Around eight years ago, Marisa Kohler began searching for soap and skincare products to help her family’s dry skin. “The [three] kids and I have super dry skin and eczema and I couldn’t find an appropriately priced organic line of soap and skincare products for our whole family,” Marisa explained. “I wanted to see what I could do, so I started researching how to make soap for our family.” After lots of research, trial, and error, Marisa finally created a soap recipe that worked for their skin, had lots of bubbles and organic ingredients. “It took months of learning and failing until we had a bar we all liked, but we were eventually successful!” Marisa said with a smile. “Not only did our skin look and feel better, but the kids loved to help measure the ingredients and pick out new scents.”
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Judy Gremaud started Kosuma Energy Bars in May of 2012 in London, ON, after being inspired to create her own energy bars which would fit her family’s dietary needs. The bars became popular among Judy’s family and friends, who encouraged her to create a business based on the energy bars. Family friend Ephie Smith then joined the company in August of 2012, after offering to help Judy with the business. Ephie was a stay-at-home mom who was running childcare out of her home, and she noticed how busy Judy was with her new business venture. “The childcare group that I had was every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so I just offered the time that I was available,” said Ephie. “It started out just as a day here and a day there, and then in September she asked if I could come on a little bit more often.”
For many years Marc Twarowski’s grandmother (or Babcia in Polish) sold her homemade pierogies to family and friends in Southern Poland, and she continued to do so after immigrating to Canada. Marc and his wife Krystal had both worked in the hospitality industry for over 25 years, and when COVID hit they wanted to brainstorm a business idea they could try. “We said why don’t we sell pierogies, because this is something that we kind of have with our family,” said Marc. “It’s all family recipes and things we share with people, but now we can make it official and with actual branding behind it.”
In 2021 while Victoria Spencer was helping a local dog search and rescue hunt down a lost golden retriever at Bluegroves Farm, the owner approached her to let her know that the blueberry farm was for sale. At the time, Victoria was not working due to COVID and her husband Mike was doing factory work, so she pitched the idea to him. “So we became blueberry farmers, and yes, we found the dog, 82 days later in London!” Victoria laughed.
In the world of pollinators, honey bees often steal the spotlight. Their industrious nature and sweet, golden honey have earned them a celebrated place in our hearts and homes. However, in Ontario, these busy bees are not the native heroes of our gardens. Instead, they pose a threat to indigenous pollinators, making it essential for us to approach beekeeping responsibly and support regenerative pollinator practices.
Supporting Native Pollinators in St. Thomas, Ontario: Easy Steps You Can Take on Your Own Property6/17/2024 Living in our beautiful Bee City of St. Thomas, Ontario, we’re surrounded by nature’s wonders. One of the most vital elements of our local ecosystem is our native pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and other pollinating friends play a crucial role in maintaining the health of our environment. By taking simple steps in your own backyard, you can help support these essential creatures. Here are five easy ways to make your property a haven for native pollinators.
A staple of the Shedden community since 1992, Evelyn’s Sausage Kitchen has been making homemade and hand twisted sausages, smoked and fresh meats for 30 years. Evelyn retired from the business in 2023, but not before mentoring and teaching the Harris boys, Carson and Eric, her recipes and techniques the Shedden community has come to know and love. The Harris boys officially took over operations in January of 2023, and began as a vendor at the Horton Farmers’ Market during the 2023 Winter Market.
Having native plants in your garden or on your boulevard is an amazing way to help support pollinators, but how can you tell the difference between invasive plants and native plants? What are invasive plants anyways? We have put together a handy little guide on some of the most common invasive plants and some native plants which can be planted instead! (As well as some general tips on how to support pollinators in the spirit of Pollinator Week!)
Many of us are aware of bees as important pollinators, but did you know that butterflies, birds, bats, moths, beetles, flies, and wasps are pollinators too? All of these pollinators play crucial roles in sustaining our ecosystems and helping plants reproduce. One out of every three bites of food is only possible thanks to the hard work of pollinators; so let's learn about some of the lesser known, but incredibly important pollinators!
Clover Pecan began in 2019 after Cindy and Jerry moved back to Canada after living in Southern Georgia for 23 years. During their time in South Georgia, Cindy and Jerry had purchased a pecan farm, which was home to almost 4,000 trees and six different pecan varieties. “We had a 200 acre farm, we were just little guys in the pecan world,” Cindy laughed. “But we were just as passionate about pecans as the big farms.” Their farm was beautiful, and it was not an easy decision to leave, but as Cindy said, “life happens”, so they sold the farm and moved back to Canada.
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