From home kitchen to 500 convenience stores: How a B.C. entrepreneur is bringing Caribbean food to the masses

Maureen Simon runs Maureen Simon Foods with her son Nick. Their Rolliis debuted in 7-Eleven stores this month. Maureen Simon Foods

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When Maureen Simon lived in Delta, the neighbourhood 7-Eleven was part of her family’s routine. This month, her Rolliis began appearing in 500 of the chain’s stores across Canada.

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“7-Eleven was a goal because it was part of my kids’ lives,” Simon said. “They would ride their bikes there and sit outside. Young people would hang out there, and 7-Eleven was so good with them. They never chased the kids away. It was like a family — the staff would discipline them almost like a parent would, telling them they had to go home on time and things like that.

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“So I developed a respect for 7-Eleven. I kept in touch. But it wasn’t easy to penetrate.”

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Originally from Trinidad, Simon first moved to Toronto before coming to Vancouver about 20 years ago. After separating from her husband, she began turning her cooking into a business.

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“I realized Caribbean food wasn’t very prominent in Vancouver. I started doing a bit of catering at home.” She began selling at Granville Island, then rented kitchen space in pizza shops after they closed for the night.

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“I would go in around 11 o’clock at night and work until morning, making cakes and other things, and I started selling them.”
With advice from Jimmy Pattison, whom she calls a friend and mentor, she was able to get her cakes into Save-On-Foods. From there, she rented a commercial kitchen.

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“I grew the company step by step. I figured, the mighty oak doesn’t just appear. It has roots. I knew I needed a foundation.”

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The 7-Eleven deal adds another major retailer to a list that already includes Save-On-Foods, Nesters, Walmart, Choices, City Avenue Market, Stongs, Whole Foods, and Queensdale Market.

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She says that it took “about nine or 10 months” to get her products into the chain. Her frozen Rolliis come in three flavours — Jerk Beef, Jerk Chicken and Veggie Coconut Curry — and are sold at 7-Eleven in four-packs.

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“Our product is good for a kid to throw in the air fryer. It’s not as good in the microwave because the microwave makes pastry soft. And a lot of this generation uses an air fryer.”

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Local company Mauren Simon Foods’ Rolliis are now available in 7-Eleven stores across this country. Photo by Maureen Simon Foods

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Getting a product into 7-Eleven begins with testing by the chain’s food team, followed by approval from executives in B.C. and Toronto.

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“It has to be able to stay frozen, go from the freezer to the air fryer or the oven, and meet shelf-life requirements.”

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Winning a national account also means having the financial capacity to fill large orders.

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“You have to be able to finance making the products. You can’t just stop midway because you don’t have enough money. Let’s say they want 2,000 cases of product to start. You have to have the money to pay your manufacturer to produce that. And then you need extra inventory. So instead of just those 2,000 cases, maybe you need another 500 cases on hold.”