Business

Spicy Organic LLC: Modern Day Spice Merchants

Published

5 years ago

April 21, 2021

When sprinkling red pepper on a pizza or indulging in a cinnamon roll, most people probably don’t give a second thought to the spices on their food and where they originated. Often taken for granted in modern times, spices were extremely difficult to obtain at one time, and the measures taken to secure them played a profound role in shaping human history. Some spices were once more valuable than gold and gems. Pepper was even used to pay Roman soldiers or rent in ancient times. Although spices are extremely affordable and accessible today, the undertakings that made this possible shaped economies and cultures, even leading to the discovery of new continents.

In Ancient times, Arabian spice merchants would tell stories of the mythical origins of the cinnamon and cassia they sold to maintain an aura of mystery surrounding the origins of their products and keep their foothold on the market. They dominated the market for 5000 years until the Middle Ages. In modern times, however, the spice trade looks different. One family whose story began in India and has crossed the globe, are extremely transparent about the origins of their products, making it a point for them to be traced back to the source.

What began as a small spice shop opened by Sunil Kumar and his family in 1980 in the Village of Lisora in Uttar Pradesh, India has since become a transnational company and the largest supplier of wholesale and bulk organic spices in North America. Just like the explorers and spice merchants of the times gone by, the Kumars help distribute spices across land and water, always maintaining their mission to provide organic and sustainable products. They have relationships with over 10,000 organic farmers and growers, and their legacy spans over 40 years.

How the Spice Trade Shaped History

Spices were the first globally traded product. Archaeologists believe humans have been using spices to season their food since 50,000 B.C. Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, turmeric and cassia were some of the first to be traded across different lands. Records show cinnamon and cassia arrived to the Middle East more than 4000 years ago. Ancient Arab traders would tell stories of cassia growing in shallow lakes and guarded by winged animals.

Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) and the Spice Islands (modern-day Indonesian Moluccas) served as important trading points at one time. Later on, Alexandria, Egypt became the world’s largest center of trade when it fell under Roman rule. Indian spices traded in Alexandria reached other territories of the Greek and Roman empires. For 300 years after Ptolemy XI gave Alexandria to the Romans in 80 BCE, trade between India and the Romans flourished.

In the 10th century, the trade rivalry between Venice and Genoa led to the Naval War of Chioggia in 1378. Venice emerged as the victor, which allowed them to dominate trade in the Levant for the next 100 years.

Age of Exploration

As shipbuilding technology evolved, the British, Spanish, and Portuguese sailed in search of the fabled spice lands, with the goal of finding alternative trade routes and eliminating the middleman. Christopher Columbus, sailing for King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain, famously failed to reach the Spice Islands but discovered the Americas instead. Portuguese explorers successfully found a route to Asia and reached India in 1498. For the next century, they dominated the market.

Fleets from Holland set sail for the Spice Islands in the late 1500s, which led to the establishment of the Dutch East India company in 1602. Other European countries soon followed and established their own East India Companies. Although Portugal dominated the spice trade at one point, it was surpassed by the British and Dutch. The pursuit of spices fueled globalization, technology, and established empires. There was a dark side to their success, however. During this period, European countries established their colonial presence in Asia and other parts of the world at the expense of indigenous peoples, leaving a legacy marked by violence and oppression.

Evolution of Tastes in the Western World

Some may wonder why spices were in such high demand in Europe. Modern European cuisine is not known for incorporating many different spices. Other cuisines, such as Chinese or Indian, are known to be more layered and complex, with contrasting flavors, whereas western European dishes combine similar flavors. One example is the use of cinnamon; its sweet aroma is typically used to enhance sweet dishes in the west, whereas in India and the Middle East it is common to use in savory dishes. Western food is known for being less seasoned than other cuisines. However, this was not always the case.

At one time, Europeans incorporated more spices in their dishes. A beef pie recipe from 15th-century Germany, for example, includes meat, butter, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and cloves.

A 16th-century English recipe for custard- a savory quiche with meat, includes veal, red wine, parsley, sage, hyssop, savory, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, mace, saffron, salt, dates, prunes, and ginger.

So what changed? How did European access to spices change their palate? While affording spices was a status symbol at one time, as spices became increasingly common, it became more elegant to do the opposite of what the masses were doing. So instead of masking food in spices, it became popular for the upper classes to bring out the natural flavors of foods by using minimal seasonings. This is why European food tends to uses fewer spices, preferring herbs, salt, and pepper instead to enhance the natural flavors. However, in the last few decades, the popularity of spices have made a revival as a result of globalization and immigration. One prime example is chicken tikka masala, which is considered to be the national dish of England and a symbol of its multiculturalism.

The Kumar Family’s 40-year legacy

As the largest wholesale and bulk distributor of organic spices and herbs in North America, the Kumar family delivers the tastes of India to North America. They allow Indians abroad to enjoy the tastes of home and non-Indians alike to discover the flavors of India without compromising on quality or price. They help people across the globe continue their family culinary traditions by bringing organic, high-quality spices, making them affordable and accessible.

Since 1980, Sunil Kumar and his family continue their spice trade across land and sea and show us what the modern-day spice trade looks like. So although we may take the accessibility of spices brought to us by companies like Spicy Organic for granted, they helped shape much of history, making huge impacts on economies, cultures, and history. Wars were fought, empires gained and lost power, technology improved, and society became more interconnected.

Business

Royal York Property Management And Nathan Levinson On Building Stable Rental Portfolios In A Volatile Market

Published

2 days ago

December 11, 2025

Matthew Wiles

Across North America, Europe, and much of the world, rental housing is caught between two pressures. On one side are tenants facing record affordability challenges. On the other side are landlords seeing operating costs, interest payments, and regulatory complexity move in the opposite direction.

Recent analysis from Canada’s national housing agency shows how tight conditions still are. The average vacancy rate for purpose-built rentals in major Canadian centres rose to about 2.2 percent in 2024, up from 1.5 percent a year earlier, but still below the 10-year average despite the strongest growth in rental supply in more than three decades.

At the same time, higher interest rates have pushed up the cost of acquiring and financing rental buildings, which has slowed transactions and made many projects harder to pencil out.

In this environment, the question for landlords and investors is less about chasing maximum rent and more about building stability. That is where Royal York Property Management and its founder, president, and CEO Nathan Levinson have drawn attention.

From a base in Toronto, Royal York Property Management manages more than 25,000 rental properties, representing over 10 billion dollars in real estate value, and operates across Canada, the United States, and parts of Europe. Levinson also sits on a Bank of Canada policy panel focused on the rental market, where he provides data and on-the-ground insights about rent trends and landlord stress.

For many smaller property owners, his model has become a reference point for how to treat rental housing as a structured financial asset rather than a side project.

Rental housing under pressure from both sides of the balance sheet

In many countries, the basic rental story is the same. Construction of new rental housing has climbed, yet demand still runs ahead of supply in most major cities. In Canada, overall rental supply grew by more than 4 percent in 2024, the strongest increase in over thirty years, while vacancy rose only modestly.

At the same time, borrowing costs have moved sharply higher compared with the pre-pandemic period. Research shows that elevated interest rates have reduced the profitability of new multifamily deals and slowed investment activity, even as structural demand for rental housing stays strong.

For small and mid-sized landlords, that tension shows up in a simple way. Mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, and maintenance rarely move down. Rents move up more slowly, and in many jurisdictions they are constrained by regulation or market realities.

Levinson’s view is that this gap will not close on its own. Landlords who want to stay in the market need more predictable income, tighter control of costs, and clearer systems for dealing with risk.

A property management model built for volatility

Royal York Property Management did not start as an institutional platform. Levinson’s early clients were owners of single condominiums, duplexes, or small buildings who were struggling with irregular rent payments, surprise repairs, and complex rental rules.

Instead of handling each property ad hoc, he built a standardized operating model that treats every door as part of a wider portfolio. Each unit sits on a centralized platform that records rent, arrears, lease expiries, maintenance tickets, and legal actions. Owners see real-time statements and performance metrics rather than waiting for year-end reports.

That structure, combined with an internal maintenance and legal team, is designed to handle stress rather than avoid it. When markets are calm, the system may look conservative. When conditions worsen, it is what keeps owners in the black.

“Execution is everything” is how Levinson often frames it in interviews.

Turning rent into a more predictable income stream

The feature that first drew many investors to Royal York Property Management is its rental guarantee program in Ontario. Under this model, landlords receive their rent even if a tenant stops paying. RYPM takes responsibility for legal proceedings, arrears recovery, and re-leasing the unit, while the owner continues to receive income.

Independent profiles of the company describe this as one of the first large-scale rental guarantee frameworks in the Canadian market, and note that the firm manages tens of thousands of units under this structure.

The guarantee itself is closely tied to local law and does not transfer directly into every jurisdiction. The underlying logic, however, is straightforward:

Treat unpaid rent as a recurring and manageable risk rather than an occasional shock.
Price that risk into a clear product instead of handling each case informally.
Use scale, legal expertise, and data to keep default rates low and resolution times shorter.

For landlords who are facing mortgage renewals at higher interest rates, having a more stable rent stream can be the difference between holding a property and being forced to sell. That is one reason rental guarantee models have started to attract interest from investors outside Canada who are watching RYPM’s approach.

Using technology to see risk earlier

Behind the guarantee and the day-to-day operations is a technology stack that tries to surface problems before they become crises. Royal York Property Management’s internal platform uses data from payments, maintenance, and tenant behavior to flag risk signals and operational bottlenecks.

Examples include:

Tenants who move from on-time payments to repeated short delays.
Units where small repair tickets point to a larger capital issue ahead.
Buildings where complaint volumes suggest service gaps or staffing problems.

Rather than treating these as isolated events, the system aggregates patterns across thousands of units. That allows management to decide whether a problem is individual, building-specific, or systemic.

Levinson has also pushed this data outward. As a member of the Bank of Canada’s rental policy panel, he provides anonymized information on rent collection, defaults, and renewal behavior, which feeds into broader discussions about financial stability and housing policy.

The same data that protects a landlord’s cash flow in one building helps central bankers understand how higher rates are affecting thousands of households.

Why the Canadian case matters for global landlords

Several recent reports underline how closely rental markets are now tied to national economic performance. Tight rental supply and high rents are feeding inflation in many economies. At the same time, higher borrowing costs are discouraging new construction, which risks prolonging shortages.

This feedback loop is especially hard on small landlords. Many own only one or two properties and have limited room to absorb higher mortgage payments or extended vacancies. Analysts in Canada and abroad have warned that some owners are at risk of default as their loans reset at higher rates.

In that context, the Royal York Property Management model offers three lessons that travel across borders:

Standardization protects both sides. Clear processes for screening, rent collection, maintenance, and legal steps reduce surprises for owners and tenants at the same time.
Risk pooling is more efficient than one-off crises. Handling arrears, legal disputes, and vacancies inside a structured system is less costly than improvising each time.
Operational data belongs in policy conversations. When policymakers have access to real rental data rather than only mortgage statistics, interventions can be better targeted.

It is not an accident that Levinson’s work now sits at the intersection of private property management and public financial policy.

What everyday landlords can borrow from the Royal York playbook

Most landlords will not build a 25,000-unit management platform. Many will never interact with a central bank. The core ideas behind Nathan Levinson’s approach are still accessible to smaller owners that manage a handful of properties.

Three practices stand out.

First, treat every rental unit as part of a simple portfolio. That means using a consistent template to track rent, arrears, expenses, and vacancy days for each property, then reviewing it on a schedule instead of only when something goes wrong.

Second, write down the rules for risk in advance. Late-payment steps, repayment plans, documentation standards, and maintenance response times should exist on paper, not only in memory. Royal York’s experience suggests that clear rules reduce conflict, because everyone knows what will happen next.

Third, invest in service as a protective layer. Multiple independent profiles of RYPM point out that faster response times and transparent communication reduce tenant turnover and protect building condition, which in turn supports long-term returns.

For landlords and investors trying to navigate today’s volatile rental markets, the message from Royal York Property Management and Nathan Levinson is surprisingly simple. You cannot control interest rates or national housing policy. You can control how organized your portfolio is, how clearly you manage risk, and how consistent your operations feel to the people who live in your buildings.

For many, that shift from improvisation to structure is what will decide whether their rental properties remain a source of wealth or turn into a source of stress.