It all started with a chestnut…

When Nunzio Tumino came to Canada from Sicily in the early 1950s, he was starting from scratch. In his mid-twenties, he had never seen snow before and had little money in his pocket.

By the mid-1950s, he’d met and married his wife, Maria, and had opened a grocery store in a busy West Toronto neighbourhood. He worked three jobs, driving a truck for a dry cleaner, cutting glass and moving furniture, while Maria put in long hours running the store.

When Nunzio had time, he went to night school to learn English. Eventually, he gave up his jobs, devoting more time to the grocery store.

At first, Nunzio and Maria stocked the shelves with what was locally available. Then, in 1957, Nunzio began making trips back to Italy, returning with specialty food items. It began with chestnuts. Before leaving on one trip, a fruit wholesaler asked Nunzio to ship some chestnuts back for him.

So, while in Italy, he ordered the chestnuts for quick delivery to his friend. Unfortunately, foggy weather stranded the chestnuts at the Milan airport. In the meantime, the Toronto friend decided that if he couldn’t get the chestnuts on time, he didn’t want them. Tumino, not wanting to leave the chestnut supplier in the lurch, said he would take them. What to do with a surplus of chestnuts? He decided to take them around to other stores. “So, it was a mistake that got me into this business”, he says.

Now, Aurora, with warehouses located in Montreal and Toronto, imports and sells approximately 4,000 food and houseware items to buyers in Canada, the United States and other countries.

The Tuminos’ philosophy includes a dedication to respecting suppliers and serving customers. “You have to respect your suppliers as much as you want to be respected”, says Tumino. “We have suppliers today that we started with 40 years ago.”

Well known name brands that Aurora carries include Gisol chocolates, Merlini mushrooms, Berni antipasto, Carapelli oils, Antonio Amato pastas, Loacker wafers, Perugina Baci chocolates, Perugina panettone, Varm ceramics, De Nigris vinegars and Bialetti Coffee Pots.