A new vegetarian grocery store on Airdrie’s Main Street offers its customers a taste of the world, including produce shipped fresh from India.
Last March, Gagandeep Singh Grewal opened Indo Spice Grocery Store at 400 Main St. N. with his sister, Amardeep Uppal, and cousin, Arwinder Singh, to offer authentic cultural tastes from India and other countries.
“The community is so supportive. People here, they support local,” says Grewal.
The store brings in produce, dairy and other groceries from India and the U.S., offering high-quality products for a good price. A variety of international cultural items — including farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, pantry staples and even utensils — fill the shelves.
Top-selling items at Indo Spice include almonds, apples, avocados, bananas and coconuts. Products that might be hard to find elsewhere include guava, okra, taro and tindora, as well as authentic rice and naan. Grewal says the store also carries Indian spices and herbs, soft drinks, sweets and snacks, and Mamaearth hair and skin-care products.
“We are working really hard with suppliers and distributors to bring good-quality produce for a good rate … so we can actually give that good experience to the customer,” says Grewal. “We sell all our stuff for a good price, and [as for] our quality, we don’t compromise for that. Our produce is our biggest, I would say, thing that people should come and try.”
The store supports local farmers as well and is open every day. Indo Spice offers online shopping, a delivery service and has a walk-in cooler to keep produce fresh. Grewal says his business strives to be the go-to destination for Airdrie residents to get fresh produce and pantry staples.
Jessica Williamson, economic development officer with the City of Airdrie, says roughly 19 per cent of Airdrie residents are immigrants and most commonly from the Phillipines, Ukraine and India.
“We continue to see an increase in the number of entrepreneurs launching businesses offering goods to cater to our diverse and growing population,” says Williamson.
For weekly sales, visit indospiceairdrie.com.
