MONTEGO BAY, St James – When Austin Russell, co-owner of Tinnels Jamaica Patties in Canada, emigrated from his farming community of Hagley Gap, St Thomas, to Canada in 1991, he was severely challenged in landing a job because of a recession at the time.

“When I went to Canada I couldn’t get any job. It was a recession. I couldn’t get a job then, so I sat at home for months before I got a job,” Russell reflected.

“Then I found a job that paid Can$6 per hour. From that $6 I fed my family back in my village. They all ate from that $6 per hour. And I saved from that to what I built today.”

Fast forward 31 years, Russell, who revealed that he now employs over 80 people in his successful patty distribution business, is now faced with another employment problem – a shortage of hands to employ in the booming business.

“We now have about 80 staff members in Toronto. I am desperately short of labour. I still cannot find enough people to work. I employ a number of blacks but I employ people from every ethnic background, as long as they are willing to work,” Russell shared.

Russell reflected that 23 years ago, business got out to a pedestrian start but over the years it has evolved to now five different locations in Canada and is on the cusp of venturing into the United States market.

“ln 1999 I started my own patty thing. It was very slow but grew from nothing to something, to be the largest patty industry for black people in Toronto. We now have five locations in Toronto. We supply all coffee trucks, you name it.We supply supermarkets. Sometime I don’t even have enough to supply all the supermarkets,” Russell stated.

“My partner Nellie, she is also from the same Hagley Gap district. She is like a family member. I call her mom.”

He argued that there is a strong demand for patties among different racial groupings in Toronto.

“There is a great demand for patties across ethnicities in Canada. Everybody loves Jamaican patties. Patty and coco bread. Caucasians, Portugese, blacks, Indians, Caribbean people, all love patties,” he stated.

“We make a large number of patties. We are making patties sometimes seven days per week. It’s a large number,” he said, adding that he was not immediately able to quantify the number of patties that the business churns out on a daily basis.

“If you go to Canada and ask for Tinnels, it is well known,” the proud Jamaican native stated.

The businessman attributes the acquisition of his baking skills from a grandaunt of his who used to supply their St Thomas community with baked products.

“I have a grand aunt from Hagley Gap they used to call Boss Bread. She never liked the name but because she was so good at baking bread they gave her the name. So the whole family grew up as bakers and cooks,” he said.

For Russell, it is important to give back, and he highlighted some of his philanthropic exploits, such as staging a Christmas treat for up to 300 members of the Hagley Gap community for 10 years, which has been put on hold since the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“I do fund raisings for feeding especially the elderly every Christmas in Hagley Gap… over 300 people. I ship down everything, I give them donation basket, everything. But just since COVID I haven’t done it,” he explained.

Russell underscored that he he has now taken the plunge in the investment of Russell’s Paradise Resort, a 24-room hotel sitting near a section of the beach at Yallahs, in his native parish.

“I am a people person. That is my passion and when my friends come to Jamaica they would need somewhere that they can afford to stay. So I decided to purchase this property,” he said.

The restaurant at the property is now in operation, but the 24 rooms will be ready for the market later this year.

“We are planning to officially open mid-July to the end of July,” Russell said.