Ottway Herbs & Vitamins

In the beginning of the 20th century, a master herbalist named Chalid Ottway lived and worked in Toronto, using his advanced knowledge of herbs and vitamins to help those who walked into his work space. He opened up shop in the 1930s, and quickly established a business that would continue to grow over the coming decades.

“Back then,” says Toufiq Satiar, manager of marketing and operations for Ottway Herbs & Vitamins, “Mr. Ottway would mix special herbs, make a compound out of herbs or just do the tea formulation of it, and basically give it to people as they came, so it was strictly consultation and providing products right for customers and on the spot.”

Whether they sought his help for things like body aches and runny noses or to help prevent certain medical conditions, Ottway always had something ready. “It was very grassroots,” says Toufiq, “very much a one-to-one kind of scenario.”