This Commerce Life

David Giffin shares his journey in establishing a hemp business.  We talk about the challenges of  hemp - the launch of the Earthli brand, addressing marketing challenges and consumer misconceptions about hemp. Find David here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-giffin-899947163/Find Earthli foods here: https://earthli.ca/

Andrew Elliott, former President of Foley's Chocolates comes on to talk about growing companies and the importance of leadership.  This was our first live podcast, filmed and recorded at JJ Bean's in East Vancouver.  You can find Andrew here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-elliott-936bba26/

A coast to coast podcast. Patrick Griffin, the Founder of the Oat Company joins us from Newfoundland. We talk about Patrick's move from public policy to oat maker, the logistics of manufacturing product from the east coast and trying to make it across the country.  Check out the Oat Company here: https://www.oatcompany.com/Find Patrick here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-griffin-94397556/  

We catch up with Michael Mazur, President at Freshfield Naturals, Inc. Freshfield won the 2024 CHFA Launchpad award in Vancouver To check out Freshfield, head to https://freshfield.life/To reach Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micmazur/

Spreading the popcorn gospel. Tanner Townsend talks about switching crops, and becoming Canada's largest popcorn grower.  check out Uncle Bob's popcorn here: https://www.ontariopoppingcorn.com/ Tanner isn't on Linkedin much, but he's here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanner-townsend/

Retailing is an art and a grind. Kristina Cavallari has both - the art to retailing and the grit to grind it out in retail. We talk about Aura Natural Market, how Kristina thinks about retail and serving her customers.  In case you're wondering what the store looks like...we filmed a tour. https://youtu.be/Pshrw-SMKbkTo find Kristina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristina-cavallari-923341b4/To find Kurt Astle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurt-astle-22343a170/To find Aura Natural Market: https://www.auramarket.ca/

We got together with Todd Fisher from KC and Sukaina Sumar-Ebrahim from Foodbanks Mississauga to talk about the partnership they've built, and the new challenges that a "temporary" solution like a food bank is supposed to solve.  To find out more about Mississauga Food Banks: https://www.foodbanksmississauga.ca/Find Sukaina here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukaina-sumar-ebrahim/Find Todd here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-fisher-0b56493/

We get into it, and totally forget to introduce Steve Rad, CEO of Abacus. We get into AI, how Steve is using AI and how he and Abacus thinks about AI and the future.  Check out Abacus brands here: https://www.abacusbrands.com/Find Steve Rad here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-rad-5959943b/  Thanks to Gainops for sponsoring this episode. www.gainops.comFind Nimesh here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimesh-jaspal-462615/

This episode is a little overdue. Carmen Wakeling, Co-Owner of Eatmore Sprouts comes on to talk about sprouts and turning the tide on a 25 year old incident.  Find Carmen here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmen-wakeling/Find Eat More Sprouts here: https://eatmoresprouts.com/  

We're building some ties here in case you're wondering. Last week, you heard from Mike Nunn  on security. This week you're hearing from Sam Wong,  Data executive at Marc Anthony leading organizations to work smarter with Data and AI.  Phil has known Sam for a long long time. Fun fact, Sam was Phil's pianist at his wedding.  You can find Sam here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-wong-analytics/  

Max's store is interesting enough that Kenny would drive there.Max saw the future of trading cards before we all caught on. A fascinating take on a childhood past time that has grown into something for grown-ups Check out Max's website: www.zephryepic.com  

Mike Nunn is the CEO of TLC Solutions. We talk about how to keep yourself cyber safe, and the things that brands and businesses should worry about  Find Mike here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikednunn/Find TLC solutions here: https://tlcsolutions.ca/ Mike has a webinar hosted by BC Food & Beverage on Sept 19th. We'll post about this when we get the link.  

It's a good time to continue the conversation about having a good time in the summer and have options on beverages. Mitch Cobb is the founder of Libra Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer. We talk about his experiences "crossing over" from Upstreet Craft Brewing to the non-alcoholic side. To find Mitch : https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchacobb/To find Libra: https://drinklibra.ca/  This episode is sponsored by Food & Beverage Atlantic. You can find them here: https://atlanticfood.ca/Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletters at www.thiscommercelife.com ,we promise to make it worth your while!

Michelle Mckay-Prychidny is the CRO at Shelfgram.  She talks about super-charging the store visit, and the new thing they've built for students. To find Michelle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-mckay-prychidny-b6b0492/Shelfgram is here: https://www.shelfgram.com/Congratulations to the teams at Shelfgram and Fieldagent - this is a great match!! 

"Why can't I have a craft (non-alcoholic) beer with my friends?"Diagnosed with Crohn's disease, having a kid made him give up alcohol. Being mocked and derided for asking for non-alcoholic choices at bars and restaurants made Ted Fleming make his own.  check out Partake here: https://drinkpartake.com/Find Ted here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-fleming-4370199/  

Special episode today. We named him "Amazon Master" but in truth, Deepak is really really good at Amazon.We usually save thursdays for industry experts that can help you build, solve and grow your business. Find Deepak here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pateldpk/  

Kristin Matthews, CEO of Tom&Sawyer comes back to tell us about her new partnership and product launch with Dr Joe Inglis. To find Kristin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinlmatthews/To find Dr Joe Inglis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeinglis/ Check out Vetchef here: https://www.vetchef.pet/

Always be ready. Toronto based Shop Shndy  got discovered in Scarborough, and is being featured in Paris Fashion Week 2024.Shindy Gu  shows off some old fashioned work ethic and customer service skills to retain and grow her consumer base. Find Shindy here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shindy-gu-92a895164/?originalSubdomain=caCheck out Shop Shndy here: https://shopshndy.com/

We meet up with the remarkable Winnie Hsu. Founder of Vision2Reality Foundation & CEO of NexGen Accounting takes a few mins  to catch us up on her amazing journey from having no skills to running an organization to help people start their dreams. Find Winnie here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winniehsu-v2rf/ Check out Vision2Reality here: https://www.v2rf.org/ Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter www.thiscommercelife.com 

We catch up with the amazing Corwin Hiebert. We talk about his podcast, the work he does and how to stay focused on your consumer. Find Corwin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corwinhiebert/Check out Aisle 42 podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/aisle-42/id1709520061