Rabba Fine Foods’ founder Jack Rabba has been shortlisted as a top 75 finalist for this year’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. Presented by Canadian Immigrant magazine.
Rabba immigrated to Canada in 1966. After marrying his wife Ingrid at Old City Hall while they were both on their lunch break, he took a position as a convenience store manager. He gathered enough money to put a down payment on a small convenience store of his own in the heart of Toronto. Soon, he was able to help his parents and siblings join him in Canada and managed to carry the weight of his immigrant family on his shoulders while building a successful neighbourhood business.
As his business grew, he began to expand the store. One store became multiple stores. In 1985, he renamed the chain and Rabba Fine Foods was born. Today, the network features 35 stores across the GTA that are open to customers 24/7. In the process, Jack and his team have created thousands of jobs in Ontario and helped other immigrants find success.
Under his leadership, the company has introduced a growing number of Tim Hortons locations within Rabba markets, established a partnership with Paramount Fine Foods and started to consolidate its community giving efforts under a new umbrella—the Rabba Roots Community Program. Recent examples include funding to help ICU units at Trillium Health Partners, nutritious meals for school-aged children across Canada through the Toonies for Tummies program, partnering with Good Shepherd Ministries/Shelter to donate meals to Toronto’s homeless men during the Super Bowl weekend and donating feminine hygiene products to Mississauga women’s shelters.
