Arshita Saini’s path to CEO started with an entry-level job she expected to be temporary. The teen arrived in Canada in December 2017, fresh out of high school and having just given up a medical school seat in India to enrol in biology at Douglas College. “I was deeply drawn to studying in North America, particularly to learn more about preventive health care and public health systems,” says Saini. A few months after beginning her studies, Saini took a packaging job at GluteNull, a wholesale bakery crafting 100-percent gluten-free and vegan baked goods made with organic ingredients. In just five years, she’d find herself leading the small but mighty team at the Port Coquitlam facility. “I learned every aspect of the business from packaging and shipping to marketing to accounts and sales, ultimately becoming CEO by age 24.”
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Since being named CEO in 2023, Saini has tripled the company’s market reach through strategic sales expansion and product diversification. “Just after I got the role, we also launched at Sobeys and Safeway, which has about 400 locations across Canada,” she says. She has also secured partnerships with KeHE Distributors, Gordon Food Services and private label partners in Quebec—all while continuing her health–care studies. Saini is completing a joint major in molecular biology biochemistry and business at SFU part-time, and is set to graduate this April.
Saini has generated over $1 million in new annual business through these initiatives, including launches at Costco’s BC Roadshow and the Real Canadian Superstore earlier this year. Over the next several years, she aims to scale GluteNull to $10 to $12 million in annual revenue and establish it as an internationally recognized clean-label brand.
On baking her way to success
“Every product is developed with the philosophy that ‘food is medicine.’”
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