by Dr. Oliver Finlay
In May, Vancouver’s Convention Centre hosted the third annual Planted Expo in the city and welcomed over 200 vegan edible and lifestyle businesses to share their products, ideas, and research findings to the local community.
Planted Expo founder, Steven Mirkovich, is excited by the community of small businesses that the event has been able to support in recent years and the platform it has provided them to reach out to distributors, retailers, and consumers. Planted expanded into Toronto this year and recently announced that Seattle will host its first venture into the USA in 2024.
Mirkovich recognised that the large number of small local businesses has grown exponentially since Planted launched and stand on merit alongside the more established players in the plant-based space. He highlights the fact that these businesses “are not just driving the plant-based movement forward, they are also contributing to the local economy and building strong and vibrant communities”.
In visiting the Expo and speaking to so many founders of these small businesses, from Salt Spring Island to the Okanagan, it was inspiring to hear the eclectic origin stories, learn about the journeys travelled by these first-time entrepreneurs and understand the challenges they face as they seek to grow their brands’ presence across the province, country, and continent. Consequently, it was decided that instead of interviewing just one founder, as per usual, we’d identify several that had interesting stories and great products to share and interview them.
Here are some of Iconic Concierge’s favourite local companies that we met at Planted Expo.
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company?
My name is Tegan Woo, and I am the founder of Amoda. I took entrepreneurship as my specialisation in undergrad, and despite working in many different industries in my twenties, I still had no real idea what I wanted to do, so returned to university to do an MBA. Brainstorming with a fellow student after graduation, my love for and knowledge of tea came to the fore, and as at that time there were only a handful of subscription boxes on the market, we decided tea would make the perfect subscription box. We launched Amoda in 2013 with $5,000 each, whilst I was working full-time at a non-profit organization, directing the Walk for Reconciliation. In 2023, in addition to our team subscription, Amoda now has a line-up of functional lattes, featuring herbs and mushrooms that support your energy, stress management and mood.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
Since 2013, Amoda has evolved greatly, as I have integrated my study of how herbal medicine, herbs and mushrooms can impact stress to support our bodies and minds. In 2016 we launched our first matcha adaptogen latte blends and set off to Japan to find our matcha supplier.
Today, Amoda is fine-tuning our existing line-up of latte blends and herbal teas to incorporate our growing knowledge of formulations into our blends. One focus currently is to find new sources for some ingredients. Having a consistent supply is a constant consideration for manufacturers that demand unwavering quality. With the growing demand for the ingredients we use, like functional mushrooms (reishi, lion’s mane, etc.), we are extra cautious to ensure that as our suppliers are also growing quickly, their standards are not slipping. We are always focused on maintaining quality. We are also working on a new product line! This is a line that brings Amoda even closer to our core value of providing simple, enjoyable, and achievable wellness.
You really must try…
The Brainiac Chai is a lovely, spiced coconut chai blend that you can either enjoy on its own, or add to your tea, latte or matcha. Whilst the micronized lion’s mane mushroom and rhodiola adaptogen are renowned for enhancing cognitive performance related to memory, executive function, focus and giving an energising boost, for someone who doesn’t enjoy the side effects of caffeine, this was an excellent mid-morning drink, that left a warm glow in the belly. The Cacao and Reishi was a delicious blend of cacao, reishi mushroom, maca, which again can be added to smoothies or lattes but again I enjoyed drinking it on its own. Whilst there is some naturally occurring caffeine in the cocoa, the maca is renowned for providing an even and sustained energy boost, whilst the reishi and cacao are added to help boost the mood.
www.amodatea.com
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company?
Blume was co-founded by me, Karen Danudjaja. I’d worked in commercial real estate, an industry run on coffee meetings. The constant flow of caffeine and syrupy lattes was starting to have an impact on my digestion, anxiety, and sleep and there was nothing on cafe menus that tasted great while also doing something good for your body. Blume was born out of the desire to enhance your daily rituals, with lattes done better. More than ever people are looking to form wellness routines and nourish their bodies, but the supplement aisle is often confusing. Blume pairs proven superfood ingredients with latte flavours that you know and love to make supporting your wellness goals as easy and accessible as possible.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
Blume is 6 years old and is currently sold online, plus in over 2500 stores across North America. We completed our first round of fundraising in 2022 to prepare for our US expansion, and to fund the development of our new grocery-targeted product line.
Our current biggest challenge is learning to accurately forecast and scale as our distribution increases. In an omni channel business we need to have an operating process that is scalable, precise but also flexible. We are in the process of setting-up new 3PLs in major shipping areas and we took the last year to create a new integration system for tracking inventory that will support us with these new accounts. It’s a difficult balance of staying lean with inventory and not being able to fulfil new, large orders, which we are quickly learning to adapt to. Like so many small businesses, we are currently facing the challenge of inflation, and the impact on production costs, which were already rising. It has been exciting for Blume to navigate these challenges, while continuing to build and grow. We have been forced to become more robust and detailed in our planning, to keep inventory lean, manage cash flow in conjunction with purchasing, and forecast stronger demand.
You really must try…
Blume’s single-serve blends in Reishi Hot Cacao, Matcha Coconut, and Salted Caramel flavours are each made with organic superfoods, low or no caffeine, and have 90% less sugar than your regular coffee shop favourites. The Reishi Hot Cacao blend was a rich chocolatey drink that had a hint of cinnamon, and I liked it because it wasn’t too sweet. The Matcha Coconut blend was very smooth and didn’t have the bitterness that can characterise some matcha drinks, whilst the Salted Caramel blend brings a little more sweetness. They aren’t currently available online, but are on shelves at Pomme Natural Market, Indigo, Whole Foods, and Aura Natural Market.
www.itsblume.com
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company?
Farming Karma is an award-winning family owned and operated business. Karma and Kuku Gill have been growing fruit in the Kelowna, BC for over 30 years and their passion for agriculture has earned them the reputation of having some of the highest quality fruit in the Okanagan Valley.
Motivated by our love for farming, Karma and Kuku’s sons Avi Gill and Sumeet Gill, along with myself, Avi’s wife, Binny Boparai, have aspired to build upon their legacy. The family collectively decided to find a way to give back to their community while utilising the fruit to create healthy and delicious products. With this Farming Karma born. Avi and I take care of the day-to-day operations, while Karma continues to supply the business with high-quality fruit. The company’s name honours the farmer Karma Gill and highlights the concept of Karma – you receive what you give.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
Farming Karma Fruit Co. operates out of an agri-tourism facility on the family’s cherry orchard in Kelowna BC. Here we juice, blend and package all the tasty beverages. We regularly host tours for students, to educate and inspire the next generation about careers in agriculture. Through Farming Karma’s Do Good initiative, we collaborate with many local educational institutes and non-profits to make a positive impact in our community. Initially launched in 2019, the fruit soda line has since expanded to include five flavours: apple, peach, pear, berry, and cherry. Last year, we introduced the Farming Karma Spirit line, which offers the same five flavours with the addition of a shot of vodka.
In response to the increasing demand for non-alcoholic options and the mindful consumption of alcohol, Farming Karma recently introduced our third product line: Farming Karma Mocktails. With a carefully crafted combination of high quality, natural ingredients, these mocktails provide the taste of premium cocktails but without the booze and are available in 4 flavours: Mellow Mimosa, Conscious Cosmo, Musing Mojito and Mindful Mule. Since selling our first can of apple soda in 2019, Farming Karma has experienced remarkable growth. We have expanded the product range to a total of 14 offerings which can be found in most major retail stores across BC including Superstore, SaveOnfoods, Safeway and Thrifties. The recognition of our leadership in the local beverage industry has resulted in multiple award nominations and wins, including Sobey’s Local Innovation Award and BC Food & Beverage’s Product of the year – Silver.
You really must try…
For those that want a refreshing soda, the Pear Soda has a wonderfully fresh but delicate flavour which really hits the spot and given it has no added sugar, really quenches the thirst. The Conscious Cosmo represents the headline act of Farming Karma’s new non-alcoholic mocktail range and is light, fresh, with a little tartness to ensure that it isn’t too sweet. Both are perfect for those hot BC summer afternoons!
www.farmingkarma.ca
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company?
H2Oats is about people and those who want to change for the better. We are all here with a common goal: a better product, a better environment and a better you (and me). We started this journey in 2017 when Doug Finley (CEO) first came across oat milk in the Netherlands while on holiday. We loved that this plant-based beverage tasted like regular dairy but had so many more health benefits. For years we had struggled with our relationship with animal products and the impact on the environment. Our discovery started a journey of knowledge which ultimately led us to the moment of truth: starting our own oat beverage company.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
We enlisted a food scientist from the University of British Columbia, plus employed a team to research and develop the cleanest tasting oat milk on the market. After thousands of trials and years of development, we finally settled on the three recipes that comprise our line-up. From day one, we knew it had to be organic, non-GMO, gluten free and Canadian sourced. However, the most important thing was it had to be personal. We wanted to tell the stories of those who grow it to those who consume it.
You really must try…
The original oat milk variety is very smooth and has a very subtle, natural hint of oats which isn’t overpowering but adds a refreshing subtly to the flavour profile. The Barista variety is made slightly thicker using a variation in the evaporation method but retains the same flavour profile. The chocolate variety has a rich and deep cocoa flavour without being too sweet and the texture is unchanged.
www.h2oats.ca
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company
My name is Annie Nguyen founder of Haute Foods. I am half Laos and half Vietnamese. I’ve always loved cooking and feeding friends and family. I worked in the food service industry before meeting my now husband, Peter and became a full-time stay-at-home mom after having our first child in 2014. This is when I first tried the chili oil and couldn’t believe how good it was with such basic ingredients. It was because of the crispy garlic that stays crispy and the fact that it was actually spicy where you can’t really find that in your local supermarket.
After experimenting, we knew this was a game changer which enhanced all of our meals without taking away from the original dish, which is important because food is better when it’s as authentic as it’s supposed to be. After sharing it with our friends and family for 5 years, we had the same customers from day 1, and realised that this could really be a staple for everyone.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
We decided to commercialise, working with a co-packer for almost 2 years to perfect the recipe. Now 2 kids (soon to be 3) and 9 years later we are sharing it with the world! We’re now about 18 months in since launch and are building the brand through social media and meeting customers directly through markets and different conventions. We are also connecting with retailers and distributors to get our products on store shelves and to date, we are in about 50 retail locations, which we hope to triple that by the end of next year.
Our focus remains to get in front of the public and let people try our products, while expanding our online side through marketing and improving our social media plan. We hope to hit the US market by going to a food trade show where we can showcase our products to buyers and distributors.
You really must try…
The Garlic Oil is a rich, authentic garlic oil with no distractions from enjoying the crispy garlic slices. The mild chili oil gives a warm, lingering spice that complements the garlic with a gentle heat. The medium spice adds an extra layer of heat with a slight delay, whilst the hot makes me sweat just writing this!!! Great flavours that don’t overpower your main dish.
www.hautefoods.com
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company?
As immigrants from Iran, Me (Fatemeh Dariani), Mehdi, Fakhte and Sam are long time close friends who moved to Canada to pursue and advance our education and careers in the engineering field. Whilst living in Calgary, we talked about pursuing a hands-on passion project, a tangible craft with our own hands, and we ended up venturing into the field of chocolate making and creating Kaaj here in Vancouver. The simple indulgence in a chocolate bar and a few classes piqued our fascination with the process of bean-to-bar chocolate making. This led to starting our own cooperative chocolate business, to empower our members and promote a sense of community ownership and control.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
Currently in our 3rd year of business Kaaj Artisan Chocolate has had consistent revenue growth. We streamlined our operations and established efficient processes. Acquiring new equipment has allowed us to scale up and meet higher demand volumes. We have also expanded our customer base and implemented customer retention strategies to build loyalty and encourage repeat business. We are currently focused on establishing new distribution channels as well as continuing to grow our direct sales. We are always open to establishing partnerships with local retailers, specialty shops, or local event organisations to help expand our distribution network.
We are also heavily focused on our marketing and are considering more efficiently leveraging our digital marketing techniques such as social media, content marketing, and search engine optimisation to expand reach and increase brand awareness.
You really must try…
Kaaj has created an eclectic range of artisan flavours to satisfy any tastebud! The Lemon Citron Inclusion bar has a wonderful zesty sharpness that contrasts the sweetness of the 65% cocoa content chocolate. The Saffron and Pistachio bar pairs a silky 75% Venezuelan chocolate with crunchy pistachios and has a subtle honey-like sweetness on the palate. Meanwhile, one of Kaaj’s single-origin offerings uses chocolate made from 70% cacao originating from the Dak Lak province of Vietnam and has a rich, intense flavour that lingers in the mouth.
www.kaajchocolate.com
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company?
I am Jeremy Hoffman, founder of Oasis Adaptogens. After experiencing years of negative side effects physically and emotionally due to stress and burnout, I began a relentless journey to find ways to adapt and manage modern day stress. Growing up I had chased the typical rat race of building a stable business, getting married, buying a house etc, and yet along the way he sacrificed my health and fell into an addictive cycle of stimulants. The stimulates paired with the high amount of self-induced stress led to a series of serious chronic health issues. Over the course of 2 years, with the support of various holistic healers, naturopathic doctors, and regular use of adaptogens, functional mushrooms, and common mindfulness practices, I was able to radically transform my health, life, and in the process, his career.
Realising there was a gap in education, quality products, and businesses that focuses on impact instead of just profits, I sold my house, liquidated my investments, and went all in to build companies that are solutions to the problems I had faced. Oasis Adaptogens mission is to develop the best and most unique adaptogens products and brands in the world and have been joined by partner, James Bennett, in the quest to achieve this.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
The company, which is nearing two years old, has gone through many growth curves as we found our place in the market and tested different strategies and sales models. We are now focused on an omni channel approach with a strong direct to consumer sales channel, while launching into target retailers. The search volume for “mushroom coffee” and “coffee alternatives” is skyrocketing and we have positioned ourselves at the epicentre of these industries. In the past year Oasis Adaptogens has grown our partnership network beyond 2.7M, gathered 2.5M social media impressions, grown our Instagram to over 11,000 followers, and is quickly scaling into retail, securing 75 retailers in the past 6 months with no distributor. We are also in talks with aligned big box locations.
We are currently in the process of starting a joint ventures subsidiary under the name Not Coffee Co., which will allow the Not Coffee brand to spread its wings, and Oasis Adaptogens to launch its first brand from incubation. We are releasing an update content distribution strategy (powered by AI), focusing on thought leadership in the space, will be announcing an adaptogen marketplace, and are gearing up for an acquisition of an adaptogen beverage company in early 2024. We have also defined a major gap in the market and are attacking various B2B opportunities. Oasis will focus on strengthening our relationship with our farmers and continue to create winning products with the goal of opening our own manufacturing by the end of 2023. We will be doing a series A to fuel growth, manufacturing, and acquisitions early in Q4 2023.
You really must try…
The Not Coffee and Magic Matcha offerings recently won the Best in Show awards at the Planted Expo and are a delicious way to incorporate mushrooms, nootropics and adaptogens into your routine. Both are deliciously blended using the highest quality ingredients to nourish body and mind, whilst providing an energy boost with only a small fraction of the caffeine contained in coffee. I really enjoyed both flavours to kick start my morning.
www.oasisadaptogens.com
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company?
I am Miki Talebi, founder, and CEO of oomé. I completed my PhD in social psychology and, prior to launching oomé, was Manager of Public Policy at the Canadian Mental Health Association in BC. After having my second child, I took an extended maternity leave to re-evaluate my career path. It was during this time in 2020 that my father, who had a passion for smoked food and was an incredible salesman, suffered a significant accident. Over the course of the next four months my sister and I would meal prep for our respective families and support our mother during this challenging time. We would often exchange meal ideas and, although our children loved smoked tofu and we appreciated its nutritious benefits and convenience, we could not find it anywhere. Having been given my father’s old smoker, I light-heartedly told my sister I would smoke tofu for our kids. Then, in November of 2020, after many ups and downs, my father passed away and I found myself unable to let go of the idea of making smoked tofu. Identifying a shortage of smoked tofu and an opportunity to take a chance on myself, pay tribute to my mother’s Japanese heritage and honour the legacy of my late father, oomé was born. oomé is a premium smoked tofu company that is on a mission to offer really good food that uses clean ingredients, is sustainable, and has the potential to shift us towards a brighter future.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
oomé is just over one year old and in this time, we have established ourselves in most local natural grocery stores in BC, including Nature’s Fare, Choices, Fresh Street Market, Pomme, IGA, Spud, and Whole Foods Market. Our current focus is to continue to grow brand awareness. We feel fortunate to see our product in these amazing grocery stores, but what many don’t realise is that land product on the grocery store shelves is just the start of the work. Our biggest challenge now is to continue to grow our community and forge strong relationships with each of the stores that stock our products. We continue to grow the demand for oomé, while also focusing on growing the brand’s presence beyond BC.
Over the next few months our goal is to continue to drive demand through in-store sampling, pop-ups at local events, and engaging with our community through social media. We are also hoping to secure distribution across Canada and into eastern Canada, thus establishing some presence outside of BC.
You really must try…
Whilst all three of oomé’s smoked tofu offerings have a wonderful deep smoky flavour, the smoked maple soy variety has a lovely complexity that contrasts smoked with sweet. The Greek has a lovely herbal flavour that is a little more delicate, whilst the Smoked offering is simply delicious. The tofu has a lovely texture and can be enjoyed as a snack on its own, or as a flavoursome accompaniment to any dishes you would normally use tofu as a protein.
www.thisisoome.com
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company?
I am Brandon Garofano, a Certified Sports Nutrition Advisor with an Herbalist certificate from the IHN Institute Of Holistic Nutrition. Votana, Purana’s parent company, was originally born out of my passion for health and nutrition in 2012. We have been in the holistic and sports nutrition space going back to 2014 but really all came together to launch Purana in late 2019. The first 18 months was focused on product development and regulatory approvals.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
Since launching the products in 2021, we are in about 150 stores across Canada currently. Most of our bandwidth has been focused on expanding our distribution in stores across Canada thus far. Currently we are shifting gears and in the process of launching our products in the U.S., preliminarily in California, through a large distributor there. We are also currently in the process of building out and expanding our online campaigns for both Canada and the U.S. Part of the online initiative we are currently building out is developing more creative content, primarily video, but including avenues such as yours that help would be consumers connect with our story and receive education about the products in ways that interest them.
Our goal for 2023 is to continue to grow organically through retail outlets across Canada and the U.S. while expanding our online consumer base by a much larger leap this year.
You really must try…
The lion’s mane mushroom helps boost cognitive performance and neurological health, as well as supporting a healthy cardiovascular system, gut microbiome and strengthening the immune system and the Lion’s Mane 1:1 Powder can be added to teas, smoothies, soups or even your baking on a daily basis. The reishi mushroom supports homeostasis in the body, improves mood, sleep, and fights stress, to help strengthen the immune system and the Reishi 16:1 Capsules are a convenient way to add this to your daily routine.
www.puranahealth.com
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company?
I am Melanie Mulherin, the founder of Salt Spring Kitchen. I grew up surrounded by local food and was immersed in my grandparents’ grocery store and dinner parties, which gave me an appreciation for the importance of quality ingredients from an early age. After marrying a chef, my mother-in-law taught me the art of preserving, and so our story began.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
Experimenting with unique combinations, love for spice, and bold flavours, our first product (now our best-seller), Spicy Tomato Savoury Spread, was born. Our early jars
were sold in 2012 at the Salt Spring Island Saturday Market, where we still set up a booth every Saturday morning throughout the summer.
Building a jam factory on a small island is no easy feat, but Salt Spring Island is a unique and special place, and it was important to me that we kept the business operating on the Island. As the company grew, I valued the opportunity to provide meaningful employment and allow locals to remain connected to family, nature, and community without leaving the island. Our rural west coast setting continues to inspire how we grow as a company and the impact we have. We are proud to be a certified living wage employer. Salt Spring Kitchen currently has distribution to grocery and specialty stores across Canada and has plans to expand into the US in 2024.
You really must try…
Each of Salt Spring Kitchen’s offerings are so fresh and flavourful, contrasting sweet fruit and vegetable flavours with chili spice, herbs or Salt Spring sea salt. The spreads, which can be enjoyed as an accompaniment to your favourite sandwich, include Blueberry and Basil, which has a fruit-forward sweetness, and the full-bodied Raspberry and Habanero, to the more savoury Onion and Thyme and tangy Spicy Tomato flavours. Meanwhile, the relishes and sauces will add a lively intrigue to any dish, providing a carefully crafted balance between heat and flavour. These include the wonderful Candied Jalapeño Relish and delightful Hot Mango, which gives a gentle kick to contrast the fruity mango.
www.saltspringkitchen.com
What is your background, and how did you come to build the company?
I am Michaela Misikova, mom of two boys and founder of Gingeraki. I am originally from Slovakia and am an enthusiastic traveller, who always had a love for the Pacific Northwest. I came to Vancouver in 2017 to explore Canada on a working holiday visa after finishing my master’s degree in Ecommerce and Management in Slovakia. For the first two years here, I worked as a brand ambassador in retail and as a barista in a small local coffee shop. I was always coming up with ideas and dreamt of having my own business, which would give me the freedom to create products that I believed in and allow me to work flexible hours, whilst being creative and remaining independent. In 2020, when our first son turned 1, I decided to start crafting health shots not just for our family, but our friends and their families too. Before long, we were attending local farmers markets and had our first customers.
Tell us a bit about the history of the company, what your current focus is on and what the biggest challenges are that you are looking to overcome.
Our ginger turmeric elixirs received a lot of positive feedback from the outset, and this encouraged me to continue making them. Every weekend that we spent at the farmers markets, we received so much support from our local community, other vendors, and customers. This served to motivate me even more to continue creating Gingeraki and we would not be where we are today without our loyal customers that have been with us from the start!
Gingeraki continues to evolve and is growing naturally and sustainably without significant external pressure. Our current focus is to build on our customer base by finding more channels and making the elixir more available for customers in their local area. At the same time, we are focused on keeping the quality of the elixir the same, using only fresh and organic ingredients that provide the nourishment for our well-being.
You really must try…
www.gingeraki.ca
