While on a trip to San Fransisco for the Fancy Food Show, Fume-eh Gourmet Foods owners Paula and Chris Beall fell in love with smoked olives but couldn’t find any to sell in their much beloved Port Moody store, Eden West.
After searching high and low for them so we could sell them at Eden West we gave up and bought a smoker so that we could make our own. We spent months perfecting the technique, type of smoke, brine etc and finally came up with a winning combination. We have since developed our Smoked Olive Tapenade which is outselling everything else.
Fume-eh Gourmet Foods smoked olives have brought fine dining right to the feet of customers and Paula says continuing to frequent markets is important to them as a growing company.
Developing a new brand takes a long time and staying in touch with your customers is a very important part of that. We love seeing people try our products for the first time and getting their feedback.
Paula says their olives are smoked at a low temperature with milder wood smoke to avoid bitterness in the olives. Their variety of flavours lead to a wide range of dish options.
The buttery nature of the Castelvetrano olives along with the sharpness from the smoke bring a different depth of flavour to so many different dishes. Why not add some to a Puttanesca? Or throw the tapenade on some Arctic Cod, yum! The possibilities are endless.
The name Fume-eh has more of a story than meets the eye. After a night of enjoying some wine and endless smoked olives, Paula says her and Chris creatively stumbled on the name “Fume-eh.”
Well ‘fume’ is smoke in French and ‘eh’ is of course very Canadian as our we so voila!
Inspired by all things food, Paula and Chris have plans to grow their product line over the winter season.
As for deciding what flavours we just try and try again until we are thoroughly thrilled by the end product.
After recently hiring a brand ambassador Paula says, she and Chris hope to continue to create high quality products and continue to get the word out about their company. Be sure to visit the market to keep up to date with their new products!
For Mariner Brewing co-founder Lauren Ang, craft beer is about exploring different flavours and trying new things.
Our mottos embody this sense of exploration and adventure. We had a concept of what we wanted our brewery to represent before we eventually came up with our name.
Inspired by both traditional ship navigators and a number of NASA space probes in the 1960’s, Lauren says incorporating stars and constellations into their logo seemed like the perfect fit.
Traditionally a Mariner is someone who navigates a ship; in the past, we used stars as a mariner’s point of reference for navigation. Mariner was also the name of a number of space probes in the 60’s that NASA sent to explore uncharted territory in space.
Lauren says the freshness of their ingredients, leads their beer to be inspired by the time of year. Drawing on everything they see smell and taste, these co-founders are inspired by everything around them.
(Courtesy of Mariner Brewing)
Berry season is upon us and we recently released a blueberry sour that used 1,000 lbs of Fraser Valley blueberries per batch. Several of our beer rotate depending on the season. This is our favourite part about being a small local brewery; we can regularly experiment with different flavours.
Partnering with the Glasfurd & Walker design team, Lauren says can designs evolve from discussions around key words, colours and eventually a description.
Our brewer and design team have a lot of conversations about the taste, look, and feel of each beer, as well as the ingredients, history, and inspiration for the beer. We’re very lucky to work with the amazing Glasfurd & Walker design team on our can labels and are always impressed with their work.
Mariner Brewing locally sources their variety of supplies, including hops, as much as they can. Lauren says they are lucky to live in a region that is good for growing hops but that they sometimes like to include special varieties.
(Courtesy of Mariner Brewing)
We are constantly impressed by the variety our local farmers are producing each year. Some special varieties of hops are only available in Germany and Oregon and we like to include some of them to have a wide range of flavours in our beers.
Mariner Brewing has more than just beer when you stop by their brewing house. Along with exploring new flavours of beer make sure you leave room for food. Most is made in house by a fantastic kitchen staff, including their Sunday brunch, served from 11 am – 3 pm. What isn’t made in house is supplied by other local businesses such as Pasta Pollo and Creekside Coffee Factory.
We also have a dog friendly Beer Garden open 4pm to dusk during the week and all day on weekends. Every Thursday we do something called and Exploratory which is a one off keg of a new beer style, this helps up figure out what types of beer people get the most excited about. So far our Strawberry Weisse has been our most popular Exploratory Batch.
With big plans for new seasonal brews, variations on old favourites and ever developing their food and beer lineup in the tasting room, be sure to keep an eye out for what’s next for Mariner Brewing!
Right now the only thing holding us back is the amount of beer we can produce and we’re expanding and adding equipment to increase that. Like the name Mariner implies, we’re never standing still. Look out for what beer and food is next!
Growing up in a very creative family; a father who built furniture, a mother who was a gifted seamstress and a grandmother who was a marvellous cook, Brigitta knew from an early age how to sew,stitch, knit, wield a hammer and cook at an early age.
Music was an important part of our lives as well, more as in appreciation than playing an instrument; I learned to play the flute much later in live.Most of our weekends and holidays were spent either hiking, climbing and skiing in the Alps, or at the cottage my parents rented at a farm. There I learned to love an appreciate farming and nature in all it’s aspects.
Thus it was only natural that Brigitta was attracted to clay’s earthy properties. She says the material lends itself to being manipulated in every creative way one can think of.
Whether it’s soil I plunge my hands into to bring forth flowers and plants, or whether it’s clay I let slip through my hands to coax into shapes and forms, both give me the immense pleasure of creating. Creations that in return reflect on the beauty of nature.
Despite her creative upbringing, Brigitta says she began working with clay later in life. Once her youngest left home, she one day, filled her time by going to a pottery class with a friend. This reignited her passion for pottery and created opportunities that she did not let slip by. Eventually receiving a business license and building her studio, Brigitta began to sign up for markets, art studio tours and Christmas sales.
There was no opportunity when I was young, studied nursing, immigrated to Canada, and had a family.Even though I did not plan to start a business at this point, I did go to the Kootenay School of Arts studying ceramics for two years. Today I am still very happy working in my studio, totally enjoy the enriching contact with my customers at the markets and am up to a challenge when doing the odd custom work.
Brigitta creates her own unique colours and textures by mixing her own glazes, made of minerals, clays and oxides, which she sources from Greenbarn in Port Kells.
I buy Canadian clay sourced in Medicin Hat (Medalta), Alberta, through the pottery supply store Greenbarn in Port Kells. Medalta is a historic ceramic manufacturing complex now turned into aceramic art school.
To offset the potential environmental damage from glazing materials Brigitta mixes surplus glaze and clay, form bricks, or lately ollas, and fire them to bisque temperature. This process stabilizes all material, and she then uses the bricks and ollas in her garden.
First and foremost, Brigitta’s design inspiration comes from nature. She says she does her best work when the environment is in mind. The rivers, forests and ocean that surround us, reflecting shapes and colours back to us.
…a perky frog, sea stars and shells are enhancing birdbaths, mugs and teapots. The process from idea to finished product can be long. An idea, some drawings, a prototype, or two, or three, breakage and disappointment, but eventually the piece looks at least somewhat like the original idea.
She is intrigued by both straight and clean lines and but gravitates towards organic shapes and forms like leaving uneven rims on plates, bowls and platters.
Or I coax an undulating wave into my mugs, making them look like fresh out of the ocean. And then my flower arranging vessels….well, I do sit in my garden a lot and while admiringthe flowers I’d like to display I envision the form that would do it best.
What in part makes Brigitta’s pottery so unique from one creation to another is the inherit way pottery is finished. She says despite technological advances, no two kiln loads turn out exactly the same.
Outside temperature and humidity, density in stacking the pieces, thickness of each piece, type of clay usedand placement in the kiln all play a role on how a pot turns out. That is why it can be very difficult to exactly replicate a piece.
Read More About Brigitta’s Pottery Making Process:
I do both hand building and wheel throwing and often combine the two.
Lets take a midsize mug:
A lump of soft clay, about 500 g, is gently wedged ( a special kneading technique that is supposed to get rid of air bubbles in the clay and align the tiny clay particles so that throwing becomes easier and even).
On the wheel it takes just a few minutes to form the cup, but then I take a rib (a flat tool) to the wobbly mug and distort the wall to get my wave pattern in. Lots of opportunity to press just a little bit too hard and the thin walls collapse. But if successful, the mug is then transferred onto a drying board and left to dry for a few hours (or anything from half an hour to two days, depending on the weather and humidity) till leather hard. That means the clay will be exactly like leather, it holds its shape but can still be manipulated to some degree. The mug is put back on the wheel, upside down, and the bottom gets trimmed, all the excess clay taken off to form a nice foot.
Meanwhile a handle is formed and left to dry to the same leather hardness as the mug, and then attached to the mug. The mug is left to dry completely, to bone dry, which can take anything from a day to almost a week.
Then the mug is fired to a temperature of 1040 Celsius. This process is called a bisque firing. It takes about 9 to 10 hours to peak temperature and a day to cool down. The process hardens the clay, however, it is still porous, won’t hold water, and is still not very strong.
At this point the glaze is applied. Glaze is a calculated mixture of clays, minerals, oxides and possibly colour pigments that will form a glass like layer around a bisque piece.
There are many techniques to do that, depending on the type of glaze used. Glaze can be painted on, sprayed on, poured over the piece, or the piece can be dipped right into the glaze.
Glaze dries quite fast and the piece can be fired a few hours to a day later. I fire to a mid range temperature of 2,000 Celsius. This time it takes about 12 hours to reach peal temperature and a good day to cool down.
Crisp Organics has always strived to help diversify crops, protect waterways and improve air quality for Lower Mainland residents and farmers.
“We really began farming for environmental and conservation reasons and have been working hard to transform our land into a vibrant farm with an intense focus on sustainability. We also get to work together as a family.”
Over a two year period, Andrew Vogler and his family searched from Pemberton to Hope for the perfect plot of land to farm. Partnering with his mother, Andrew says they purchased 11 acres in Abbotsford, close to home, about nine years ago.
“My mother grew up on a dairy farm and we were always growing stuff and so I have always wanted to get involved myself. Sustainability has always been apart of our lives and we wanted to see more diversity in crops.”
Andrew says his family knew the area had the perfect soil for farming and lots of vegetables were being grown already.
“The soil, a sandy loam, is the result of thousands of years of sedimentation onto the old Sumas Lake bottom, which once covered much of the lowlands between Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Sumas Lake was drained in the early part of the 20th century to open land to agriculture and the area is now one of the most productive agricultural regions in Canada.”
Crisp has created two seasonal harvest boxes, Summer and Cool Season, which are dropped off in about 20 neighbourhoods. Andrew says his family wants people to get a sense of what local produce is available so they can create healthier and more creative meals.
“We deliver the boxes every week and each one has around seven difference types of produce. We created it for people who want to try something new and more sustainable and who may not be able to always make it to a market.”
Crisp Organics has a three to five week growing period, cycling through about 40 different crops, therefore their harvest boxes vary from week to week, adding to the excitement around what customers will receive.
“We let them know ahead of time about what will be in the harvest box so they can plan their meals in advance. We find that people will try it out, see what they like and then maybe go to market to find our products. Everyone’s lives are so different and this program allows people to experience local food.”
To ensure crops are grown, maintained and harvested to their standards, Andrew says his family works closely with staff.
“Care is the most important thing. Care more than anything both in which products to harvest and what to leave to continue to grow. Care in keeping it cooler and damp before you get to market is also important.”
Be sure to stop by Crisp Organics at market to see what they will have!
“Simple, real, honest,” is the mantra of Poco Soap Co. Building on 16 years of casual soap making and discovering a more simple lifestyle, owner Shea Hogan says he continuously looks for ways to make deeper connections with his local community.
Soap is a real, tangible product that when made well is good for you and ultimately good for our planet, by not using any artificial ingredients no harmful toxins are produced which eventually end up in our environment.
(Courtesy of Poco Soap Co.)
Deliberately avoiding what might be considered typical branding for a soap company, Shea has chosen both a unique and relevant being to help represent his business.
I wanted to find a way to showcase my community through my logo, and bears are an ever present, important part of Port Coquitlam. This bear was inspired by a local bear that made headlines a few years ago.
In addition to being inspired to create for the local economy, Shea says he firmly stays away from the use of plastics, using biodegradable and compostable materials instead.
My soap labels are made of sugarcane waste fiber and are fully biodegradable and compostable. And my lip balm tubes are made from paperboard.
(Courtesy of Poco Soap Co.)
While Poco Soap and Co. may have a slight natural masculine bend as Shea has creative control over his products, he feels good soap is for everyone and benefits all genders.
I don’t specifically make my soaps for men, but as I am a man the brand may have a naturally more masculine bend to it that perhaps more men can relate to, which could be a good thing as men in general are a little standoffish when it comes to natural soaps. So hopefully I can help break down some gender stereotypes, and help raise awareness that natural soaps are okay for men to use too!
(Courtesy of Poco Soap Co.)
With its current success, Poco Soap Co. is expanding! Shea plans to bring his products into wholesale and online selling spaces, as well as opening his workshop for retail possibilities.
I am continuing to develop new products, such as natural lip balms, and will be expanding my soap line.
Shane and Emma of Aslan Organics showed up in B.C. in 2010 after accepting a work offer on Vancouver Island with no intention of farming but quickly became eager to start their own food production.
In our first spring, we hastened the building of three raised beds in our small pie-shaped corner lot in an urban setting. We quickly fell in love with the dirt and produce we were making, and the garden just continued to grow.
In 2014 they moved to the Yarrow EcoVillage near Cultus Lake where within one year, they had a quarter acre and 20 laying hens. Now a 1.2 acres organic farm, with roughly 75 birds, customers will find plenty of fresh produce and eggs at market.
Our farm is a nod to the lion character in Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan, who represents the main framework for how we see ourselves as farmers: Earth Keepers; our Christian beliefs have significantly shaped our creation care modus operandi.
Aslan Organics was one of only twelve farms selected to receive a scholarship into J.M Fortier’s “The Market Gardners Master Class.” This has allowed Emma and Shane to go more in depth about how they plan and create success on their farm.
We grow joyfully good food: our farm is a sanctuary for those looking for quiet; our farm is small for those looking to experience simplicity; our farm is efficient for those looking to understand how it’s possible to make a living at organic vegetable farming. We aren’t just producers, we love what we do and we want you to love it too.
Growing organic is essential to Aslan Organics. They reference that for centuries the earth has provided an abundance of crop without the use of chemicals. Living and farming in the Yarrow EcoVillage they are continuously working together with their community and therefore directly impacted by these relationships.
While we sometimes wish we could just eliminate all the aphids, they too have a purpose in the greater ecological systems. It may not always be easy–in fact challenge is often a descriptor of progress because the community needs to agree (we function under consensus)–but we are continually becoming better versions of ourselves because of it.
Shane and Emma are not just producers, they love what they do and they want customers to love it too. It is their belief that the most important aspect of knowing must be our food; to know what we are consuming.
If we become disconnected from our food, we become disconnected from the Earth. If we disconnect ourselves from the Earth, our care and awareness for Mother Nature becomes obsolete, and could prove dangerous to how we treat the only planet that has (thus far) proven to support human life.
They want people to know their farm is a sanctuary for those looking for quiet and small for those looking to experience simplicity.
Our farm is efficient for those looking to understand how it’s possible to make a living at organic vegetable farming.
Although their methods are traditional and wholesome, Emma and Shane have brought their farm into the 21st century through the use of social media. They believe it is an opportunity for everyone to get a sense of what they up to, both professionally on the farm, but also small snippets of insight into their lives.
We believe that one of the best benefits to being “local” is knowing more about the people, something I would argue is inherent to the human condition: We all long for rich community experiences. For us, this farm–and you as our customer–is quickly taking shape as our rich community. We thank you for your support.
To grow a greater range of produce Aslan Organics has dipped it’s feet into greenhouses. As they are significantly warmer, plants can grow faster and thus lengthening the window of production.
We spend a significant amount of time ensuring the sanitization of our greenhouse (frequent weeding, eliminated any diseased plants, frequent browsing for predatory pests) because it’s crucial to the success of our operation.
Be sure to stop by Aslan Organics when coming to market as you may find a veggie you haven’t heard of, like the Hakurei Turnip! A favourite of customers it typically sells out within the first few hours of market.
To end off an amazing month of zero waste initiatives, we are highlighting a new program for customers of the much beloved Biscotti Joe Coffee! Lovingly toted the “bead program,” regular customers have been encouraged to bring their own mug to market.
If customer brings their own mug and purchase a cup of my coffee, I would give them a ring that has a colorful bead attached. Every time they buy another cup of coffee, they would receive another bead and when they reach six beads, they get a free cup of coffee!
Harry says this program is similar to coffee cards but more fun and has been received well.
In light of the no straws campaigns happening in Metro Vancouver, I think my program fits in with trying to reduce waste. I believe that you have a new style red mug available to new members that sign up. If you mention my program to them, it would be a nice tie in.
So make sure to bring your own mug or thermos when you visit Biscotti Joe Coffee at market and collect those beads!
Okanagan’s Best Products has come up with a creative and edible way to reduce their waste at market! Inspired by her passion for sustainability, Kathleen says all of the wooden toothpicks she went through for sampling had to go.
In the past we were going through tens of thousands of toothpics in a market season. These all would end up in the landfill because they are not reusable. While wood is definitely better than plastic in terms of sustainability and environmental impact, it still wasn’t a zero waste situation.
So Kathleen searched for a more sustainable solution and tired it all! Keeping in conjunction with her products, she wanted to make sure that what was being used as tasters was as well.
Once gluten-free products became available in standard grocery shops (though still not at wholesale stores), the decision to move to spaghetti toothpicks was easy.
Okanagan’s Best Products’ initiative has gotten great response from customers. Kathleen says it also provides a space for quick conversations about sustainability, environmental issues, clean food and clean living.
(Courtesy of Okanagan’s Best Products)
…All issues that are part of Okanagan’s Best ethos. In BC, our customers are pretty savvy. They are generally quite switched on about environmental issues because we live in the most beautiful part of the country, and we’d all like to keep it that way. Less waste, more sustainable products just makes sense to them already, so it’s an easy conversation to have!
Kathleen says another great benefit of spaghetti is that if the toothpicks are inadvertently dropped, they will biodegrade and not hard any animals who might come across them.
…And the kids love to just chew on them rather than put them in our garbage.
In addition to the spaghetti tasting spoons, Kathleen says she has been and continues to look into various ways of packaging their products for customers at market, including decomposable bags and butcher paper.
Because our products are kept iced, they are often wet and
cannot be carried in paper bags, so we have no option but to put them in plastic bags. At the moment, many customers bring their own reusable shopping bags, so we often dry the packages of sausage for and place them in their own bags. So we always ask ‘would you like a bag,’ because we do have them available but prefer not to use them. In future, we are thinking of providing reusable cooler shopping bags at cost. We are always on the lookout for ways to reduce our footprint.
Kathleen says that in the continuous search for more sustainable products and practices, she’s come across potential production methods of noted environmentally friendly products that may not be as sustainable as previously thought.
(Courtesy of Okanagan’s Best Products)
We were very surprised ourselves to learn through experience and expense about decomposable plastic bags and how, while touted as ‘environmentally friendly’, the methods used to produce them are not compatible with products that may be moist or damp in terms of immediacy of the decomposing process when wet, and the off-gassing that happens. It does make us wonder about how they are made, what chemicals are used, that they give off a scent when beginning to decompose that can actually affect the products, and just how ‘sustainable’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ they actually are.
For Kathleen and everyone at Okanagan’s Best Products, the opportunity to speak with customers about sustainability at market is always a pleasure.
We have had wonderful market experiences with people who were previously ‘undecided’ about purchasing, actually try and buy our products because our little changes like using spaghetti toothpicks really matter to them.
For week three of our Zero Waste Month, we are delving into what Growing Fresh is doing to be more sustainable!
Elevating her own company’s values and vision, Monika says using compostable corn derived plastic cups and wooden spoons for customers of the farmer’s market to use while tasting her products.
We make organic, vegan, nutrient dense snacks and treats so the environmentally friendly and sustainable theme is already there. Using packaging and taster cups, etc, just goes well with that theme.
Monika says customers appreciate the work she is doing to become more environmentally friendly and she loves having those conversations, whether it be about the success but also any challenges she may face.
The cost of conventional packaging versus environmentally friendly packaging is always a challenge and not all products can be packaged in the most earth friendly manner. Some amount of plastic, even if it’s plant/corn based plastic will need to be used, such as clear cups or plastic lined bags to keep products sealed properly. It’s always a step ninth right direction.
Despite the conventional challenges of going zero waste, Monika says she is always looking for ways to improve her company’s footprint.
I’m always asking myself what can I do better in regards to further reducing waste. And the answers trickle in. Because we are already a plant based food production I think we are ahead anyways.
In speaking with customers, Monika says reducing our waste is for the next generations to come and for the planet too.
Anderson distilleries sort of fell backwards into zero waste. It’s just the cheapest way to do what we do.
(Courtesy of Anderson Distilleries)
We continue our Zero Waste Month with Anderson Distilleries! Wanting a more fiscal way of disposing spent grain and yeast hulls, Ian Anderson says partnering with local gardeners also allows their solid waste to be taken care of in a more environmentally friendly manner while also providing a free fertilizer alternative for gardeners.
All the community gardens we contacted jumped at the offer of free compost. We no longer need to deliver the compost to the gardens. Individual gardeners now come by the distillery with buckets and pick it up directly. In fact, it doesn’t always have a chance to finish composting before they pick it up. Gardeners will add it to their home composter’s to accelerate decomposition of things like paper and wood.
In addition to this, Anderson Distilleries does not use chemical additives in their brewing process. Although doing so would improve production output, Ian says the cost of such chemicals is greater than the potential value of additional product.
The fact that our products end up being 100% vegan, organic, and kosher is purely aside the point for us. We dont bother with certifications because they add too much of an expense for our current production volume. Our waste stream contains less alcohol per unit volume than a typical household compost pile so there is a strong argument to be made that our spent grain is also halal.
Ian says, ultimately there is no preservatives in their waste stream, which is further separated into liquid and solid.
You could use our liquid waste to water your lawn all summer. The only thing you would notice is that it smelled a little like stale beer for a day or two afterwards. Our liquid waste is disposed of by the GVRD for a small annual fee. We put our solid waste into a composter where it rapidly begins to decompose.
Due to the properties of their waste, Anderson Distilleries’ compost can be roughly compared to horse manure. Ian says their disposal method is purely academic from a business perspective and the fertilizer product is a great addition to this.
Our solid waste is mostly yeast hulls, barley gluten, and grain husks. Yeast hulls and gluten are almost pure protein. The decomposition products of this are extremely high in nitrogen. The husks from the grain add porosity and allow airflow through the composting mass. Commercial waste disposal companies charge extra to dispose of compostable material. Per kilogram, it costs roughly twice as much money to dispose of spent grain when compared to construction waste.
While saving money, Anderson Distilleries is reducing the amount of solid waste that goes into the landfill and is also helping local gardeners receive a free and valuable resource. Ian says they are currently focused on reducing the volume of liquid waste produced so stayed tuned for that!
While on a trip to San Fransisco for the Fancy Food Show, Fume-eh Gourmet Foods owners Paula and Chris Beall fell in love with smoked olives but couldn’t find any to sell in their much beloved Port Moody store, Eden West.