Global Grocers open its international food store for a multi-cultural taste in Penticton

If you have got a craving for international flavours, come check out Penticton's newest grocery store, boasting specialty dry goods, spices, fresh produce and sweets from around the globe.

Global Grocers held its grand opening on Friday, excited to welcome in new and returning customers through the door after trying to get a spot in Penticton for the past two years.

Co-owners Riz and Deepak Gaba were happy to have managed to get a store with a good location and enough parking.

“We started off by working at a store that was owned by my aunt and uncle, we wanted to know if it was the right fit for us. The store bought us a great platform, we met beautiful, wonderful people. We love asking questions, we love asking about culture and food and that’s how we started expanding our range to world food in Oliver,” Riz explained.

The store opened its location in Oliver first and has earned a wide-spread customer base thanks to their range of products.

“Oliver’s been great, but during COVID times it has been a struggle,” Riz explained, with the store adapting to safety regulation, deliveries and curbside pickup.

But their passion for bringing in authentic, ethnic foods helped them through.

“We are very curious when it comes to food, we are very curious when it comes to people. Moving from India, to England to Canada, we’ve always lived in a very multicultural society,” Riz said. “Food always is a conversation starter. You go somewhere, and you go, what's your name, how are you and somehow, it leads to conversation about food!”

Riz added that her customer base is very expansive, from young people wanting to grow their cooking style, young mothers looking for snacks, hungry students and seniors ready for a new meal.

“We like to focus on every category of customer.”

A true family business, the Gaba's son helps out and appears in promotional videos for the store.

“He loves doing the videos, sometimes. Sometimes I have to bribe him with chocolates and muffins,” Riz added with a laugh. “We like to tell him about different food and food cultures.”

“Come to our store, see what you like and you might find something you haven’t tasted and like it.”

Penticton Global Grocers is open seven days a week at 2150 Main Street from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.