Himalayan Grocers is a local business located Downtown Guelph at 32 Macdonell Street. They are a specialty grocery store that provides something from all over the world. They have special products like pickles, regional spices, lentils and more from Nepal and other areas in the Himalayas. They also offer some of the best rice from India. The business has been running since 2016.
Meet Suraj Chhetri, owner of Himalayan Grocers
Suraj Chhetri was born in Bhutan and lived in Nepal as a refugee for almost two decades. Suraj came to Canada with his wife and son in 2010, staying in Quebec for 5 years prior to moving to Guelph. He chose to locate in Guelph because friends of the family told them the best place to raise their son was Guelph. His time in Bhutan and Nepal which are both Himalayan countries, is where the business name came from. Suraj is also a business graduate who can speak French and has always wanted to own his own business.
As a child, Suraj’s parents were farmers and because of that he always had a fascination with farming and helping farmers out. To help out, it was important to him to own his own business. In 2016 when the business officially opened Suraj was very happy to reach the milestone and really begin building the foundation towards his ultimate goal of helping out. Himalayan Grocers supports farmers from all over the world with their inventory purchases.
Business background
Himalayan Grocers opened in 2016. As a business graduate, Suraj had a dream to be an entrepreneur and that is where the idea of opening Himalayan Grocers came from. When Suraj purchased the business, it was previously known as Ving Phong Asian Food Market which they changed to Himalayan Grocers prior to re-opening.
When asked why it is important to support local, Suraj responded “small businesses create the local job market and also support the local cause. In our case, we know most of our clients, but when we go to the superstores, we are just a number. We care about our clients.”
We also asked what makes the business unique, and Suraj responded with “most of our clients come to our store for the rare ingredients that they can’t find in the city. We also pride ourselves for the Nepalese products that we import directly from Nepal that helps the farmers and local labourers.” Himalayan Grocers plans to continue growing and would like to establish themselves as the single place to find the ingredients for their client’s recipes.
Himalayan Grocers is continuing to work hard to ensure the best service to their valued clients. Their ultimate goal is to make the best food and ingredients available for their clients at the best price possible.
Visit Himalayan Grocers website to check out their great food and ingredients from all over the world. Please follow local public health guidelines when visiting.
Guelph Shops was launched to help businesses like Himalayan Grocers thrive and encourage supporting local. If your business is interested in being included in a Guelph Shops Business Spotlight Profile, please reach out directly to [email protected].
All information within has been verified by Himalayan Grocers.