There’s no universal method for stock investing, although the approach could be simple or highly complex. However, if the investible funds is $1,000, take the uncomplicated path and pick dead-simple Canadian stocks. The rationale: you put in minimal effort, and the strategy doesn’t require significant time or constant monitoring.
For this reason, you can use your money to buy shares in Rogers Sugar (TSX: RSI) and Slate Grocery (TSX: SGR.UN). The respective businesses, including income generation, are easy to understand. More importantly, both stocks are excellent dividend plays. Your limited capital remains intact while generating recurring passive income streams. Any price appreciation is a bonus.
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Strong, consistent demand
Rogers Sugar, the brand, has been around for more than 135 years. The $771.7 million sugar refiner is one of Canada’s longest-operating consumer staples companies. Project LEAP (Logistics, Expansion, Automation, Production), a transformative modernization program, is underway.
RSI trades at $6.01 per share, with a dividend offer of 6%. Rarely would you see wild price swings in a given year. Furthermore, RSI has consistently paid quarterly dividends since Q1 2011.
According to management, the trade conditions related to the new U.S. tariffs have had a limited impact on the business. In fiscal year 2025, revenue and net earnings increased 7% and 20% year-over-year, respectively, to $1.3 billion and $64.4 million. Both the sugar (4%) and maple (14%) segments reported volume growth versus last year.
Mike Walton, President and CEO of Rogers and Lantic, said the full-year results demonstrate the business’s resilience and adaptability in a challenging market environment. “As we advance our LEAP Project to expand refining and logistics capacity in Eastern Canada, we remain focused on delivering value for our shareholders and supporting our customers’ evolving needs,” he added.
The LEAP Project aims to provide approximately 100,000 metric tonnes of incremental refined sugar capacity. Rogers will install new sugar-refining equipment as well as logistics infrastructure next year to increase its delivery capacity. The total project cost could reach up to $300 million, with LEAP expected to be in service by mid-year 2027.
Walton expects the maple segment to remain strong in 2026, similar to its performance over the last two years. The sugar segment should perform well in the high-margin domestic market.
Defensive holding
Slate Grocery provides exposure to the U.S. grocery-anchored retail property market. This $886 million real estate investment trust (REIT) owns 116 properties (94.8% of which are grocery-anchored assets) in 23 U.S. states and major metropolitan areas. Two of the top five tenants are Walmart and Kroger.
Its CEO, Blair Welch, said,, “We continue to have strong conviction in the outlook for grocery-anchored real estate and the ability of this asset class to perform in today’s economic environment.”
The REIT’s tenants include leading grocers, national brands, strong regional performers, and local operators providing essential goods and services. Slate properties are considered recession-resistant and necessity-based. The portfolio occupancy rate is 94.3%.
If you invest today, the share price is $15.09, and the dividend yield is a mouth-watering 8.1%.
Simple route
Investing in Rogers Sugar, Slate Grocery, or both is a simple, income-focused route. You can turn your idle $1,000 savings into a resilient, passive-income-generating asset.
