Sweets From The Earth
our story
A 7-year-old girl named Ilana makes a horrifying discovery: The meat she is being served for dinner came from a real live, adorable animal. It was just the day before that her dad went out hunting and a rabbit was the unlucky victim. The thought of eating this beautiful creature is unbearable. She declares herself a vegetarian and learns to cook her way around her meat-eating family.
After many years of working in health care, Ilana realizes that her true passion lies in the kitchen and moves to BC to attend pastry school. BC provides the perfect backdrop for training and apprenticeship in the kitchen. She gets a job at a great restaurant where she has access to the best ingredients from around the world and learns that quality ingredients make all the difference.
Ilana moves back to Toronto to be closer to family and works in a few traditional kitchens. She becomes vegan, and quickly discovers that there is virtually nowhere to get vegan desserts in the city. She starts experimenting and baking vegan treats out of her apartment, approaching friends and family for feedback. She goes to restaurants and stores with samples, and even leaves a box of samples at a local health food shop, despite being turned away. Ten minutes later, she gets a call from the reluctant owner to place an order, declaring, 'they were yummy!'.
Ilana moves into a house and turns the basement into a small commercial kitchen. The rest of the house gets taken over by the growing demand. She sells to local health food stores, restaurants, and cafés.
Sweets from the Earth outgrows the basement and moves into a commercial space on Pacific Avenue, in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood. Ilana hires her first staff, and they begin making a full line of vegan baked goods under one roof.
Sweets from the Earth receives kosher certification through COR.
Growing demand for vegan and for allergy-friendly products leads to the creation of two separate facilities: gluten free remains on Pacific Avenue and a larger nut free facility opens on Mulock Avenue.
Gluten free production moves into a bigger space on Cawthra Avenue, just behind Mulock Avenue.
More growth means yet another space is required. The nut free facility moves to Canarctic Drive in Toronto's north end, and the gluten free facility moves to Mulock. Sweets from the Earth receives HACCP certification for its food safety procedures.
Gluten free production moves in next door to nut free production on Canarctic Drive. Sweets from the Earth is named one of the 500 fastest growing companies in Canada, and Ilana is named one of Canada's Top Female Entrepreneurs.
We are thrilled to announce that, for the fourth consecutive year, we have received the honour of being named one of PROFIT 500 2017 Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies!
The wait is finally over! For many years, our friends south of the border have been asking us (read: begging) to bring Sweets from the Earth products to the U.S.A., and after much waiting, we are thrilled to announce that we have officially launched our sister brand, Treats from the Earth for the US and International markets.
Sweets from the Earth remains a family-owned business and maintains three production facilities. Products are available in stores across Canada, with new retailers being added all the time. The product lines are constantly expanding, often due to suggestions and feedback from valued customers.
We owe a huge thanks to our amazing community for joining us on our journey. We hope you will continue to be a part of our story!
