Have you ever gone shopping at Canadian grocery chain T&T and wondered about the meaning behind its name?
Turns out, the purveyor of Asian grocery items has an adorable origin story for how it got its name. T&T has a double meaning — the names of the two founder’s daughters, Tina and Tiffany, as well as two early investors.
Founder Cindy Lee started T&T in 1993. (T&T)
The company explains the name’s origins in a timeline of its growth on its website. Founder Cindy Lee, who came to Canada from Taiwan, wanted to help other Asian families find fresh ingredients and produce under one roof.
She opened the first two stores in Metro Vancouver in 1993 and, more than a decade later, passed the torch to daughter Tina, who took over as CEO in 2014.
Tina Lee took over as T&T CEO in 2014 when her mother retired. (T&T)
T&T’s name origins came as a surprise to many shoppers, who’ve been widely sharing a TikTok by user @kue_c relaying how she learned the story from an in-store poster while shopping.
@kue_c Correction Tina & Tiffany #asiangirls #fyp #canadalife #asianlife #asiansupermarket #tandtsupermarket ♬ original sound – 🄸 🄰🄼 🅀🅄🄴🄴🄽🅂
“I shopped here all my life, and did not know that T&T stood for Tiffany and Tina,” the TikToker said.
Commenters shared their love for the origin story, admiring how Lee named the business after her daughters.
“I WILL be calling it Tiffany and Tina’s now. Cute!” one user commented.
“I always thought it was like the explosives,” another said.
So, there’s the human connection next time you shop at T&T – or Tina and Tiffany’s.
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