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FREE villagelivingmagazine.caISSUE NO.28 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2016

3 Local Entrepreneurs Leading the Way in the Good Food

Innovation Revolution (p10)

Midtown's Vegan Trio

10 VILLAGE LIVING WEST VILLAGE

HAPPENINGSHOP LOCAL

3BY LISA BORDEN

I

MIDTOWN’S VEGAN TRIOLocal Entrepreneurs Leading the Way in the Good Food Innovation Revolution

t’s been happening for years, and although the term “food revolution” was coined by Jaime Oliver, as more of us open our eyes about what we purchase and eat, we are truly experiencing the start of a good food innovation revolution.

inspiring farmers, educators, market managers, food produc-ers, chefs, activists, media and youth playing an important role in the future of food. These innovators are working tirelessly to create a food system that’s better for people and the planet. The current demand for truly healthy packaged products is surging. We want to eat better, yet we have less time to prepare everything from scratch. Studies show that cooking together and sitting down for meals with your family and

“busy” is the reality, if not a trend, how do we nourish our-selves with healthy fast food from our home kitchens when everyone is working overtime? When you walk the super-

-ence food” options. Like with everything you purchase, from fashion to food, it’s important to understand where it comes from. If we trace back our purchases and can feel good about how it’s made, with what, and by whom, then we will be on our way to making better, more conscious decisions.

The three women who grace this issue’s cover have a lot in common. They are passionate, they are multi-taskers, and they are relentless. They are creating awareness and educat-ing us, determined to bring us healthy out-of-bottle (or jar) products that are both helpful and healthful. Kailey Gilchrist, Richa Gupta and Michelle Kopman are all Toronto-based, highly motivated food inventors and business leaders. While reducing the food industry’s carbon footprint, and freeing animals from our food chain, this power trio’s priority remains to produce a high-quality product that serves a purpose, to be enjoyed by all. Even though they all produce 100 per cent plant-based products, each of them estimate that only between 10-25 per cent of their customers are actually vegan. Whole-food plant-based products suit many lifestyles and diets, and the demand for them is increasing exponential-

really does affect our lives.Even with the positive trend, the challenges of being an entrepreneur are one thing, being a small woman-run busi-ness without unlimited capital presents other hurdles. Trying to sell a product made in smaller batches, more often (shelf life isn’t as long without stabilizers and additives), deliver-ing coast-to-coast without a distributor and a full sales team, while also doing extra paperwork and paying additional fees

LISA BORDEN is the owner of Borden Communications in Toronto. For more eco-inspired lists of the best stuff, visit THEBORDENBIGLIST.COM

started their own vegan small-batch produced lines, andthey would love people to start paying attention to the value, to the ingredi-ents, and to enjoy what they bring to market. Their products are considered “alternatives” in our grocery store, or are categorized as “health food,” but why? Shouldn’t it just be “real food,” accessible to all? As Kopman expresses often, “Good food is not made with cheap ingredients; therefore, quality products cannot truly compete in today’s market saturated with fake food—it becomes its own category.” She goes on and urges us to take care as we shop, “Read the label and if you don’t recognize an ingredient as food, don’t eat it. The simplest rule should be that if you can’t eat the ingredient on its own, don’t eat it in your food.” Michelle is very proud that her Rawfoodz salad dressings, spreads and dips have nothing in

organic ingredients to be made into a great product in a nut-free, kosher, and gluten-free facility.

and is now listed in a growing number of stores. “I was still work-ing in Marketing at General Mills when I tasted an Indian cooking

ingredients that I didn’t call food. That was the moment when I felt

real food that also offered convenience and felt that this was a good

social enterprise, with the aspiration to make good food accessible to everyone, including those who cannot afford it. With every sale

her partners. Quality and morality do seem to go hand-in-hand.Gilchrist’s Nona cashew-based sauces are rich but made with sim-ple ingredients. She makes the suggestion to Ignore the fat content

“Healthy fats from nuts and avocados, for example, are a necessary part of our diets,” she adds. Nona sauces are wildly popular and

bodies contributes directly to their wellbeing. The big food giants are watching this shift happen and are adjusting their marketing plans accordingly. It is an exciting time to be a small business in

All three women agree that education and awareness are the key to people appreciating, enjoying and buying their ketchup, salad

is increasing while people are turning to food as medicine. It’s a new age, a new paradigm and grocery store buyers are listening. The global conscious shift to a cleaner, nutrient rich diet is here and it’s changing the face of food everywhere.”

making ourselves a great (and faster) meal. Together, we can build and nurture a kinder, healthier food ecosystem, starting with sup-

people, we all become active participants of this good food innova-tion revolution— and that’s what we should all be craving.

MIDTOWN’S VEGAN TRIO

Nona photo credit: Lindsay Voegelin