Business-savvy newcomers bring world of flavour to Islanders visiting their stores

Islanders looking to explore the world through food and cooking have never had it this good.

Grocery stores which mainly carry international goods have been popping up across the Island, offering many P.E.I. residents a window into different cultures, and helping the province's diverse immigrant communities feel a little closer to home.

"We've seen quite a few new shops or services open up over the last few years that cater specifically to the newcomer communities, but they're also very well received by the more established Islander community as well," says Nicole Bellefleur, who runs the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce's P.E.I. Connectors program.

P.E.I. Connectors helps businesses operated by immigrants to connect with entrepreneurs and communities across the Island.

Bellefleur said a lot of the new stores they help out share one thing in common: they have been able to identify that there is a growing local demand for the products they offer.

"A lot of the newcomers who've been recruited to come to the Island have a very entrepreneurial spirit," she said. "When they moved here, they've identified that there's a gap in the availability of items at the local level that are in demand by people from their own cultural communities. And so, they've stepped up to fill that gap."

Here is a look at some stores which have opened their doors in the last couple of years, as well as what they sell and who is running them.