Steven Singer, President

Steven Singer, President
When Steven Singer and his childhood friend David Miller (now Glutino Foods executive vice president) broke into the gluten-free business at just 26 years old, they had a vision of creating a company committed to helping people living with celiac disease and other food intolerances live healthy, normal lives by offering them the flexibility in food choice that others enjoy. But they were also in the right place at the right time, anticipating a trend that they had both been watching for several years take hold in the European food industry. 

A graduate of McGill University with a degree in political science, Singer had been working in sales at Consoltex Inc., a Montreal-based textile company, when he got the itch to take charge and successfully grow a business of his own. Although not a celiac himself, he began to closely track the European gluten-free products market and noticed the European market growing much faster than the American market. Singer predicted the U.S. would soon have its own gluten-free “growth spurt,” given statistics that approximately 1 in 133 people live with celiac disease, resulting in the need adhere to strict dietary guidelines free of wheat, barley, rye and oats – and he was correct. Seven years later, sales of gluten-free products are soaring, expected to top $696 million in 2006 and $1.7 billion by the end of 2010 and growing 25 percent as a category annually within the next four years, according to Packaged Facts. Singer’s company, Montreal-based Glutino Foods, selling products under its brands Glutino® and Gluten-Free Pantry®, is now the fastest-growing manufacturer of gluten-free products in America.

As an increasing number of gluten-free products were hitting the market in Europe, Singer wanted to help bring this “gluten-free revolution” to North America. After considerable research, Singer asked his longtime friend Miller to join him in this venture. Together with two other silent partners, they purchased Importations Deroma (Glutino.) 

In the early days, Singer’s team included a staff of just six people, as he worked to completely revamp the company’s image. His tasks included the creation of new package design and delivery processes, increasing both Canadian and U.S. distribution, adding many new products and changing the overall image of Glutino from a medical food company to a health food company. In addition, Singer’s team put together a portal for gluten-free products and networking called glutino.com, designed to provide individuals and families living with celiac disease a centralized location for networking, recipe sharing and purchasing hard-to-find products. Singer also spearheaded efforts to reach out to celiac associations across North America and made celiac education a priority.

As demand for gluten-free products continued to skyrocket, Singer diligently worked to strengthen the Glutino brand and substantially increase its line of product offerings, which led to the acquisition of Gluten-Free Pantry® and glutenfree.com in 2005. More than 100 products currently exist under the two brands, and more than 550 gluten-free products are sold through their glutenfree.com portal, the North American leader in the gluten-free e-commerce/direct mail business.

Steven’s commitment to all-natural, pure, great-tasting products made with the highest quality ingredients has helped Glutino Foods grow at a double-digit rate, outpacing the competition. Consumers and their families living with celiac disease and food allergies look to Glutino for what’s new and innovative in the world of gluten-free products, and Steven is continuously following flavor and ingredient trends to make sure Glutino delivers.

On a day-to-day basis at Glutino, Steven oversees all of Glutino’s sales, marketing and merchandising efforts. He travels across America and overseas building strong relationships with other companies, suppliers and organizations in the gluten-free products industry, helping create the strategic vision and business development plan for the company. He is also a member of various young entrepreneur groups and is a strong supporter of various celiac associations, including the Celiac Disease Foundation and the Canadian Celiac Association.