South Asian spirits get a destination store — and the diaspora wants more

Ontario’s liquor board has opened a new destination store in Brampton that specializes in Indian and South Asian alcohol brands, but consumers, importers and producers say the province has a long way to go before Ontario residents have the same choice as those in B.C. and Alberta.

This is not a niche market. According to the 2021 Census, more than 1.5 million people in Ontario identify as South Asian, making up 10.8 per cent of the province’s population. In B.C., the South Asian community numbers 473,970 residents — 9.6 per cent of the population. Canada-wide, South Asians form the largest Asian-origin group, at 2.57 million people.

Importers say there is a strong, consistent consumer demand for South Asian spirits that has gone unmet for years because of limited listings, strict lab criteria and a retail system dominated by government-run stores.

Maneesh Jalota and Balaji Nagaraj, who import South Asian alcohol brands, described the new destination store as a welcome beginning, but said it falls far short of meeting the needs of Ontario’s large and geographically dispersed South Asian community.

“It is a start… people now have access to some products from South Asia,” Jalota said.

South Asian consumers represent one of Ontario’s largest demographic groups, yet unlike other regions that have enjoyed multiple destination stores for years — including Eastern Asia, Central Europe, Greece and Portugal — South Asian products were just given their first dedicated location this fall. The agency says it now stocks 16 products from across South Asia, including gin, rum, whisky, brandy and wine.

In a statement to NCM, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) said: “All of these products align with the program’s goal of showcasing unique, high quality and diverse products that have appeal within the South Asian community.”

The LCBO says it plans to expand the category further in the coming year. “In 2026, we will execute two product calls for South Asian products, specifically for the Brampton destination store. South Asian spirits will also be eligible for submission in approximately 10 product calls for our regular product categories.”

Nagaraj said the initiative is a long overdue recognition of a growing customer base. “A big thank you to LCBO,” he said, adding there has been an immediate increase in sales.

But Jalota and Nagaraj say a single location cannot serve a population of more than a million people living across the province. Many customers cannot easily reach the Brampton store and awareness of the LCBO’s online ordering option is low. 

Delivery wait times are another barrier: “Most people just want to get items right away and not wait a week or so,” Jalota said.

Shelf space is also too limited to reflect the range of products available across South Asia. Nagaraj said many South Asian spirits fail LCBO lab tests because of naturally higher ethyl carbamate levels. “This often puts them at odds with Canadian standards.” 

In B.C., despite having one of the country’s largest South Asian communities, even locally made South Asian alcohol brands struggle to secure listings in the government-run system.

In a statement to NCM, the BC Liquor Distribution Branch said it currently stocks six spirits from India: Five whiskies and one rum. The agency said its selection evolves based on sales trends, supplier interest and regional demand. 

But Vancouver-based beer producer Puneet Ahuja said his team has tried for two years to get their South Asian-oriented products listed in BC Liquor Stores with no success.

“We have been applying for the last two years… and it has been really difficult to get any listings,” Ahuja said.

His products are available only through limited channels, but he said demand is strong from Indian restaurants and local consumers.

“It’s been a big challenge.”

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