SA expats abroad are always looking for ways to get their hands on their favourite South African treats. Luckily South African shops make it possible to feel more at home in a foreign land. In Canada, the expat landscape is no different. While completely wowed by a country that is in such stark contrast to SA, expats typically can’t help but seek out the familiar flavours usually only found on South African shores. Fear not! There is a South African shop in Canada that is ready to tend to your every need –Betsy’s South African Deli.
For most long-term SA expats in Canada, Betsy’s needs no real introduction, but in case you don’t already know…Betsy’s Shop in Canada is somewhat of a South African offshore institution. For South African expats living in Canada, it’s the place to go for boerewors, biltong, and a plethora of imported South African favourites. The store has a physical shop that customers can visit in Edmonton, but also offers an efficient and reliable online store, for those who would like to get their SA treats delivered directly to their homes.
Why Support Betsy’s South African Deli in Canada?
Betsy’s Shop in Canada is a shop that has the everyday South African expat in mind. The stock on the shelves is mindfully bought, making it possible to get anything and everything you need from coffee to Biltong in Edmonton. If you experience an “hmmm, I could do with a South African snack” moment, you are guaranteed to find just what you are looking for at Betsy’s Shop. The range at Betsy’s South African Deli is somewhat impressive! Here’s a look at the brands featured in the store – you will undoubtedly be familiar with many of them:
Bokomo | Gravies | Oros | Nesquik | Pakco |
Ina Paarmans | Willards | Knorr | All Gold | Bakers |
Schweppes | Chappies | Jacobs | Spar-Letta | Steers |
Royco | Black Cat | Ingram’s | Koffiehuis | Nandos |
Koo | Appletiser | Zam Buk | Rhodes | Dairy Milk |
Cremora | Five Roses | Jimmy’s Sauces | Wilson | Futurelife |
Maggie | Nestle | Robertsons | Freddie Hirsch | Beacon |
Wellingtons | Crosse & Blackwell | Roses | Joko | Freshpak |
Frisco | Mrs Balls Chutney | Simba | Mabela |
If you have been dreaming of a roosterkoek on the braai with Mrs Ball’s Chutney; that dream can become a reality. Dying to smother a slice of fresh bread in Black Cat peanut butter? Now you can! Want to weather the chilly days with the familiar taste of your favourite Royco soup? You can find it at Betsy’s. And when it comes to buying SA style boerie locally, Betsy’s doesn’t disappoint with their range of beef boerewors, breakfast sausage, garlic and peri peri boerewors, and curry boerewors.Of course, there is also a range of fresh biltong available along with bakery treats only typically found back home. These treats include the likes of milk tart (melktert), ystervarkies, peppermint crisp tarts, malva pudding, koeksisters and bobotie.
Who knew that even Canada has a taste of South Africa? If you didn’t before; now you do!
What you need to know about Betsy’s South African Deli:
You might be wondering who started Betsy’s and why it is so popular. Betsy’s South African Deli is a shop with an interesting history indeed. One would think that initial owners of the store were South African’s when in fact; Betsy and Henry were born in Zambia and Zimbabwe respectively. Destiny had a plan for Betsy and Henry who married, moved to Boksburg South Africa, and eventually made their way to Montreal, Canada where they ran a South African art shop. As the years passed by for Betsy and Henry, they started making their own home-made boerewors complete with spices and secret recipe stuffing. What started out as making boerewors for their own use soon became a skill that other people were interesting to pay for – and so they started selling their boerewors privately! Their “art” of boerewors making became so well-known, that the SA ambassador in Canada requested that they make an 80kg piece for the SA Embassy. Of course, such a large order required equipment and space. Long story short, Betsy’s Boerewors was born in 2003.
Not long after this, in 2006, Henry & Betsy made the company a family business by including their daughters Caron and Yvette in the business. Soon Yvette was baking meat pies to add to their offering and not long after, followed the idea to import favourite SA treats and snacks. When poor health fell on Betsy, Yvonne and her husband Andrew took over the business, changed the name to Betsy’s South African Deli and ran it successfully for 5 years before the current owners enthusiastically took it over.
Enter Nizanne (who used to work for the store), Rozanne, and Niel – the current owners of Betsy’s Shop. The good news is that both Henry and Betsy are well and often visit the store to purchase snacks and provide the team with advice and tips. Another bit of good news is that the Betsy’s team still makes use of Henry and Betsy’s original secret recipes for all their boerewors and biltong.
The store is running at full capacity and ready to serve you your favourite South African treats. All you have to do is pop in to the store at 6928 – 104 Street, Edmonton or connect on social media here.
FinGlobal: Tax Emigration and Cross Border Financial Specialists
Just like Betsy’s South African Deli will take care of your SA snack and boerie needs, so will FinGlobal take care of your tax emigration and financial emigration needs and requirements. With 10 years of experience behind us, we are in the perfect position to provide premier advice and guidance to SA expats all across the globe. If you would like to discuss your financial emigration and tax emigration when moving from SA to another country, simply contact us.