The Original Vegan Business Talk By Shane Jeremy James

We are honored to introduce our guest for today, Faik Bouhrik, founder of Vegan Stay and an animal rights activist. Faik's journey into veganism and animal rights activism began during his first semester at college when he encountered animal rights activists showing a video of a monkey being mistreated.

Since then, Faik has become a passionate animal rights advocate and has attended numerous animal rights events organized by animal safe. He has also witnessed the animals at a slaughterhouse vigil, where he felt the emotional toll of witnessing animal suffering. Despite the challenges, Faik continues to advocate for animal rights and encourages others to do the same.

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We are excited to welcome Karin Wentworth, the founder of Full On Plants Coaching, to our stage today. Karin has been a vegan for over 30 years and attributes her good health and positive mindset to her vegan lifestyle. She saw an opportunity to combine her coaching skills and veganism to launch Full On Plants Coaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Karin's passion for veganism is evident in her work, and she is committed to helping people transition to a vegan or plant-based lifestyle.

Karin's interest in veganism started when she was given a book by the Hare Krishnas, which opened her eyes to the health benefits, economic implications, and ethical considerations of not eating meat. She believes being vegan is at the core of who she is and encourages others to explore veganism to live healthier and more compassionate life. With a wealth of experience behind her, having worked as a coach in the corporate sector before launching her coaching practice, Karin is poised to share her knowledge and insights with us today.

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It's our pleasure to introduce John Merlino, founder of Soul Solutions, a vegan company that produces a plant-based patty. John's journey in the food industry started in 1983 when he graduated from The Culinary Academy in San Francisco. He later transitioned to the corporate sector, where he developed the Soul Patty from their ingredients in response to customers' demands for a non-meat solution. After a few years of struggling to make money with the vegetarian or vegan company, John returned to work as a corporate chef.

In early 2016, an old friend called and asked if John was still making the Soul Patty, and they decided to launch Soul Solutions with the help of a dear friend who provided seed money. They managed to get the product into a popular burger chain, Hopdoddy Burger Bars until the COVID-19 crisis hit.

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We are excited to introduce David Gautier, the co-founder of Wholly Veggie, a plant-based meal and snack company aimed at making it easier for people to consume more vegetables. David's background in environmental studies and engineering and his experience working in the meat industry led him to create a business that encourages people to adopt a more sustainable and healthier diet. The company has been operational for five and a half years and offers convenient, delicious, and more environmentally friendly and ethical food.

During the interview, David Gautier will provide insights into his company's mission and how they strive to make plant-based foods more accessible to the general public. Additionally, David will discuss the company's plans for product expansion and how they plan to reach more customers through online marketing and brick-and-mortar stores. Finally, he will touch on the importance of education and storytelling in promoting the unique, elevated nature of Wholly Veggie's products.

We are thrilled to introduce Connie Marples, the founder of Bush Plant-Based Foods, as our guest today. Connie's passion for healthy and nutritious food and her entrepreneurial spirit led her to create a thriving business in the food industry. Bush Plant-Based Foods offers plant-based, nutritious, and delicious meal options to its customers, and its products are now available in grocery stores throughout British Columbia.

Connie's journey began with a small home delivery service in the South Surrey White Rock area, and since then, her business has grown tremendously. She has overcome many challenges in the highly competitive food industry, and her company's success is a testament to her unwavering dedication and commitment to her vision. Today, she joins us to share her insights and experiences on building a successful plant-based food business, the challenges of being in the e-commerce platform, and her company's plans for the future.

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We are excited to welcome Stephanie Morris, a serial entrepreneur, to our show today. Stephanie's career has been characterized by her passion for food and desire to share her love for healthy, plant-based cuisine. Stephanie's journey has taken her from her hometown in Canada to Thailand and China, where she started a vegan ice cream company and a successful plant-based restaurant.

Stephanie's love for cooking began at a young age when she became a vegetarian and had to learn to cook for herself. Over the years, she has honed her skills and developed a unique style of cuisine that blends traditional ingredients and flavors with a modern, plant-based twist.

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Today's guest is Katie Cantrell, the co-founder of Greener by Default, which aims to make plant-based food the default. With her extensive background in animal and plant-based advocacy, Katie has dedicated her life's work to ending factory farming and promoting more sustainable, healthy, and inclusive food systems.

Before founding Greener by Default, Katie founded the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition (FFAC), which gave presentations to high school and college students, government agencies, and corporations about the harms of industrial animal agriculture. After taking a break from running FFAC, Katie learned about the Better Food Foundation's Default Veg program, which worked to make plant-based the default and provide consumers with the option to opt-in to meat. This program inspired Katie to join the Better Food Foundation and start Greener by Default. This consulting company works with institutional food services to make their existing plant-based options more appealing and the default.

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We are excited to introduce Chef Peter McKenzie, the owner of Veggie Delight, a restaurant that embraces authentic Caribbean flavors and keeps each dish exciting and delicious for all palettes. Chef Peter's journey began about ten years ago when he adopted a vegetarian lifestyle to improve his health and become a better version of himself. He began experimenting with vegan food and adding Caribbean flavors with his ex-girlfriend, a vegetarian.

Chef Peter incorporated all the mental history of food he had been going through and brought it to Toronto, where he opened his restaurant six years ago. He believes that when you're dealing with plants, that's what you're dealing with, and you're not dealing with anything else. Chef Peter has attracted a diverse clientele with his Caribbean-inspired dishes, and his restaurant has enormously succeeded. Today, we are thrilled to have Chef Peter McKenzie with us to share his insights into vegan food and his journey as a chef.

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Today we have Dom and W.E., the founders of The Mushroom Angel Company. Starting their food business during the pandemic and have made a name for themselves by introducing people to mushroom-infused products. Both Dom and W.E. are not chefs or food scientists but a couple with a keen interest in health and wellness. In this episode, they share the journey, challenges, and how they started a successful business.

The conversation begins with a trivia question on what Dom and W.E. used to fight about the most in their marriage. It was surprisingly food, which led to them starting a food company. Dom was always into nutritional facts, whereas W.E. had a selective taste palette. Their disagreements would often lead to heated conversations in the kitchen. Through their journey, they discovered the benefits of mushrooms, and The Mushroom Angel Company was born.

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Angela Crawford, Ph.D., has been a passionate psychologist and a vegan for 23 years. Her journey to veganism started after watching a program on PBS about the harsh working conditions in a meat processing plant. Her curiosity led her to learn more about veganism and its connection to animal cruelty and health. With extensive training in NLP and Hypnosis, Angela believes that what we eat significantly impacts our energy and brain function. Her new book, about veganism, highlights her beliefs and mission to help others through her psychology background.

As a private and quiet psychotherapist, Angela found her true passion in veganism and wanted to make a difference. She started her private practice focusing on trauma, stress, anxiety, and grief but found it to be a heavy weight at times. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Angela felt grateful to continue helping others and now wants to bring her passion for veganism into her work. She is working on a new book and exploring the possibility of moving into group coaching and classes to help people thrive emotionally as vegans. With her focus on communication skills, she contributes to an organization called "We Did It Health," which empowers people to promote veganism better.

Angela Crawford Highlights and Discusses: