Donmar Foods was founded in 1972 in Willowdale, Ontario, and for over 50 years has been manufacturing powdered soup bases, spices, seasoning blends, drink mixes, desserts, and more for commercial kitchens across Canada. From independent restaurants to hospitals, schools, and catering operations, our products have quietly supported millions of meals. Since the early days, our Chicken Soup Base has been our most popular product — serving as the foundation for soups, gravies, sauces, and seasoned rice in kitchens nationwide. There’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed a dish made with it at some point in your culinary journey.

In 2025, a foodservice customer asked us to develop a powdered lentil soup for their restaurant chain. As we explored the world of lentils — their versatility, global recipes, and nutritional benefits — we were inspired to create something bigger: a collection of lentil soups for Canadian households. With up to 50% of the global lentil supply grown in Canada (and about 90% exported), we saw an opportunity to celebrate this healthy, locally grown ingredient. Inspired by Canada’s multicultural spirit, we developed five lentil soups influenced by the flavours of Egypt, Italy, Morocco, India, and Portugal.

To bring the collection to life, we created Lenny the Lentil — an adventurous mascot who travels the world tasting dishes made with Canadian lentils and bringing those flavours home. In 2025, we expanded our manufacturing facility with new packaging equipment, allowing us to produce our lentil soups in flexible packaging, a more environmentally responsible option. In 2026, Donmar Foods officially launched its consumer division and began producing these soups in Aurora, Ontario — bringing over five decades of food manufacturing expertise from commercial kitchens directly to Canadian homes. To learn more about our foodservice division, please visit www.donmar.ca, and to discover Lenny’s story, continue reading below.