud to serve their many retail trading partners, OEMs, and national and regional aftermarket partners.

More than motor oil

Wakefield Canada has an extensive portfolio of premium lubricant products, serving the consumer, the commercial heavy-duty and the industrial markets. They have a large commercial division where they supply companies that cater to the needs of both on-road and off-road vehicles. They sell Castrol industrial products, including metal-working fluids, cutting fluids, rust preventatives, cleaners and other products to a broad range of manufacturing and assembly plants across the country. In addition, they manufacture and sell their own line of lubricants under the Wakefield brand, which are sold across Canada, and they are the exclusive distributor of Super Clean cleaner/degreaser in Canada.

Today, this Canadian company employs more than 220 team members across the country, including some who have been with the business for decades. In fact, this past April, they celebrated the 51st anniversary of a key member of their team. His name is Sigi, he’s Wakefield Canada’s in-line blender, and it’s estimated that he probably blended over one billion litres of Castrol motor oil during the span of his career.

“We are proud to have Sigi on our team,” says Dave Fifield, President, Wakefield Canada. “Without countless dedicated members of our team, like Sigi, our success would not be possible.”

Canadian, through and through

While Castrol is a global brand, Wakefield is Canadian, through and through, and they have managed to leverage the strengths of both brands. Wakefield’s agreement with Castrol allows them to leverage Castrol’s technology, know-how and purchasing power for the benefit of the Canadian market, but Wakefield is able to make their own decisions about the local market.

Castrol owns the patented additive technology, which is unique, but when Wakefield imports additives directly from Castrol, they put it together with Canadian components that are sourced locally. This includes bottles and packaging, as well as base oils.

Benefits of Canadian ownership

One of the reasons for their success is their focus on the local market and their knowledge of the local market, and that’s something that only a Canadian-owned company, catering to the needs of Canadian businesses and consumers, could accomplish.

This allows Wakefield to blend lubricants that are specifically engineered for the needs of Canadians. While it’s true that Castrol has proprietary technology, namely the patented additives, the products Wakefield sells here in Canada are tailored for our market.

“While some of the products we offer are sold across North America, we also have unique products that we only sell in Canada,” Fifield explains. “Our business relationship with Castrol is unique, because if we approach them with a market opportunity, they will work with us to make it happen.”

For example, Wakefield recently developed and brought to market a new Castrol high performance synthetic snowmobile oil. They presented the market opportunity to Castrol, built a solid business case, and successfully launched it in Canada. In fact, it has been so successful that Castrol have introduced this product to the U.S. market.

Niche products, Canadian engineering

Tony Fallico, Quality Service & CI Manager at Wakefield Canada explains that engineering lubricants that cater to the needs of Canadians is a must. “Canada has a cold climate, so when you’re in places like the northern parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba, you need lubricants that can handle the colder temperatures,” he says.

Fallico offers the example of a mass-market product like a 15W-30 motor oil, which is very popular across North America, but can’t be used in the parts of Canada that see temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius. Instead, those extreme temperatures call for motor oils that are niche, and may not be big sellers elsewhere on the continent.

“These are smaller-volume products, and we worked with Castrol to develop formulas that we can sell cost-effectively to our customers in the Canadian market,” Fallico explains. “In fact, we’re the only plant in North America that makes Castrol Vecton 5W-30, which is formulated with hardy additives that will protect trucks, even in extreme weather.”

The engineering and ingenuity of the Canadian Wakefield team have allowed them to really fine-tune products for our unique and sometimes extreme weather conditions and needs. 

“BP has recognized the fact that we are experts when it comes to the Canadian market,” Fallico explains, “so they have granted us the flexibility to create our own products. Naturally, before anything makes it to market, BP has to approve it, but we have the flexibility to cater to the unique needs of this market.” 

Dedicated to Canada

MacDonald and Fifield are very grateful for the success they have seen here in Canada over the past two decades, and continue to invest in the business, with plans to expand operations in the near future.

In the coming months, the company will be relocating to a new 165,000 square foot facility in Meadowvale. This will be the new home of Wakefield Canada’s warehouse and manufacturing facilities, which will significantly increase their capacity and ability to serve their customers.

The new location is more modern and much larger. Most importantly, the facility has excellent highway access and is located on a rail line, which is key to keeping their supply chain running efficiently. Furthermore, with this expansion, Wakefield Canada will be creating new jobs for Canadians, as they continue to grow their business and market share.

“We’re proud of what we’ve been able to build here in Canada,” Fifield concludes, “and we look forward to what the future holds as we continue to cater to the needs of our Canadian customers.”