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Make The World Better Magazine

FoodMesh: Rescuing Food for the Sake of People and Planet

Picking up fresh produce for a nice at-home meal or eating at a favourite restaurant is many people’s go-to self-care in our ever-topsy-turvy world. As the meals go in our bellies, it can often be forgotten how much food waste happens behind the scenes — food waste that has a huge environmental impact and is a dig at our growing food insecure divide.

FoodMesh is helping the food industry change the course of food waste — literally — to ensure it doesn’t end up in landfills and, instead, helps to feed those who are food insecure in Canada. We spoke with Jessica Regan, Co-Founder and CEO, about FoodMesh’s journey, tangible successes, and upcoming plans.

Food Stash Foundation in Vancouver is one of the charitable organizations FoodMesh partners with to redistribute retailers’ unsalable food to people in need. They use the food donations they pick up from retailers to create rescued food boxes, stock a community fridge, and host a rescued food market — all designed to make it as easy as possible for people in Metro Vancouver to access nutritious food in an affordable way. Here a member of the team is pictured after some of their pickups.

Tell us about FoodMesh’s mission.

FoodMesh is dedicated to helping organizations reduce their food waste.

Our professional food recovery services help businesses divert the food they are unable to sell away from waste streams and ensure it is put to its highest end use, feeding people first, then animals.

We do this primarily through our managed food diversion service where we match retailers to a diverse network of charitable organizations and farmers in order to redistribute their unsold food by rescuing it quickly and efficiently. As well, we measure the volume of food the retailer is diverting, so they can track their progress against their food waste reduction goals and share the social and environmental impact of their donations with the public.

What inspired you/your founders to start your organization?

The journey began in late 2015 after I, along with our other co-founder, came across photos of beautiful edible produce headed to the landfill because it was too ripe for retail. Unable to shake these images, we started to investigate the root causes and scale of the food-waste problem.

We discovered that more than half of the food produced in Canada is not eaten, according to research done by Second Harvest and Value Chain Management International. Food is often wasted because it is easier and cheaper for businesses to pay to have their overstock, close-to-expiry, aesthetically-imperfect, and mislabelled food sent to landfills than to find an alternative use for it. Meanwhile, one in eight Canadians lacks reliable access to affordable and nutritious food, according to Community Food Centres Canada. 

We also learned that food waste is hurting our planet. With 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions created as a direct result of lost and wasted food around the world, it is one of the leading causes of global warming, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 

That’s when the original idea for FoodMesh was born — to make it as beneficial, convenient, and cost-effective as possible for businesses to divert the maximum volume of their unsalable food away from waste streams for the sake of the people and health of our planet.

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

While many businesses have the desire to do the right thing, they are producing an enormous amount of waste and finding alternatives costly. 

We are lucky to work with some outstanding retailers that are committed to reducing their food waste and have employed us to help them ensure that the maximum volume of their unsalable food is being redistributed to people who need it so that it doesn’t end up in the landfill.

These retailers are seeing some significant gains from their hard work. For example, one of our customers has reduced its waste-related greenhouse gas emissions seven-fold since it started diverting its unsold food to charitable organizations.

We are encouraged to see an increasing number of businesses, both in Canada and around the world, publicly committing to reducing and reporting on their food waste. This means there is a growing need for data on the volume of food they divert away from waste streams, as well as the services to help them do it. 

We are currently in the process of developing new software that will make it as easy as possible for businesses to collect, aggregate, and visualize data on their waste practices — not just food but for all their waste streams. The idea for this software is to equip businesses with a true picture of the waste they generate in real time, so they can take necessary action to reduce it. Stay tuned for more information on this initiative!

A Better Life Foundation has a dedicated food recovery chef, Eileen Stanley, who turns the food donation she receives from local retailers into restaurant quality meals, to share with around 25 local outreach organizations that support mothers and their children, seniors, Indigenous groups, and street-entrenched youth residing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

What do you consider to be FoodMesh’s biggest success?

We are extremely proud of the fact that through our managed food diversion service, the retailers we work with rescue the equivalent of more than 1 million meals every month to our charity partners to help offset some of their operational costs.

With one in eight Canadians reportedly food insecure (a number that only stands to rise with the rising costs of living), it is extremely heartening to know that we are not only helping businesses keep huge volumes of their unsold food out of landfills, but we are supporting the organizations that are working hard to put food onto the plates of people who really need it. This means a great deal to us.

One of our customers has reduced its waste-related greenhouse gas emissions seven-fold since it started diverting its unsold food to charitable organizations.

What makes FoodMesh unique?

We are excited to see a growing number of organizations that are working toward the same mission as FoodMesh, to waste less and feed more; it’s this ecosystem of food waste warriors working together that will help make the change we want to see. What we think makes FoodMesh unique in that ecosystem is that we have the head of a business and the heart of a charity.

We offer professional food recovery services that provide our customers with a commercial guarantee that we will help them reach their food waste reduction goals.

As well as serving the food waste reduction needs of our customers, we ensure the rescued food is diverted to where it is most needed — meaning only organizations with a social impact have access to the edible food being donated. We have also built a revenue-sharing component into our service so that the organizations receiving the food donations also receive a financial stipend for the pick-ups they make in an effort to help offset some of the operational costs associated with collecting and sorting the food donations. This also helps us ensure that we are receiving regular data recording of their donations for better traceability.

We are not driven by making a profit out of food waste; we are driven by our mission to eliminate food waste. This means our job is to make it as attractive and viable for everyone involved to play their part.

Our diverse network comprises more than 2,000 organizations across Western Canada, which means we are uniquely positioned to help businesses redistribute the maximum volume of their surplus food to where it’s needed most, quickly and efficiently.

While some supermarket food may have aesthetic imperfections that render it unsalable, it’s often still perfectly edible. Fresh produce, like that pictured here, is included in the 1,000 food hampers that City Reach Care Society distributes to families, seniors and other individuals in their local communities every week.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

Because we track all the food that the organizations we work with are diverting, we know quantifiably how our organization makes the world better. 

Since 2017, the organizations we work with have collectively diverted 18,876,288 kg of food, which is the equivalent of 27,398,463 meals or approximately 1 million meals each month. In keeping this food out of the landfill, we have also saved 48,494,671 kg of CO2e emissions from entering the atmosphere as of July 31, 2022.

It’s the knowledge of this that gets the team really excited about the work we do.

Tell us about FoodMesh’s goals.

Our vision is to build a platform that digitally connects the entire food supply chain so that we can eliminate avoidable waste and create new value.

Right now, we’re focused on the retail sector, but our goal is to extend our reach across the entire supply chain.

When food is past its best for human consumption, it is shared with farmers to feed their animals. Save-On-Foods at Park & Tilford in North Vancouver donates the fresh produce food that it can no longer sell and is not appropriate to donate to its charity partner to feed Maplewood Farm’s 76 animals, including horses and ponies, cows, sheep, ducks, guinea pigs, rabbits, and goats. Pictured here, from left to right: Selina Merrick, Supervisor of Maplewood Farm, and Bruce Currie, Energy and Sustainability Manager of Save-On-Foods.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

We are really excited to be in the midst of a three-year project to build a Metro Vancouver food recovery network. With Metro Vancouver’s support, we are raising awareness of food waste amongst local businesses and encouraging them to join the network, so we can help them connect with organizations to recover their unsold food, so they don’t have to dispose of it.

Any organization — whether they have a surplus of food or have a use for a surplus of food — is invited to join the network. We will connect them to a service that best meets their needs. If FoodMesh’s services can’t help them, we will draw on our extensive network to try to connect them to an organization that can. 

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

Our work focuses on helping businesses reduce their waste headed to landfills by diverting it to higher-end uses, ensuring edible food goes to the organizations that can put it onto the plates of people who need it most.

But reducing food waste isn’t just the right thing to do for the people and health of our planet, it makes good business sense also. Research shows that for every dollar a business invests in reducing their food waste, they save $14, according to the World Resources Institute. We want everybody to think critically about the waste they are generating and the steps they can take to eliminate it — either in their work or in their daily lives.

How can people help or contribute to FoodMesh’s mission?

Of the 58% of food lost or wasted in Canada, 21% is happening inside our homes, according to Second Harvest and Value Chain Management International. Love Food Hate Waste Canada is an outstanding resource that provides information, resources, and practical tips to help us eliminate food waste in our homes, including everything from how best to store food for maximum life to how to use up leftovers.

As well, we can work together to hold our service providers accountable for their wasteful practices. Wherever you buy your food, whether it’s a supermarket or restaurant, ask them what they are doing with their unsold/leftover food. How are they keeping it out of waste streams? Do they have processes in place to ensure it is all being diverted, or just some of it? Only when consumers demand change will it happen.

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Make The World Better Magazine

Too Good To Go: Satisfying Your Appetite for Sustainability

From Canada to Copenhagen, food waste is a pressing issue around the world. The need to improve how we minimize, dispose of, and reuse food is a key piece to sustainability and managing increasing food costs. So, together, let’s save some cheddar — literally and figuratively. 

Too Good To Go started to combat the global food waste problem and saw the opportunity for businesses and individuals to save money at the same time. We spoke with Sarah Soteroff, PR Manager, about how this Copenhagen-headquartered organization has expanded to 17 countries (and growing).

Friends enjoying the contents of their Too Good To Go Surprise Bag on a hot summer day.

Tell us about Too Good To Go’s mission.

Too Good To Go is a social impact company with a goal to end food waste globally.

What inspired you/your founders to start your organization?

Too Good To Go was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2016. Our Founders were dissatisfied with the amount of waste being thrown away at every level of the food industry — at home, grocery stores, and restaurants — and believed there must be a better way to save food, money, and the planet. 

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

Like any start-up, getting capital to fund the operation was the first big challenge. As well, it was initially challenging to spread the word to consumers to use our service — which started as a webpage and eventually evolved into an app — while simultaneously getting businesses on board to ensure consumers have a high selection of options when they use our service. 

What do you consider to be Too Good To Go‘s biggest success?

To date, globally, we have saved 144 million meals from going to waste in 17 countries, with more than 168,000 partners. These numbers are staggering; they tell us that food waste occurs at every level and in every country, and that there is an appetite (pun intended!) for this type of business to connect food sellers with consumers, as shown with 64 million users of our app and 163 million of our surprise bags sold to-date globally. It also tells us that people are actively concerned with lowering their personal footprints and that sustainability doesn’t have to mean a sacrifice.

In Canada, we have surpassed the 800,000 meals saved milestone in less than a year. We launched in seven markets and surrounding areas, and we have signed more than 3,000 partners — and we’re just getting started!

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What makes Too Good To Go unique?

We are a registered B Corp; our status has just been renewed, and this means we are held to the highest sustainability standards. However, we recognize that food waste isn’t just a sustainability issue — it’s also a monetary one. We provide a mechanism for businesses to make money off their surplus food while also doing something great for the environment. At the same time, we help consumers save money on necessities, the costs of which we know are always rising, and, yet, have to be purchased. We provide a win-win-win model for everyone along our journey.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

Whatever small impact we’re making we are tremendously proud of. By spreading the message of eliminating food waste, we hope to give people across the world the tools to make small changes at home, grocery shopping, and dining out that will have massive global impacts. Eliminating food waste starts at the local level and doesn’t require huge changes to your lifestyle or spending — in fact, you may even save money! We love the planet and want it to last longer, which is why we need to eliminate waste at every level.

Tell us about Too Good To Go’s goals.

Three simple words: end food waste!

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

We celebrated our one-year anniversary in Canada in July and are celebrating our one-year anniversary in Vancouver in September, which happens to coincide with the UN’s International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW). We encourage everyone to make September 29 a day of zero food waste across Canada. It can be as simple as not throwing out a brown banana, and instead, freezing it for smoothies or making a baked good out of it!

The Too Good To Go app, available for download in the App or Google Play Store.

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

Ending food waste is possible; it’s achievable and necessary.

How can people help or contribute to Too Good To Go’s mission?

Download our app Too Good To Go in the App or Google Play store and start saving delicious food and money from local businesses today. If you’re a food business, sign up today and start making money off your surplus food waste!

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Make The World Better Magazine

Susgrainable: Fighting Food Waste with Fibre

From pilsners to stouts, lagers to fruity milkshake IPAs, craft beer has taken over the hearts of beer drinkers around the world. The downside? Spent grain waste. The silver lining? Spent grain can be made into raw ingredients so good you’d barley beer-lieve these grains also made your pint (okay, we’ll cool it on the puns now).

Susgrainable is leading the charge here in Canada, using spent grains from craft brewers for their own line of delicious, fibre-rich raw ingredients. We spoke with Marc Wandler, CEO, about this start-up’s fascinating journey, from classroom to grocery shelves. 

Marc (left) and Clinton (right) at their very first retailer CHFA tradeshow. Turns out, retailers were very interested in what Susgrainable is up to. This event signalled to the Susgrainable team that the upcycling facility was going to be needed sooner rather than later!

Tell us about Susgrainable’s mission.

Susgrainable Health Foods rescues spent grains from craft brewers to create nutritious, delicious, and easy-to-make flours and baking mixes. Susgrainable is on a mission to rescue the over 450,000 tons of brewers’ spent grain produced by craft breweries in Canada daily – doing our part to decrease the staggering 58% of wasted food. 

Our mission is to also promote the discussion around consuming enough fibre. Spent grain is primarily composed of fibre and protein, with the sugars being used for the beer itself. Most Canadians aren’t even getting 50% of their daily fibre intake; one Susgrainable cookie can help you get 25% of your daily fibre while fighting food waste at the same time!

What inspired you/your founders to start your organization?

Our story began during my time as an MBA student at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. During one of my classes, we were tasked with identifying a problem and creating a possible business solution for the problem, and a colleague who came from Vancouver’s craft beer industry mentioned the issue breweries were having with disposing of the spent grain byproduct. With my background in health promotion, I realized this byproduct is exactly what Canadians needed more of in their diets. 

After the class project ended, I carried the business forward with friend and business partner, Clinton Bishop. Clinton was raised on a farm that grew barley (not to mention he’s a beer lover), so he was motivated by the idea of using much more of the grain. 

Susgrainable’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix was a finalist in the BC Food & Beverage Product of the Year Awards, pictured alongside the trophy and eventual winner. Both products make for a great healthy kids snack!

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

At first, people we talked to were skeptical about us taking on something so innovative. However, once people tried the product, they started believing we were onto something after all. Another challenge is building awareness on a bootstrapped budget and raising capital as first-time founders. 

By far, however, the biggest challenge has been COVID-19. We had to completely pivot the business and accelerate our timelines on some of the tasks we had for the future. This came with a lot of risk and uncertainty. We often joke that we aren’t technically first-time founders, as we have pretty much bootstrapped two businesses due to COVID-related market flipping causing us to rebuild from scratch. 

What do you consider to be Susgrainable’s biggest success?

This might be a toss-up between our Kickstarter campaign and our first-ever tradeshow, CHFA West run by the Canadian Health Food Association. Despite having some serious things go wrong operationally behind the scenes, we were able to pull things off just in time. The excitement both events generated was tremendous. 

What makes Susgrainable unique?

While our signature Upcycled Barley Flour is a unique ingredient, our circular economy approach to building our business is unique as well. We are disrupting the way to do business within the food industry in more ways than one. The sum of all parts when it comes to how we do business and live our values is Susgrainable’s secret sauce. 

One Susgrainable cookie can help you get 25% of your daily fibre while fighting food waste at the same time.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

Susgrainable is making the world better by fighting food waste, tackling the lack of fibre in the Canadian diet, and creating work opportunities for students.

We like to say our primary focus is on creating impact with positive financial impact being the byproduct of this work – most traditional for-profit businesses focus on creating financial returns first with impact as a secondary focus. We believe flipping the hierarchy of these two goals is the future of successful, sustainable businesses.

Tell us about Susgrainable’s goals.

Currently, our biggest goal is to launch British Columbia’s first-ever dedicated upcycling facility. This will increase our capacity to rescue grains from 10,000 kg/year to up to 5 million kg/year. With the facility, we can then be in a better position to partner with other food businesses and retailers to innovate on different products and make Upcycled Barley Flour a more known and common ingredient. 

A secondary goal we have is to work more closely with a few key retailers to grow awareness about Susgrainable’s mission and products.

Clinton (left) and Marc (right) learning about the spent grain and distilling process at a potential upcycling facility partner.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

The upcycling facility is a big next step and is currently taking up the majority of our time and focus right now. We are currently fundraising to bring this idea to reality.

That being said, customers have increasingly been asking for us to get the product into grocery stores, so we’re excited to announce that we have recently launched into select Safeway, Thrifty Foods, and Nature’s Fare Markets locations in BC!

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

We want people to know that we are there to support them in their journey to live a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. Upcycled Barley Flour can be a fun ingredient to play with in baking. It has a great story, and you can make some incredible products with it; my favourite is the Banana Bread while Clinton’s is the Pancake and Waffle Mix. The mixes are a great starting point because they are easy enough for kids to bake something up without making too big of a mess. Plus, it makes for a great conversation starter when talking about being mindful of food waste.

How can people help or contribute to Susgrainable’s mission?

The first step is giving our products a try – we’ve got a starter pack on our website, or you can look up where to find the product in-store. After that, sharing Susgrainable’s message with friends and family is a huge bonus. Word-of-mouth marketing is greatly impactful for small businesses. 

We love seeing posts on social media with people enjoying the product; it gives us motivation on those tough days. For those who want to play a bigger part, feel free to reach out and let us know what you have in mind. We are always keen to collaborate when we can. Creativity and collaboration are our jam!

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Make The World Better Magazine

Brands for Better Foundation: Uniting for Impact

With today’s pressing social and environmental issues, there’s no shortage of individuals and brands doing their part to make a difference. Some issues, however, quite literally take a village. Harnessing the power of the collective can amplify existing efforts and fill in the missing pieces necessary to make a lasting change. 

Since 2018, Brands for Better Foundation has been uniting brands across Vancouver to tackle the issues affecting the city. We spoke with Karla Peckett, VP Brand at SOLE/ReCORK and Founder & Executive Director of Brands for Better Foundation, about their fascinating start, big wins, and future projects. 

Brands for Better Foundation, Scot Sustad (left) and Karla Peckett (right)

Tell us about Brands for Better Foundation’s mission.

Brands for Better Foundation is a volunteer-driven not-for-profit organization based in Vancouver, BC that unites brands to tackle pressing environmental and social issues in our community. We do this by developing and hosting inclusive events and initiatives where brands unite, share resources, combine their brilliance, and multiply the effects of their efforts for the local good, turning brand teams into changemakers.

What inspired you to start your organization?

Brands for Better was conceptualized in 2018 at the Outdoor Retailer Expo and Conference by our team at SOLE/ReCORK when we invited sustainable and ethical brands across the show to share lightning talks on their impact efforts. The goal was to amplify the good work of brands that were using their businesses as a force for good, and it drew in quite the crowd! 

Seeing great success through this initiative, our team returned to our home base in Vancouver with an idea to bring Vancouver-based brands together in a similar fashion.

Founded by SOLE/ReCORK executives Karla Peckett and Mike Baker, as well as Digital Hot Sauce and Inbox Booths Founder Scot Sustad, Brands for Better Foundation was established with a clear mission: to bring measurable positive impact to local communities by harnessing the united power of brands and their people. 

In 2018, 35 senior leaders of Vancouver’s biggest brands were invited to a vision lunch to learn about a conference and design thinking pitch competition called the Brand Battle for Good, aimed at tackling local social and environmental issues. What set us apart was our promise of implementation and measurable impact; the winning idea would be brought to life with the help of the Brands for Better founding partners. With volunteers raising their hands, the interest was obvious and immediate.

What were some of the challenges you encountered?

The first Brand Battle for Good, aimed at moving Vancouver toward zero waste, was meant to happen in late 2020 but was postponed a year and reshaped to a virtual event because of COVID-19, thus launching in April 2021. In the interim, our fresh but eager network got together, giving virtual consultations to five local businesses in need on how to pivot in the face of the pandemic.

Virtual meeting tools have proven invaluable but can’t compare to the palpable energy that comes from being in the same room with like-minded folks ready to make positive change. Our next iteration of the Brand Battle for Good will be a hybrid of a virtual conference and in-person hack-a-thon.

Brands for Better Foundation Meet and Greet

What do you consider to be Brands for Better Foundation’s biggest success?

Our inaugural Brand Battle for Good in April 2021 saw brands like Arc’teryx, Lush, Hootsuite, Unbounce, Vancity, Earth’s Own, Happy Planet, and Swany in attendance, alongside founding brands, SOLE, ReCORK, Digital Hot Sauce, and others. 

In the end, the winning concept was EcoMeter, an online resource for finding sustainable restaurants and connecting restaurants with sustainable partners. EcoMeter officially launched in May 2022 with the help of the Brands for Better network.

What makes Brands for Better Foundation unique?

Until now, there really wasn’t an avenue for Vancouver brands to connect and create impact. Brands are looking to give back to the city where they live and work, and our organization offers flexible volunteer and event opportunities to cater to any professional or business. We harness the collective power of brands and their people and direct their focus on pressing issues that are affecting their city.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

Social justice and environmental conversations are as loud as ever, but governments can only do so much. Brands and individuals will need to step up to help catalyze change. We’re looking to make it easier and more impactful for brands and professionals to start making a difference locally.

Tell us about Brands for Better Foundation’s goals.

Our number one priority is ensuring sustainability of the Brands for Better initiative. We’re starting to think about funding an organizational structure and how we can fine-tune, so we can not only ensure its success in Vancouver, but activate Brands for Better chapters in other communities beyond. 

If mirroring Brand Battle for Good events started popping up in other major cities throughout the world, imagine the amazing reach it could have.

Behind the scenes at the 2021 Brand Battle for Good Zero Waste virtual event, held in Vancouver

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

With the help of the Brands for Better volunteers, we are thrilled to be launching our second Brand Battle for Good this fall, a two-part hybrid event with a virtual conference on September 28 which will feature close to 35 educational seminars from over 55 local and international subject matter experts, and an in-person strategy hack-a-thon on October 5. With this event, we aim to bring together Vancouver’s top brands and industry pros to come up with the most compelling, creative, and practical solutions to combat social isolation and loneliness in Vancouver.

This interactive event promises a mixture of learning, networking, professional development, and team building, combined with a polished production of storytelling, friendly competition, live art, comedy, music, and a party to finish. Each team is composed of 10 individual or brand team participants and two local undergraduate or master’s students, plus a dedicated volunteer design thinking facilitator to guide them through the event. 

The issue we’re tackling this year is social isolation, a pressing concern in Vancouver which has been exacerbated by the forced isolation of the pandemic. Leveraging the influence and the existing synergy of their internal teams, a brand with an original solution could spark real change that builds a greater sense of belonging in our city. We expect many ideas coming out of this event will have the potential to make a difference for struggling communities.

Behind the scenes, Brands for Better is working on an upcoming initiative called the Spark Factor Project, geared toward youth career development. The Spark Factor’s long-term vision is to be a youth development project aimed at increasing diversity in the workforce by inspiring enthusiasm in youth of diverse backgrounds who traditionally face barriers to inclusion and support their learning and skills-building journey.

The project aims to unite local brands to support Vancouver’s youth on their career journey by offering a behind-the-scenes look at a company through experiential workshops led by leading industry marketers, giving these youth hands-on experience of taking a product from concept to product launch. We are actively onboarding retail brands to get involved. You can apply on our website. 

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

Brands for Better believes that the biggest and most impactful change is created when brands unite their power: resources, ideas, strategies, experience, and people. We connect brands and individuals who want to create positive change with opportunities to tackle pressing environmental and social issues in our shared community. We are a network of people and brands that care. 

How can people help or contribute to Brands for Better Foundation’s mission?

Those interested can contribute by participating in or supporting any of our future events. Send your company’s team of creative thinkers, innovators, and disruptors to a future Brand Battle for Good to learn about and devise solutions for the issues facing our city, donate to our cause to help us continue to offer these incredible opportunities, or reach out and apply as a volunteer! If you’re interested in getting involved with Brands for Better, visit our website at brandsforbetter.ca to get in touch.

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Purpose-Driven Marketing Tips

Why and How Circular Economy Companies in Canada Should Use Storytelling

In a world where consumption rules and waste is taking over, your organization is ready to help save the day.

As a circular economy organization, you already know the benefits of reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, repurposing, or recycling products. But the journey to rally others on your quest for impact may seem incredibly lonely.  

Bam! Suddenly, a conveniently-timed character has entered the scene to help guide your marketing and offer a beacon of clarity to your communications. Their name is storytelling. 

Setting and achieving your impact goals can be daunting given that the circular economy hasn’t entered the mainstream yet. And if getting attention is hard enough, imagine sustaining that attention to explain something that most people haven’t even really heard of. 

As an impact-led enterprise, connecting with your audience at a deeper level is crucial. Storytelling will help you better engage, inspire, and lead your audience on the long journey to the day when the circular economy just becomes “the economy.” 

To avoid getting lost in the plot and deliver compelling communications leading up to the Zero Waste Conference, here’s how to effectively use storytelling to reach your impact goals. (Cue the cliffhanger.) 

Know Your Target Market Audience(s)

Before you can begin using storytelling as a marketing tool, you first need to break down your audiences into primary and secondary groups through segmentation. 

According to Bizfluent, “the primary target market is the group of consumers a business covets the most or feels is most likely to be the purchaser of its product or service.” As you can imagine, secondary audiences are those that fall closely after primary in terms of desirability. 

It’s important that you get specific with your various audiences to understand who will have the most impact, and, therefore, who you should be reaching and creating resonance with. Depending on what sector you’re in within the circular economy/zero waste space, as well as your impact goals, there may be unique audiences you’ll want to target.

Here are a few sector-specific audiences:

Public/Government: Legislators, personnel, general public.

For-profit: Since the circular economy is new in the mainstream, audiences may need to get created; however, they may be cohorts of current “green” consumers. 

Non-profit: Employees (often unpaid volunteers), donors, board members, etc. 

Determine Your Current Challenges

Before you can devise a story to share through your marketing channels, ask yourself: What are the current challenges/problems your organization is facing that marketing/communications could help overcome? 

Knowing these challenges can help you focus on a story (or stories) that would appeal to your target audience and cause them to perform a desired action. 

For example, if you’re a non-profit in need of volunteers, perhaps you could highlight one of your current volunteers, including why they started volunteering, what they like about volunteering, and how volunteering at your organization makes an impact on the planet. Individuals who connect with the “characters” in the story are more likely to consider contributing to your organization, including possibly volunteering.

While most circular economy organizations may currently face the common issue of educating stakeholders about the zero waste space and the circular economy, there may be challenges specific to your organization and/or sector that are worth focusing on in more detail. 

Sector-specific challenges:

Public/Government: Getting funding and legislation passed and/or buy-in from stakeholders.

For-profit: Audience growth, lead generation, and/or sales. 

Non-profits: Appealing to board members, getting donations, finding volunteers, etc. 

There may also be challenges you’re facing with your marketing efforts. Luckily, we offer tips on how to identify and overcome them. 

Use Storytelling to Reach Your Impact Goals

Now that you know your audience and have identified your current challenges, you’re ready for the inciting incident: telling your story(ies). 

While it may seem daunting, humans have been telling stories for thousands of years; it’s sort of our thing. 

Storytelling allows you to activate the imagination of your audience, which can help you stand out from the noise, establish a deep connection, and ultimately get their buy-in.

Perhaps you didn’t realize that you were already doing it by leading with your values, but marketing relies heavily on telling stories — in this case, your story. 

In order to do this effectively, you need to take this “novel” concept of the circular economy — something, of course, Indigenous people have been doing for centuries — and package it in a way that is accessible and familiar.  

Here are some tips for effective storytelling:

  • Establish a brand voice if you don’t have one
  • Choose a clear, concise message
  • Have a clear structure; a beginning, middle, and end is a good place to start
  • Include personal anecdotes when appropriate
  • Use one of seven familiar story archetypes, such as Overcoming the Monster or The Quest 
  • Look to others for inspiration. For example, check out Warby Parker’s Our Story page 

By applying these tips, you can more effectively share your brand vision to achieve your impact goals, thus helping the circular economy at large — and the world, one story at a time. 

Get in Touch

At Sparx, our mission is to create content to make the world better.

If you’re in the business of making the world better too and need help creating great content, digitally delighting your customers, marketing your business, or you simply have marketing-related questions, the experts at Sparx Publishing Group are always available to chat. You can reach us here.

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A Full Circle Movement: Make The World Better Magazine Issue 3 Sneak Peek

You care about your organization’s waste footprint. Perhaps you’ve reduced packaging, offered transit passes to employees, or implemented initiatives to eliminate take-out coffee cups. But what’s even better than reducing waste? Having zero waste in the first place. 

Individuals and organizations are “circling” back on the circular economy, a game-changing model of production and consumption that is newly entering the mainstream – and Sparx has curated some of these incredible stories to spark inspiration.  

As a purpose-driven marketing agency, everything we do is driven by our mission to make the world better. That’s why we created Make The World Better Magazine: to start conversations and ignite positive change. 

Make the World Better Magazine: A Publication to Amplify Good

Make the World Better (MTWB) Magazine amplifies good by sharing the stories of individuals and organizations making impactful differences in their communities. 

In our first issue of MTWB Magazine, we showcased a wide range of amazing organizations dedicated to “better.” And in our second issue, we looked at how regenerative agriculture can improve the world. 

Now, in our third issue, we’ve set our focus on the circular economy and will be featuring circular economy organizations in Canada and worldwide who are running circles around those slow to adapt. 

Sneak Peek of the Circular Economy Issue of Make The World Better Magazine

In our upcoming issue of Make the World Better Magazine, we take a look at 10 circular economy organizations and share their incredible initiatives to help locals eat more sustainably, unite changemakers, cultivate the next generation of conservationists, reduce and reuse waste, and accelerate Canada’s transition to a circular economy:

Be the First to Access Make The World Better Magazine: the Circular Economy Issue

The third issue of Make the World Better Magazine is coming soon! We can hardly wait to share it with you. In the meantime, you can learn more about impact-driven efforts by reading our previous issues. And if the game-changing circular economy won’t stop circling your thoughts, you can subscribe to get notifications to be updated when the next MTWB magazine is published:

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Moment Energy: Harnessing the Power of Clean Energy Storage

Electric vehicles offer a more sustainable alternative to gas-powered cars. However, the lithium required to power their batteries are often mined in a way that’s not socially or environmentally conscious. And once these batteries aren’t needed anymore, they can sit unused, but with a lot of energy left in them. Moment Energy is harnessing the potential of these batteries. 

Moment Energy is an impact-driven energy storage company, which participated in Spring Activator’s National Impact Investor Challenge. We spoke with Edward Chiang, Co-Founder & CEO, about why Moment Energy got started and the exciting projects they’re working on.

Team members: Gabe Soares, Eddy Chiang, Sumreen Rattan, Gurnesh Sidhu

Tell us about Moment Energy’s mission. 

Our mission is to ensure that all electric vehicle batteries are responsibly disposed of. The reason why this is a problem is because lithium recycling isn’t profitable, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars to get rid of a single electric vehicle once the driver is done with it. With that being said, unfortunately, only about 5% of all electric vehicle batteries are being recycled responsibly, with most of them ending up on shelves or in landfills.  

However, we found out there’s an average of 80% life left in these batteries, so instead of prematurely recycling these batteries, they can be taken out of the vehicle and repurposed and reformatted into something that’s usable for the home or for commercial buildings. This helps people reduce their diesel consumption, lower their utility bills, and decrease their environmental footprint. 

We also aim to ensure no new lithium is required to be mined for stationary storage applications because we try to reduce the negative environmental and social impacts happening across the world with lithium mining.

What inspired you to start Moment Energy? 

For myself, while living for four months in a small town called Deep River (just north of Ottawa), doing some nuclear energy research for the Canadian government, I realized how even being two hours north of a big city, a lot of Canadians don’t have access to reliable energy. Ottawa was hit with a tornado, and out of power for four hours, while Deep River was out for 24 hours – something I was told was normal for them; they often lacked power for a week at a time, if not longer. 

As we dug deeper, we found that Canadians – Indigenous communities, especially – are very diesel-dependent. The government spends tens of millions dollars on shipping fuel just to keep lights on, but a lot of remote communities don’t want diesel. They want to wean off diesel, but solar and wind power are too intermittent. That’s why energy storage is needed to decrease their fuel usage, and hopefully, even replace the diesel generators one day. 

In terms of the founding members of Moment Energy, we’re a group of four best friends who met each other in our engineering program at Simon Fraser University. Here, we worked on a variety of projects, including building and designing an electric race car from scratch. From there, we started a mental health company, trying to commercialize neurostimulation devices, and soon pivoted to Moment Energy because we realized the skillset and passion for electric vehicles and renewable energy was something we all had in common. That’s how we got started in January 2020. 

What were some of the challenges you encountered? 

The first challenge we faced was the COVID-19 pandemic hitting when we were only a company for three months. We were new, but it was lucky that we were new because we weren’t in the middle of manufacturing a lot. During this time, there were some markets that were closed off and we decided to pivot away from, such as Vancouver’s film industry and outdoor events that use diesel generators that can be loud, a pollutant, and unsafe. 

Over the past year, we addressed the off-grid residential market, which is still diesel dependent, but now they’re off-grid and they own their own energy. Now, we’re going to the off-grid and on-grid commercial markets as well. 

The second challenge we’ve recently faced is supply chain issues. Everywhere in the world experiences it. The Suez Canal incident was one thing, but essentially for anything hardware-related, the prices have just gone up, mainly because of the whole supply chain shortage. For us as a hardware company that develops batteries, it presents delays. 

However, it was a good learning curve for us – we definitely know how to better position ourselves on the supply end and better prepare for any delays that are going to be there in the future.   

What do you consider Moment Energy’s biggest success? 

Our biggest success is our three projects that we’ve deployed over the past year. These three projects are off-grid residential applications, but not just a cabin or a home. Some of them are mansions in the middle of the woods or on an island, so they use a lot of energy. The three projects were in Winnipeg, Quadra Island in British Columbia, and Edmonton. 

It was really fulfilling to live on some of these sites for a couple days during installation to see everything get powered by our batteries: lights, TV, the fridge, etc. We were really happy about those successes and proud of Moment Energy.

Overall, we’ve grown incredibly quickly. Six months ago, we were still in one of our co-founder’s garage. Then, we moved into a small, warehouse sharing type model, and now we have our own facility. It all happened in six months. Recently, we also closed our seed round for $3.5 million. 

What makes your organization unique? 

We’re significantly more affordable, thereby allowing greater access to high quality, lithium-based energy storage to a lot of these markets that need it. As well, we have higher discharging capabilities with our batteries compared to traditional lithium.  

Another thing that makes us unique is our environmental impact. New lithium is not required to be mined for our batteries which helps circumvent the negative social and environmental issues of mining. And then we do have a core technology overall. The core technology, in terms of why we win against any second life company, is the development of our battery match system.

How do you feel Moment Energy makes the world better?

We feel we make the world better because our method of energy storage offers a more environmentally positive solution than traditional energy storage. It’s also a safer option for our clients, as lead acid batteries, in addition to being negative for the environment, can be dangerous if you get the acid on you when topping up the batteries. 

As well, our energy storage solution is a reliable alternative to renewable energy. Those who have installed solar panels or use wind energy often face sunlight or wind shortages which makes energy storage unreliable. Unfortunately, many end up having to turn to diesel generators as a back-up. So we see us fitting into the picture as sort of a hybrid approach; we install our battery, and combined with the diesel generator, we still reduce diesel consumption significantly. 

Tell us about your organization’s goals. 

Right now, we’re partnered with four auto manufacturers, with about three more we’re in talks with, so we’re essentially leaders in terms of partnerships for auto manufacturers. In terms of our batteries, we have developed and deployed five kilowatt hours, which is a very small application. One residential home is 14 kilowatt hours, to put in perspective. We’ve also been deploying 20 kilowatt hours for off-grid, residential homes. 

Now, what we’ve just built and sent out is 100 kilowatt hours, which is about five off-grid homes or about eight on-grid residential homes. With that, we’re really addressing the more commercial-type applications, such as in the aquaculture or mining industries, where they use diesel generators and require more energy. 

Another application we’re focusing on is small to medium manufacturing buildings. In provinces like Ontario and Nova Scotia and several states in the United States, they face demand charges where if you draw too much power from the grid, you will get fined hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our batteries can provide necessary juice for when they hit those peaks. We’re working to be the first commercial, second-life battery certification. 

Our big, hairy, audacious goal is to ensure all electric vehicle batteries are repurposed by 2030 and that we would have a part in all that. And really, we want to make clean, reliable and affordable energy for all. 

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share? 

Right now, a lot of our projects are in the works in the short term. For example, we’re sending our battery pack to Dalhousie to do testing. We’re working with the Verschuren Centre right now to lock down an off-grid site to deploy our battery pack there, as well as working in Nova Scotia to work on on-grid projects with other companies too. Other BC-related projects are focused on the springtime.

What do you most want people to know about Moment Energy?

First and foremost, Moment Energy is a company that puts people first. Without our strong and passionate team, we would not be able to make meaningful environmental and social change for others. 

We’re a cleantech company with a mission to change the way people view sustainable businesses. We’re providing an energy storage solution that is not only reliable, but environmentally sustainable. This speaks to how all products should be designed. 

How can people help or contribute to Moment Energy’s mission?

Spread the word about us! We are always looking for project opportunities and new talent to join our team. The best way to contribute is to talk about what we’re doing (battery repurposing) and recommending our solution (energy storage).

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ReFeed Canada: Securing Sustainable Food Systems

As the world continues to experience unprecedented times, one thing that’s certain is humanity’s need for secure food systems. Unfortunately, many people remain food insecure, while the amount of food waste in developed countries like Canada continues to be high. 

ReFeed Canada is challenging this reality by ensuring future generations have access to sustainable food systems. We chatted with Stuart Lilley, CEO & CVO, about ReFeed Canada’s efforts to repurpose food waste, their worm farm, and their exciting partnership on an eNFT project.

ReFeed Canada staff sorting useable produce to be redirect to local partners like the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.

Tell us about ReFeed Canada’s mission.

“For the Love of Food, People and Planet.”

ReFeed is on a mission to create sustainable food systems for future generations. At a time when over 58% of the food in Canada is wasted, with one third of that food still suitable for human consumption, 1 in 8 people in Canada remain food insecure. At the same time, the agriculture industry accounts for 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions produced globally.

The food system is broken, and we believe we can help fix it through circular systems that recover nutrients from agri-food waste, and produce surplus to produce nutrition for people, livestock, and soil. 

What inspired you to start ReFeed Canada?

For the past 12 years, I have witnessed first-hand the industrial amount of pre-consumer food waste that occurs daily in our food industry. During that time, I worked with numerous companies in the food industry, including an insect technology start-up, supplying them with food waste to produce sustainable protein. I struggled endlessly with supplying food that could’ve been recovered for organizations that address food insecurity if priorities were aligned with society, rather than the company that controlled the waste stream.

I felt that a better system would be to have a facility that could receive and rescue industrial amounts of produce for people first, and what’s left could then be used as feed for livestock and insects to create sustainable protein and organic soil amendment and fertilizer products, all from agri-food waste. These products could then be sold to produce more food and the revenues could be used to support the social enterprise part of the business, Circular Nutrition™, with a sustainable business model. 

I didn’t understand why all interests: societal, environmental, and financial, could not be aligned in one facility.

What were some of the challenges you encountered?   

As a start-up, you encounter a multitude of challenges on a daily basis. ReFeed is a very ambitious project with multiple modular pieces that work together to create the circular system. Right out of the gate, we were handling industrial amounts of produce waste.   

We officially took over the facility on March 1, 2021. Shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and all of the plans and investors we had lined up fizzled. We had to go into survival mode, and that meant becoming scrappy in how we generated revenue while we figured out how we were going to build our vertical worm farm with no money and very little help.

Being underfunded was definitely one of the bigger challenges. If it wasn’t for my waste consulting company and the ability for ReFeed to immediately generate revenue by rescuing and processing produce waste, I don’t think we would’ve made it. 

More recently, supply chain issues have severely delayed the buildout of the worm farm. But I have learned to be philosophical about every challenge, delay – it’s all part of the journey. I am confident we can get through anything as long as I keep waking up in the morning and showing up for work. This is all part of a bigger plan.

What do you consider ReFeed Canada’s biggest success?

I think our biggest success has been the team that we have assembled: our staff, advisors, and partners. We have been extremely lucky to find a great team that believe in the vision of ReFeed, the circularity of our model, and the impact we create, and are committed to bringing it to fruition

What makes your organization unique?

I haven’t heard of too many companies that are committed to impact in our community and our environment before profit, never mind the fact that we are bringing together food rescue to address food insecurity, produce waste recovery to feed livestock, and worm farming to produce sustainable protein and replace synthetic fertilizers all at one facility – and somehow make it all make sense from a business perspective.

How do you feel ReFeed Canada makes the world better?

It would be easy to say that ReFeed makes the world better because of the environmental and community impact that we create, but the reality is that aspect of our company is just a drop in the bucket of what needs to happen around this planet. I truly believe that the greatest impact we are having in the world is how we are inspiring others to think outside of the box, helping to motivate others to improve or start their own impactful company, and contributing to a growing community of people that want to see real action with urgency to fix our broken systems.

I’ve said from the beginning of this journey that ReFeed isn’t the answer to everything, but it is setting a new benchmark of what can be done, and hopefully, it will push and inspire others to elevate their game so that we can start accelerating innovation and solutions that will reverse our current trajectory on this planet.

Tell us about your organization’s goals.

Our primary focus is on building out our Langley facility into a centre of innovation, a commercial scale demonstration of the potential of circular systems in agriculture. We want to demonstrate the entire Circular Nutrition™ potential by utilizing agri-food waste as a resource to be food for people and livestock, or bio-converted into organic growing mediums that are then used to grow more food for the local market, dense in nutrition and carbon negative. 

As this comes together, we are planning the expansion of ReFeed Farms into other markets, leading with our modular vertical worm farm, while also developing further applications for worms at the farm level to address manure management issues, the reduction of synthetic fertilizers and mined minerals, and supporting farmers’ transition to regenerative farming practices.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

One that we are very excited about is our partnership with a company out of Denmark that has created a platform for good called Coin4Planet. Founded by Morten Røngaard of Reality Gaming Group, the premise behind this platform is to create a blockchain-based investment platform which will raise funds by selling “Nature Coins.” The proceeds will be directed to real world projects that are making a significant impact, are transparent, and quantifiable for the planet, as well as society.

Coin4Planet provides a tool both for investors looking to contribute to green tech projects making a measurable difference, and those who are simply seeking annual returns with added stability from crypto assets which are tied to real-world projects. 

ReFeed Canada will be one of their genesis projects receiving direct investment to support the expansion of our operations, including a range of products and services to help farmers move off chemical fertilizers and onto our natural solutions. I believe this new model of funding has the potential to change the world.

What do you most want people to know about ReFeed Canada?

The most important thing that I want people to know about ReFeed Canada is that we are just a group of regular people who have seen that the food system has been broken for a long time and are not interested in more reports or committees to discuss what we need to do. We are just simply going to do what we believe needs to be done and are happy to do the heavy lifting to get the momentum needed to start changing the way things are done.

We can end hunger in this country because it’s not a food production issue, it’s a food redistribution issue – we already grow and make more than enough food to feed everyone. We can also eliminate synthetic fertilizer use by shifting to bio-based growing mediums and nutrient recovery from manure. We need to create systems that recover nutrients instead of wasting them, and nature is our guide. 

We’re doing this to help ensure that our children have a future and that their children have a future. We don’t have any more time to waste. 

How can people help or contribute to ReFeed Canada’s mission?

The first way people can help contribute to ReFeed Canada’s mission is to follow us on social media and to get the word out about the work that we are doing with your friends, your schools, local municipal, and provincial leaders. 

In 2022, we’ll be launching our worm castings fertilizer and soil remediation products for purchase, and partial proceeds from these sales will directly support our social enterprise that rescues industrial amounts of produce for redistribution to food banks and non-profits.

In the bigger picture, look around your day-to-day life and see what you can do to help reduce your environmental impact in your community. Big business is watching and listening to the consumers like never before. What we support as a community and what we decide to spend our money on makes a difference. It says a lot about where we want to go as a society.

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Solaires: Illuminating Good with Affordable Solar Solutions

With climate change a pressing concern, the need to achieve greenhouse gas emission targets is becoming increasingly important. However, renewable energy sources that can help decrease these emissions, like solar, aren’t always accessible or affordable.

Solaires, a past participant in the Spring Activator Campbell River Impact Investor Challenge, is addressing this issue by developing accessible solar energy technology of their own. We chatted with Carolina Betancourt, Marketing and Business Development Manager, about Solaires’ innovative technology, passionate and diverse team, and goals. 

Lab photo of Dr. Deepak and Dr. Sahar Sam discussing the experimental results.

Tell us about Solaires’ mission. 

At Solaires, our mission is to make solar energy more accessible by developing photovoltaic solutions that contribute to minimizing the planet’s environmental footprint.

What inspired your founders to start Solaires? 

Being passionate about new technologies to improve human lives, they started Solaires knowing how important it is to take action now to reduce the carbon footprint. Their personal goals include being able to use their knowledge and experience to work towards saving the planet and creating a better place for the next generation. 

As a company, we have gathered a great number of specialists and experts in this field, and are working with several universities and industry partners to achieve our goals. 

The Solar Ink™

What were some of the challenges they encountered? 

We have a disruptive technology which, unlike sustaining innovations that improve existing products, we are reinventing a technology with a new business model. In addition to developing and validating our new technology, finding the best go-to-market strategy is one of the challenges we have faced.

Moreover, leading a large team of scientists, engineers, and business professionals is one of the day-to-day challenges to make sure everyone is aligned with our product development and business goals. 

We strive to have everyone respect and follow our core values at Solaires. We have created a safe environment for everyone to share their thoughts and ideas, and make sure everyone feels valued and heard.

What is Solaires’ biggest success? 

Although Solaires is a young company, we were able to gather more than 20 professionals and experts in this field, some with more than 20 years of executive experience. Today, we are working with five different research groups inside and outside Canada. 

We have signed MOUs (memorandums of understanding) with several partners in Canada and overseas to test and evaluate our products. Furthermore, one of the founders’ biggest personal successes is seeing how engaged and dedicated our employees are to our goals.

What makes your organization unique? 

We have a very diverse team with different backgrounds and mindsets who have come together to pursue one goal: help Canada achieve the zero greenhouse gas emission target by making solar cells and solar energy conversion technology more accessible and affordable. 

We are changing the way solar cells are currently made and are also impacting the ability of women and minorities to participate in a science-based industry. Solaires is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), with 60% of the management team being women. We are committed to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and we are also in the process of being B Corp certified.

How do you feel Solaires make the world better?

Solaires is ambitiously working towards a number of powerful impact areas. Without a major acceleration in clean energy innovation, net-zero emissions targets will not be achievable. That is why we are developing the next generation of solar cells made from perovskite, which will make clean energy solutions more accessible and affordable while also broadening the possible applications for solar technology. 

At the same time, we are raising awareness about climate change, supporting women in STEM, and advancing progress towards sustainable development. We are bringing to market clean energy innovation that will accelerate the transition to a cleaner world.

Tell us about your organization’s goals. 

Our primary goal as an organization is to secure a more reliable and clean energy source that will effectively help in emission reductions necessary to meet the international climate goals, as well as national reduction targets. 

We want to support Canada in achieving its zero greenhouse gas emissions target by developing and marketing an innovative technology to harvest solar energy. We also hope our endeavour towards this goal will help establish Canada as an innovation hub and a world class centre of excellence for research and development of solar cell technology.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share? 

We are planning to collaborate with Canadian and overseas organisations to help us develop as well as commercialize our solar cell technology. We have signed NDAs with these potential partners and are in the process of finalizing the partnership agreements. 

We are also partnering with universities to test our products. Our aim with these partnerships is to bridge the gap between the technology that exists in university labs and the commercialization of said technology.

What do you most want people to know about Solaires?

We want people to understand the impact our project can make in a world where drastic emission reduction is paramount to control climate change. Our solar technology cuts down emissions of solar cells by 40 percent, making it a more clean source of energy. Our solar panels will be much more efficient, and the manufacturing for them needs fewer resources compared to the current solar panels. 

We also need people to know that we are a purpose-driven company that is proud of the work we do. Our diversely talented team, made up of over eight different nationalities, practices our core values every day. At Solaires, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are part of our DNA, and we consider it the foundation of our innovation. Together, we are building an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees.

How can people help or contribute to Solaires’ mission?

The easiest way to support us in our mission will be to spread the word! Please share about us, our products, and our mission in your social media handles. The support will help us attract investors who are interested in investing in our project. People can also help us grow and expand our network by introducing us to investors who are interested in our technology, to potential customers, and to partners who align with our mission and values. 

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Bluebird Grain Farms: Cultivating for the Next Generation

Even in Washington, one of the largest wheat producing states in the US, purchasing farm direct organic grains locally is not an easy feat.

Bluebird Grain Farms went “against the grain” to become a vertically integrated agricultural producer and processor, and they’re now on a mission to make farming across the US better for people and the planet. We chatted with Brooke Lucy, Co-Owner, Marketing, Sales & Product Development, about Bluebird Grain Farms’ history, mission, and goals.

Tell us about Bluebird Grain Farms‘ mission. 

Our mission is to cultivate and produce the most nutrient dense grains for our customers, and more importantly, for the next generation. This means growing and processing our ancient wheats with a minimal carbon footprint and taking care of the soil every step of the way.  

Growing under an organic regenerative system means we take care of the soil, the wildlife, and the environment around us. Our employees and our community are included in this. 

We want to expand our network of farmers, inspire other farms to transition to growing under an organic regenerative farm system, and prove that an organic regenerative system is good for the health of the planet and the ecological and human communities that live amongst the farm system. 

What inspired you to start Bluebird Grain Farms? 

We started Bluebird Grain Farms in 2004 because we could not purchase farm direct organic grains locally, even though our own state of Washington was one of the largest wheat producing states in the country. 

We saw a niche. Ancient wheats clearly had more flavour, more nutrients, and were more resilient to a fluctuating climate. All these factors compelled us to grow ancient wheat.

Product line.

What were some of the challenges you encountered? 

Immediately, we realized that we were going to have to set up our own processing facility because there were no organic wheat processors in Washington at the time. Also, the equipment needed to process ancient wheat was very difficult to find. Learning to process ancient grains was our first initial hurdle.  

Over the last 10 years, finding good employees in a small rural setting with rising housing prices has also been a challenge. It has been kind of a lonely path building our business, mostly because we are in a rural setting with not a lot of agriculture around us. Thankfully, we have always had this incredible support from our customers which has truly kept us going. 

What do you consider Bluebird Grain Farms’ biggest success? 

The fact that we have stayed in business for 18 years now is amazing. We are essentially running three businesses within one business. I feel that the quality of our product and the consistency of delivering a good product has been a big part of our success.  
Sharing our story along the way has been important in engaging with our customers about what we do and why we do it.

Sam Lucy standing in a rye field.

What makes your organization unique? 

Being vertically integrated as an agricultural producer and processor has helped us understand and know our industry very well. It has not been easy, but looking back, the knowledge that we have learned has helped us strategize our growth; we intimately know the challenges of ancient grain farming and processing. 

We know what it takes to grow these grains and to make a business out of it. Understanding the cost of goods to produce and process has been the key determining factor in our success. 

Having a niche market with ancient wheats has been critical to the success of our business. Our products have set the stage to the emmer and einkorn market that are now developing in the US today.

How do you feel Bluebird Grain Farms makes the world better?

We make the world better by providing nutrient dense grains that require less water and are cultivated under a strict organic regenerative farm system that provides good food for the people and good soil for the future. 

Our farm model to produce and process local organic ancient wheats has really sparked an incredible movement throughout the US. In 2004, there were very few producers/processors of grains; there were a few Amish farms in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and Anson Mills in South Carolina. 

Now, there are probably more than five or six organic mills and several farm direct grain businesses just within Washington state, and a huge movement growing in the Northeast and the Midwest. Being successful has helped ignite others to try. This is very exciting. Our role now is continuous improvement and asking ourselves the question of what can we do to be even better at what we do?

Clover interseeded with emmer as a nurse crop.

Tell us about your organization’s goals. 

In June 2022, we will be moving into our new processing facility that is located on one of our grain fields. We will have increased capacity in our production as well as a great location. Here, we will be able to grow our business and show our customers how a vertically integrated organic farm operates. 

People want to be connected to their food source and we want to be the connector. Our new location will allow our customers to engage in purchasing our grains, while witnessing the farming, storing, cleaning, and packaging of our products. It will be an experience, and not just a purchase. 

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share? 

An “education component” is something that we will be implementing once we are moved into our new facility. We want to be a model farm for other organic regenerative grain farmers. We want to share and learn from others and grow our network of organic regenerative farmers in Washington state. We are not sure what this looks like yet. We are exploring partnerships with community organizations, and ideally, engaging a local university in some of our projects.

Einhorn bread loaf.

What do you most want people to know about Bluebird Grain Farms?

We have built our business on growing and selling nutrient dense ancient grain products and fresh milled flour. We hope to expand the tenets of our business beyond just the health of our product, but also the health of the planet.  

To begin, we want to educate our customers about organic regenerative farming and carbon sequestering. We believe net zero farming is possible.

How can people help or contribute to Bluebird Grain Farms’ mission?

Firstly, you can engage with Bluebird by purchasing our products, visiting us, and talking with us. Share with us on our Instagram and Facebook pages.   

Secondly, engage with friends and family by starting a conversation and educating them about the importance of supporting small scale organic regenerative farms. 

Thirdly, eat local. This is a movement that is not going away, and it is critical to a low carbon footprint.  

Fourthly, patronize restaurants and stores that sell products from small scale organic farms. 

Last but not least, ask local grocery stores and restaurants to sell local products; the consumer often has more leverage than farmers and small businesses. Sometimes, they need to hear from their customers that they want to see local food on the menu and on the shelves.

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