Haren Seth

Some businesses are built from a plan. Surati was rebuilt from a memory. In 1942, brothers Harilal and Maganlal Sheth founded Surati in Kampala, Uganda. The brand became well known across East Africa and grew from one store to three. Then, during the expulsion of Asians from Uganda, the family lost their home and their business. Maganlal and his family came to Canada, where they met other families who had faced the same upheaval and still remembered Surati’s taste. At their request, the Sheths started filling orders from their home kitchen.
That’s where Haren Sheth’s story begins. Demand grew quickly, and in 1981 Surati opened its first retail store on Keele Street in Toronto. Haren and his brothers each took on a role: Mansukh led production, Yash handled deliveries and helped introduce the products to the United States, and Haren focused on business development. Over more than four decades, Haren turned a small family shop into one of North America’s leading Indian food companies.
The growth has been steady. In 1985, Surati moved to a larger Toronto facility and built a state-of-the-art 23,000-square-foot plant to support its shift into large-scale manufacturing and distribution. In 2004, it partnered with a manufacturer in Vadodara, India, to produce snacks for a new brand, Shalini. In 2008, in response to customer feedback, it launched the Golden bakery brand of eggless baked goods. The Surati and Golden brands now include more than 25 products, from shortbread cookies to tea rusks.
By 2015, the company had outgrown its space again. It moved into a custom-built, 65,000-square-foot facility at 300 Middlefield Road, which houses a retail store, snack production, a bakery and a warehouse. In 2017, its baked goods began shipping to Australia and New Zealand. Today, Surati has nearly 200 employees, a portfolio of 400 products and four US distribution centres, in New Jersey, California, Texas and Georgia. Most recently Surati will be starting it’s first US manufacturing plant in Ohio at a 230,000 sq ft facility.
Haren’s leadership combines respect for tradition with a willingness to change. When Surati outgrew its distributors, he chose to build distribution in-house. Working directly with retailers and customers, he said, gave the company a much closer relationship with its customer base. He also credits the company’s success to its people, noting that any company can buy machinery, but people are what make the difference.
Perhaps his most important achievement is building a business that outlasts him. In 2013, the third generation of the Sheth family joined Surati, taking over operations and production, marketing and sales, and finance. That next generation is already expanding the business. It recently launched Mazama, a flagship quick-service restaurant and marketplace in Scarborough, building on the legacy that began with the Keele Street storefront.
Surati has also stayed rooted in its community. The company describes itself as more than a food business: a place customers return to across generations and turn to when they need help.
Business excellence isn’t just about growth. It’s about resilience, vision and building something that lasts. Haren Sheth helped take a brand that was nearly lost to displacement and turned it into an international manufacturer that still honors the family recipes it was founded on. That’s why he deserves this award.

• Led business development for Surati since its first Toronto store opened in 1981
• Helped grow Surati into one of North America’s leading Indian food manufacturers and distributors
• Expanded operations from a home kitchen to a 65,000-square-foot facility in Toronto
• Built four US distribution centres, in New Jersey, California, Texas and Georgia
• Grew the product portfolio to 400 items, with nearly 200 employees
• Launched the Shalini snack brand through a manufacturing partnership in India
• Launched the Golden brand of eggless baked goods
• Expanded exports to Australia and New Zealand
• Brought distribution in-house, building closer relationships with retailers and customers
• Brought the third generation into leadership, laying the groundwork for the new Mazama QSR and marketplace