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By: Will McGuirk
An emigrant leaves much behind but not the taste for one’s own culinary culture. For Gilles Tchianga, founder of Taltis Foods in Ajax and Oshawa, it was the homesickness for dishes of his native country, Cameroon, that led him to open his own manufacturing company offering unique authentic African cuisine.
“I left my home country, Cameroon, many years ago after I completed my high school diploma,” says Tchianga, “to pursue my university studies at the University of Milan. I later successfully completed my Master’s degree in food processing.”
He moved to Canada, completed a Bachelor’s degree in education and began teaching. All along he was missing the food of his youth.
“One of the things I’ve suffered the most, since I arrived in Canada, was the lack of food products from the retail stores that could remind me of my background. Combining my African background and my food processing skills, I started making some product samples to offer to friends and colleagues. Based on the feedback I received, I improved my recipes and packaging. After seven years as a teacher, I decided to focus full-time to launch and grow my business,” he says.
Taltis Foods offers health beverages, “such as the Hibiscus drink, the Lemongrass drink,”, and also, “the tasty Jollof cooking sauce, and much more to come.” Tchianga continues, “Taltis Jollof cooking sauce allows foodies to easily prepare a variety of African [food] in the comfort of their homes and save time.”
Tchianga says Durham is a comfortable location for him as well, offering him an easy commute between markets in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.
“I like the peace of mind Durham offers,” he says. “It is very active and relaxing at the same time with a mix of suburban and rural activities. You have Lake Ontario in one footstep. A lot of green space and the waterfront. You can also reach downtown Toronto easily. Most importantly, people are wonderful and very open.”
Tchianga also found people open to his business idea at the Business Advisory Centre of Durham (BACD) and most recently on the TV show, Dragons’ Den. His successful pitch secured him a six-figure deal with Wes Hall, Executive Chairman and founder of Kingsdale Advisors. Through the deal with Hall, Tchianga said he hopes to expand across Canada and into the U.S. in major retail stores like Whole Foods and Walmart.
“Working with BACD brought me the opportunity to share with other entrepreneurs. I also met a team of dedicated mentors who provided multiple resources through various business fundamentals training and information to apply for grants. That has contributed to helping me build my self-confidence and readiness to face fierce Dragons with a winning spirit,” he says.
Shop online at TaltisFoods.com to try the tasty Jollof Sauce and more.
Growth Mode is a series of stories about thriving businesses choosing to grow and innovate in Durham Region.
