Courage Foods Ltd

Karen O’Brien and her husband Jim have always had a passion for food and their local community, Toronto’s The Beach. So when the opportunity came to combine those two loves into a store, they leaped at the chance. “I come from a service background and worked in the neighbourhood for years,” Karen says. “There’s a butcher and a cheese shop on our street, but not a local grocer, so we decided to open a shop that catered to people’s needs for food basics.”

And so Courage Foods began. For Karen, that meant providing affordable and quality produce, preserves, basic and fancy goods for locals. For Jim, a bakery and rotating menu of prepared foods for customers wanting a quick bite or to take something home for a family dinner. “We want to be an alternative to the big grocery stores, something that’s easier to get to but can give people their staple goods at reasonable prices,” Karen says. “As much as we can, we try to be comparable to our competitors, but in a smaller, more convenient location.”