About The Team: Meet Ejaz!

September 25, 2020

Read all about the awesome members of our team and get to know the different personalities that work every day to make sure our customers and farmers always have a smile on their face. 

Like many others, we are a small business run by people who could very well be your neighbours! Meet Ejaz, he’s always enthusiastic and may even have given you a call to chat and ask how you feel about your delivery!

Tell us a little about yourself! 

I was born in Toronto and grew up in the east end of the city, still live there today. One thing I appreciate about growing up here is the diversity of people – you can learn so much about the world in your own backyard.

In terms of school, I studied business at George Brown and am currently studying global management at Ryerson University. You can probably tell I thoroughly enjoy studying this.

Fun fact, I’ve been to the Philippines five times and to Pakistan and Dubai, once.

Do you have any hobbies, interests?

Right now, I have two main interests.

History, something I’ve always enjoyed reading – have been listening to a lot of history podcasts lately.

Something more recently that I’ve slowly been getting into is learning more about is data science. It’s pretty cool to see how powerful data is when it’s visually represented.

What are some things you like to do outside of work?

I am a volunteer mentor at a non-profit called Business in The Streets (BITS).  They provide quality business training and mentorship to marginalized and underserved communities in Toronto. Probably one of my favorite things to do on Saturdays, I usually do one or two 8-weeks rounds every year, since 2018. The things you learn and the people you meet here are more fun than sleeping in on a Saturday.

What are some of the responsibilities you take on for NIKU Farms?

My role at NIKU Farms focuses on the operations side of the business. I think the best way to look at my responsibilities is in three high-level groups:  

Order Management & Fulfillment – Making sure our customers get what they ordered, and it gets delivered.

Inventory Management and Tracking – Working with farm partners to ensure we are well stocked to offer customers the best variety.

Analysis – Working with our data to inform team decisions, improve processes, and to generally have a clear picture of what is happening in different areas of operations/NIKU. 

Can you walk us through what a day at work (from home) looks like for you? 

My workday at home is very similar to my typical day at the office, except with better meals. I usually spend my mornings going through the most urgent tasks and those that require calls with team members. I try spending at least 30-minutes standing up working at my kitchen counter in the morning.

One thing that is ingrained in my routine is having stretch after lunch. This is a little energy boost and it feels good before I’m back in my chair for the afternoon.

I like putting my head down for the afternoon to power through the rest of my to-dos for the afternoon. An hour before I wrap my day up, I like to finish up what hasn’t been done and figure out what needs to be done the next day.

Why do you like working at NIKU Farms? How does NIKU’s values of sustainability, ethical meat, and/or local support align with you?

I like working at NIKU Farms because I really do think that we provide our customers with a healthier and cleaner alternative to meat you’d buy at your typical grocery store. All our shared values here at NIKU Farms resonate with me but given the current circumstances, I think supporting local takes center stage. At a time where many have had to overcome great challenges, it feels good to know I am contributing to our local ecosystem here in Ontario.

If you could pick one song to play when you walk into a room – what would it be and why?

It would have to be “What’d I Say” by Ray Charles. Because If this song is playing when I walk into the room, I’d likely enjoy being in the room a lot more.