It鈥檚 no secret that many who immigrate to Canada cannot find work in their chosen field from their home country.

That was a reality Karnail Singh Sidhu faced when he brought his family from India to the Okanagan in 1993.

Sidhu was a qualified electrical engineer back in Punjab and had worked for a company he compared to BC Hydro, but Canada refused to recognize his credentials.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e always looking for skilled people from other countries, but when the skilled people come here they very quickly learn that they don鈥檛 recognize their credentials. It鈥檚 still happening today.鈥�

Not being able to work as an engineer, Sidhu went back to his family roots of organic farming.

鈥淚 started actively looking for work at different wineries and in 鈥�96 I was hired by Summerhill. That鈥檚 where I worked for ten years.鈥�

Sidhu fell in love with the Okanagan鈥檚 wine industry and during a lunch with his brothers decided to start a venture of his own.

鈥淲e saw the bottles and at that time they were around $15 and we thought it鈥檚 not a bad idea to start a winery, you鈥檙e just selling juice. For $15 a bottle, that鈥檚 a good deal.鈥�

That is how Kalala Organic Estate Winery on West Kelowna鈥檚 upper bench was born.

Kalala started making wine in 2006 and opened to the public with a wine shop and tasting room on June 5, 2008.

The winery focuses on organic practises and has 20 labels including reds, whites, roses and icewines. Kalala also produces various orchard-pressed fruit juices.

Having worked in the wine industry for several years, Sidhu was no stranger to the difficulties the Okanagan would pose in the vineyard.

鈥淭here are always challenges. But one of the biggest challenges we鈥檝e had, we opened the winery during a recession,鈥� Sidhu said. 鈥淚 think the whole industry, what it鈥檚 facing now鈥� It鈥檚 really hard to get any local workforce and the biggest challenge is getting young farmers.鈥�

And when it comes to fires, floods, extreme heat and other weather events, Sidhu said it鈥檚 all part of the organic process.

鈥淭o me being organic means we try to stay as close as we can to nature. It doesn鈥檛 bother me. Things happen, it鈥檚 nature. If it鈥檚 beyond your control, don鈥檛 worry about it. You can try to manipulate whatever you can to do your best. That鈥檚 my attitude.鈥�

Sidhu said you can complain all you want, but it isn鈥檛 going to make things change.

Proud of the organic focus of the winery, Kalala regularly engages in research projects on organic vineyards and winemaking technology.

Sidhu uses a lot of knowledge from his engineering background in his current business path.

鈥淚 think education makes you think broadly and think critically and whichever field you pick you will be successful.鈥�

Despite the difficulties faced in the business, Sidhu claimed no year is a bad year as long as you learn something.

鈥淚 always say one thing and I tell my kids this too, you go to school to learn not to be something. You will be whoever you want to be later if you learn a lot in school. What you learn in school you can apply to your life everywhere.鈥�

To Sidhu, success isn鈥檛 about the financial gain, 鈥渋t鈥檚 what you learn in those years.鈥�

Since the business opened, Kalala has received several awards for its wines at many different levels of competition.

鈥淭o me, the company is the same as like other sports companies. All the players aren鈥檛 going to win, they are all good but some win and some lose鈥� I can鈥檛 say it鈥檚 only the best player who wins it. They鈥檙e all the best, they came there because they are the best. All the wine we make in the Okanagan, I think we make very good wine and we make world-class wine. We should not hesitate to compete anywhere in the world with an Okanagan wine.鈥�

The first award-winning wine from Kalala came the same year it opened to the public. In 2008, the winery won a People鈥檚 Choice Award with its Pinot Gris.

鈥淵ou do get excited when it鈥檚 the very first one. I don鈥檛 get excited too much, and sometimes my wife complains,鈥� Sidhu laughed. 鈥淏ut it is a nice feeling the first time you鈥檙e in and win, people like your wine, that鈥檚 an enjoyable moment.鈥�

The awards are just a small part of why Sidhu loves what he does. He said it鈥檚 ultimately the people that make it all worthwhile.

鈥淲e have people from all over the world and you learn a lot about different cultures. In my case, people ask lots of questions about me, too. I do look different than most of the industry. It鈥檚 great to meet the different people from all different corners of the world and it鈥檚 very satisfying when people love your product.鈥�

Kalala currently has four vineyards in the Okanagan equalling over 41 acres. Sidhu said they purchased Little Straw Vineyards from the Slamka family when they retired in November 2021.

鈥淐oming from another country, a different culture and different language, I think it鈥檚 very fulfilling and I鈥檓 proud to be in the situation I am in today.鈥�