24-hour health food convenience store to open in Ottawa’s ByWard Market

KaleMart24 will open in Ottawa's ByWard Market on July 23. (William Eltherington/CTV News Ottawa)

People looking for a healthy option as the sun rises will soon have a new spot in Ottawa’s ByWard Market.

Montreal-based KaleMart24 will be opening its doors on William Street on July 23, offering all-natural and local products for 24-hours, seven-days a week.

“We’re not like a classic convenience store, and we’re not like a grab-and-go restaurant,” Sam Saoudi, founder and CEO of KaleMart24, told CTV News Ottawa.

“We offer all the classic categories of a convenience store, alcohol, chocolate, chips, gums, all that, but it’s natural brands with no preservatives, no additives and no chemicals in the products.

Saoudi says he had the idea for the business while in engineering school and realized there was a gap in offerings for quick, healthy products at his local Montreal depanneur.

The franchise opened two stores in Montreal in March 2024 and a third in September 2024.

Along with its ByWard Market location, a store will be opening in Gatineau’s Hull sector as soon as Monday. Saoudi plans to open more franchises in Toronto and Kitchener.

“We’ve had an overwhelming response,” he said.

KaleMart24’s website shows a variety of options from bowls, salads, smoothies, acai bowls, wraps and sandwiches. Grab-and-go classics like coffee, tea and pastries are also on offer.

Saoudi says he wanted to open the first Ottawa location in the market because of the amount of traffic in the area from locals and tourists, despite growing concerns over social disorder in the area.

“We wanted to showcase the brand in Ottawa in a very high food traffic location to make people discover the brand and see what we’re doing,” he said.

“Ottawa is a great market. We have a lot of franchisees that are very interested in the area and I think bringing more great stores and great opportunities in this city would help lower that bad reputation that certain streets in Ottawa have.”

Zachary Dayler with the ByWard Market District Authority says it’s a positive sign to see more businesses opening in the tourist area.

“I think it speaks to perhaps, a changing demographic in the city. It speaks to life in a dense downtown. A 24-hour healthy grocer is incredibly important for a growing city,” Dayler said.

South American restaurant Barrio recently opened on the corner of William Street and Rideau Street after the closure of Pure Kitchen last winter. Chuck’s Roadhouse Bar replaced the old Dunn’s Famous Deli last month and Grey’s Social Eatery took over the former space of Blue Cactus in March.

The ByWard Market area has been without a 24-hour establishment since the closure of the notorious Rideau Street McDonald’s in 2023. The Elgin Street Diner and Kettlemans Bagels also offer all-day, all-night service.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Peter Szperling

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