About Us | Food Specialties
A privately owned Canadian company, Food Specialties has proudly served its customers under the same management for more than 50 years.
Food Specialties supplies a wide variety of quality ingredients for international and local ice cream markets. Customer service and satisfaction are our main goals whether our clients are large or small.
Specializing in the formulation and development of new frozen dessert products and flavourings, Food Specialties is a leader in Ice Cream Problem Solving and Technology, designing custom products that meet specific nutritional and cultural needs.
Our wealth of experience and extensive database allows us to shorten development times and speed new product launches for our customers.
We look forward to working with you.
Food Specialties in Canada
In 1967 an immigrant carrying a guitar arrived in Halifax. The journey had been a little rough and the land was still swaying under his feet as Russell became used to his new country, Canada.
After a long rail journey through a land covered in snow, he arrived in Toronto and started looking for work. To his surprise, he was hired as a salesman to sell ingredients to food manufacturers. It seemed he was not very good at selling. The results came slowly. But his colleagues liked him. Later, when Drew Chemical wanted to get rid of their Food Specialties division he bought it in partnership with Perry Laurence, his former boss.
The business was making and selling ice cream stabilizers. It grew and diversified into other products. Nickel catalyst making was a disaster and forced a change of ownership of the company. Food Specialties briefly became a division of Smith and O’Flaherty who had their own range of stabilizers, until Russell bought the company back.
From Stabilizers to Every Kind of Ingredient Used in Ice Cream
1982 marked the beginning of serious research into ice cream technology, particularly related to the functionality of stabilizers. The work was carried out at the University of Guelph. Subsequent research has allowed the company to diversify its product range to include almost every kind of ingredient used in ice cream.
Food Specialties supplies ingredients and formulation help to ice cream companies in every part of Canada. The largest and the smallest. We have helped some of the largest customers complete projects which were basic to their needs, and we regularly give our services to small entrepreneurs seeking solutions to formulation problems. We can help your company too.
Russell Morley
President & CEO
Food Specialties in China
It was a disappointment when the partnership with Xuzhou Howbetter broke down. That led to the establishment of a new company, Xuzhou Fu Te Si Food Company Ltd. Russell had contributed his knowledge of construction standards for sauce making and flavour making to build a new factory for Howbetter in Suqien. With the help of Peter Wang and Tammy Zhao we quickly established strong relationships with alternative sites where our flavours, stabilizers, sauces, syrups, and soft dough particles are made for us today.
Our quality standards for production in China are the same as we have used for many years in Canada. Staff from Xuzhou have visited Mississauga twice to ensure that quality standards are followed.
In 2019 / 20 we will achieve BRC standard for all of our Mississauga production. These standards will become routine for all production in China as early as possible.
Our distribution site for all products sold in China is close to our office in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province.
Sales responsibility for China is with Joney, Li Qiang. The technical service is provided by Tammy, Zhao Yin.
Give us a call, we can help with all your product development plans, and introduce some new ideas of our own.
We bring the highest quality ingredients to ice cream makers. We supply formulations and innovative ideas based on our experience around the world. If you have an idea for a novel frozen product please ask us how to make it. We can do that.
Russell Morley / Moli Lasaier,
CEO
Food Specialties in Britain
One day after Smith and Oflaherty had become partners in Food Specialties, Russell’s Mother said to him, you seem so tired. Why don’t you come home to England for a rest. He did, and the rest is a part of our history. He looked for ice cream makers in Devon, where he met Buff and Len Harvey. They had been exploring the world looking for the secret that would allow them to make the best ice cream.
Russell helped them to achieve their dream. In the course of that adventure Food Specialties UK Ltd was born. The Devon milk, which became ice cream mix only hours after leaving the cows, gave a wonderful flavour that can only come from very fresh milk. Russell was learning the value of freshness. Mrs Yudy Pelle manages the UK company with regular customer visits. She is based in Mississauga.
Food Specialties in Nigeria
Years later, after starting the Chinese company, Russell was invited to Nigeria to be a consultant to train the staff of a new ice cream company. He thought he saw an opportunity there and started a branch of Food Specialties in Nigeria. It is managed by Emily Anetor Ogbewele.