Singh’s Global Choice Foods is the undispuated leader the ethnic Indian food market

The Canadian Bazaar

TORONTO: Young Jarnail Singh from Ambala Jattan village in Hoshiarpur district landed in Montreal in 1976 with just five dollars in his pocket.

“There were very few Indians and hardly any Indian food store here back then. We missed Indian food so much so that people coming from India used to bring grocery items in their luggage,’’ recalls Singh who today runs Canada’s biggest ethnic food distribution company – Global Choice Foods.

So when he joined Air Canada as a catering manager after finishing his business degree from Montreal’s Concordia University in 1980, Singh started toying with the idea of importing Indian food into Canada.

“On my job, I learnt quality, standards and other skills about food. My newly acquired food skills gave me the confidence to start this business,’’ says Singh, sitting in his office at his group headquarters in Vaughan on the outskirts of Toronto.

Quitting his job after three years, Singh and his wife Sheila Singh set up their food import business under the name of Quality Natural Foods (QNF) in 1984.

“We started small by importing from Britain to test the waters. Four years later, we started importing from India. My wife remained the backbone of our business.”

As their business grew, the Singh couple shifted their base from Montreal to Toronto in 1995 as this city and its suburbs were a much bigger ethnic market.

Singh went on to introduce major Indian household brands – Dabur, Haldiram’s, MDH, Godrej, Roohafza, Sohna, Hawkins, etc. – in Canada.

He was also the first to put Indian food products in major mainstream supply chains such as Walmart and others.

“It is very difficult to enter the mainstream in the West because of strict specifications. But we did that.”

Having turned his company into a multimillion-dollar business, he sold Quality Natural Foods to a major Canadian chain in 2012.

And as soon as his five-year clause with the buyer ended, Singh was back in the same business under the name of Global Choice Foods in 2017.

Within just two years, his new group again captured over 70 percent of the ethnic market. “That’s because of my old connections and trust, and we are still growing. Today, we supply about 50 containers each month.”

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Singh has become the king of the ethnic market thanks to his business model  based on strict Canadian food standards and his innovative approach.

“We work with Indian suppliers to develop products as per Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) specifications. That’s why lots of Indian items that you find in Canada are not available in India because those products have been developed only for us,’’ says Singh.

“We also create new products because of my knowledge about the market. I know we can create market for new products – new cookies and pickles. We do our own packaging under our brand name.”

Singh was also instrumental in the launch of India’s Indus Food Festival. “I suggested to the Trade Promotion Council of India to start this festival to bring global food buyers and Indian suppliers on one platform. I want India’s food industry to be known around the world.”

Within three years, it has become the world’s largest Indian food and beverage festival. “I was honoured at this event in 2019.’’

The man, who left India with just five dollars, has not forgotten his roots.

He has build rooms at high school in his native Ambala Jattan village. “We have also build three rooms in my mother’s name at Mahilpur College.”

Singh has also adopted Kammowal village near Mahilpur to install solar lights, build streets and public benches.

“It’s payback time for me,’’ he signs off. [Updated from May 31, 2020]

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