ASA Meats & West Indian Groceries – Serving Freshness & Quality to the Community

BY ALYSSA MAHADEO 

If you are looking for guaranteed freshness and quality products imported straight from the West Indies, ASA Meats and West Indian Groceries has everything you need and more! Located in Brampton at 10086 Hurontario Street, ASA offers a selection of everything you need to whip up the most memorable West Indian style feast this holiday season.

Established in 1991, originally located on the corner of Weston Road and Finch Avenue in Toronto, owner Abdool Samad Ali and his wife Fazilette Ali opened a West Indian grocery store and butcher shop in the GTA. They were highly successful and well known within the community for over ten years before acquiring another location, this time in Brampton in the year 2000. Eventually having both locations was becoming too much to manage and so they decided to sell the one down in Toronto, making the decision to invest their time into establishing and upholding the location in Brampton.

Hailing from Berbice, Guyana Abdool’s father was a butcher and farmer back home and so he had been exposed to the lifestyle at an early age. His father dabbled a little in everything, selling meats at his butcher shop and also harvesting and taking produce down to the city to sell. Abdool immigrated to Canada in 1983 and a few years later he had established his own West Indian business here in the GTA.

Since their inception in 1991, ASA Meats and West Indian Grocery has worked hard to deliver a unique and quality-driven shopping experience for the West Indian Consumer, as well as those customers from the community seeking out products from the islands. Their vision is to bring only the freshest and quality products to their store, striving for excellence and upholding the highest standard for the services they offer.

The store consists of three units and a total of 5,000 sq. ft. strategically laid out so that the entire area is taken into consideration and taken advantage of utilizing and maximizing the space. The majority of the store carries many of their grocery and produce items and products reuniting West Indian customers with all of the products that they grew up with from back home. In the back they have a full service butcher and towards the entrance is the bakery and kitchen area where all of the baked goodies are on display waiting for you to take them home.

At ASA Meats they take their job very seriously when it comes to offering their customers quality cuts of meat. To them it’s not just a statement, but also a cornerstone of their reputation and they take pride in delivering the finest meats and fish imported from the Caribbean as well as locally raised. All of their meats are 100% Halal Certified and whatever the occasion ASA Meats has you covered. Their selection of meats include: all cuts of lean beef, ground beef, salted beef, cow foot, beef liver and lyte, oxtail, ducks both drake and hen, whole chickens hens and roosters, egg bags, lamb from New Zealand and Ontario, goat, sheep, seasonal turkey and venison, as well as seasonal qurbani orders. Currently available in store is smoked turkey, as well as pepperpot meats for the holiday season.

Alongside their selection of premium meats they also offer a variety of seafood including: bangamary, butterfish, red snapper, grey snapper, gilbaka and gilbaka eggs, hassa, frozen Caribbean crabs, a collection of shrimp, trout, tilapia, grouper, kingfish, catfish, conch and flying fish from Barbados, frozen buck crab and seasonal live crabs.

When you ask for a cut of meat at ASA Meats, they deliver the very best, going the extra mile to ensure that your meat is properly cleaned and cut to your specifications. They have been in the business for over twenty five years and so they understand the needs of their customer to ensure they receive great quality service for whatever amenity they provide. The area around the meat shop is clean and tidy and their staff is fast, experienced and professional so that you leave with exactly what you need to start cooking up a storm!

Down at ASA Meats and West Indian Grocery there isn’t anything that you can’t find. In 2005 they implemented a bakery, complementary to their full service kitchen. The ability to serve freshly baked bread and pastries are a daily passion. Their bakery runs five days a week with items baked fresh daily. Even on days when they aren’t scheduled to bake, if they have run out of stock they are committed to delivering more products on high demand.  Their breads and pastries are a labour of love, derived from timeless West Indian inspired traditions. They use only the freshest ingredients to create their delectable, delicious freshly baked masterpieces.

Their selection of bread includes white and whole wheat plait bread, loaf bread, as well as sliced bread, tennis rolls, butterflaps, coco-bread, Trinidadian Hops Bread, Jamaican Hard-Dough bread, Bajan sweet bread and banana bread. In addition to their fresh baked breads they have crumbly and delicious pastries such as cheese rolls, pinetarts, chinese cake, salara, coconut rolls, rock buns, kurma, cheese rolls, currants roll, cassava pone, homemade mixed fudge and peanut fudge, sugar cakes, homemade chicken patties and beef patties, as well as seasonal sponge cake and black cake available for the holidays.

In their kitchen they prepare hot, fresh meals daily allowing for complete control when it comes to guaranteeing the highest standard of quality and freshness. They care about what their customers eat and so they take the time and effort to create dishes that aren’t only delicious but good for you as well! They offer fresh roti, doubles, curry, bake and saltfish as well as their own home made pepper sauce in store, hot, fresh and ready to go!

ASA Meats and West Indian Groceries is definitely a one-stop-shop for all of your grocery needs, with premium cuts of meat, a wide selection of fruits, vegetables and grocery items, there isn’t anything you won’t be able to find. Their freshly baked pastries and delicacies will have you headed back for more, especially when you can get it all conveniently in one location. Their staff works hard to cater to their customers every need, and if there is something that you can’t find, just ask, someone is sure to help. ASA Meats and West Indian Groceries is open seven days a week, from 9 am till late evening to accommodate customers heading to the store on their way home from work. Learn more about what they have in store on their website at www.asameats.ca or give them a call at 905-846-6199 if you are searching for something in particular or to find out how late they’re open.

Head on over to ASA Meats and West Indian Groceries today to enjoy a high quality and fulfilling grocery experience that won’t disappoint!