On December 21st, the first day of winter, the most unlikely shop opened its doors to a frozen neighbourhood.
Chaeban Ice Cream welcomed customers in from the freezing cold for an assortment of ice cream flavours, including a little taste of Syria.
READ MORE: New business opening on South Osborne a sweet success story
But, the ice cream shop had more motive to open than just being a hub for lovers of tasty treats in the South Osborne community.
The husband and wife duo of Joseph Chaeban and Zainab Ali said they created the business to give her 13 family members fleeing to Winnipeg as refugees a place to gain a livelihood.
“I wanted to stay in the community of South Osborne and I wanted to do something that would help my wife’s family when they came to Canada and have jobs provided for them,” Chaeban said.
Zainab Ali’s sister, Saada Ali, came to Winnipeg with her three sons and said through a translator that the job has allowed her to feel like a provider again for her family.
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While Chaeban Ice Cream is there to help give a leg up to Ali’s family members, the couple said it is also a way to give back to a community that has helped them so much.
Chaeban and his wife asked Winnipeg for help in 2015 to bring their family to Canada from war-torn Syria and the South Osborne Syrian Refugee Group came forward to help.
“What’s not to be happy about? We’re alive and we’re eating ice cream,” Chaeban said.
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