via The Localize Project Blog – This afternoon I had the pleasure to connect with Fauzia, owner of Thumbs Up Foods in Calgary, Alberta. They have a store front in Calgary where they make Samosas, Roti, Sauces, Chutney and more, all inspired by a fusion of East-African and Indian Cuisine.
The business roots date back 15 years, to the basement of their home in Calgary where Fauzia’s mother and grandmother began cooking as a hobby, Fauzia says “to keep themselves occupied.” At the time Fauzia was working full-time at a hotel in the city. Her family’s home-made samosas were so good she arranged a meeting with the food and beverage manager where she worked to taste them. No surprise, he loved them! Soon after, their samosas were listed on the hotel’s menu and things began moving quickly from that point on.
When Fauzia told her mother and grandmother what happened they told her she best run the business because they were just cooking ‘for fun!’ and they didn’t want to be involved in marketing and organizing orders. From there, Fauzia started to look for equipment to manage larger scale production of their products; she went to trade shows and took courses to learn more about food production.
Today Fauzia and her husband run Thumbs Up Foods from their store in Calgary.
More at localizeyourfood.wordpress.com – The Localize Project Blog.
Ismailimail 