March 19, 2018
Maritime Marzipan venturing offshore We love our Island. We have been blessed with Islanders welcoming our new business idea with open arms. The opportunities that arose for us in such a short timeline are incredible. But we are not stopping here. First of all, we know that there are lots of folks like us out there: German and other immigrants…
March 1, 2018
Self-sufficient farm turns into profitable business Finding the right place for a farm is never an easy task. Many variables must be taken into consideration, and after crisscrossing Canada, Sabine and Michael Schoenknecht finally found the perfect spot in Murray Harbour North. Establishing a self-sufficient lifestyle was their dream. And what was originally meant to feed only themselves is now…
February 21, 2018
Busy weeks offer new business opportunities 2018 has quickly taken a productive turn for us. Slow is over. Currently, we are spending every weekend working away at our new business. And that’s on top of Mike dedicating his weekdays to Maritime as well, while I am at my day job. Don’t get me wrong. No complaints. We knew that that’s…
February 1, 2018
Construction at GM salmon facility in Rollo Bay proceeding as planned The summer of 2017 was a hot one in PEI, not only weather-wise but also opinion-wise, when it came to the provincial government’s approval for AquaBounty Technologies’ expansion of their Rollo Bay facility. The company’s plan is to commercially grow salmon from genetically modified eggs to market size. The…
January 24, 2018
Getting through the slow months of the year After our exciting launch month in December, which also happened to be the holiday month when lots of people buy gifts and chocolates, and traditionally bake with marzipan, our sales slowed down a little. I guess all those New Year’s resolutions aren’t helping the confectionery business either! To all those dieting folks…
January 1, 2018
Finding buyers and vendors for our marzipan I still remember the feeling – how nervous we were when we brought our merchandise to the Victorian Christmas Market in Charlottetown at the end of November. It was our first attempt to sell our marzipan to the general public. Mike asked me: “Do you think anyone will want to buy it?” I…
January 1, 2018
How A-OK Gardens builds on its owner’s background to grow successfully Sometimes life throws you curve balls and sometimes luck just shines down on you. Aman Sedighi, owner and operator of A-OK Gardens in Brookfield, PEI, has surely seen both sides of the coin. “I found my way in Canada,” Sedighi says, who immigrated from Iran to PEI in 2010…
December 1, 2017
Food product development centre applying innovation to community food issues If you call yourself Canada’s Smartest Kitchen (CSK), you had better live up to the name. And there’s plenty of evidence that the Charlottetown-based food innovation company is doing just that, earning a reputation for their work with food businesses, large and small. But being smart isn’t the only thing…
November 30, 2017
The legalities behind starting a food business After all the fun of idea development and logo invention it was time for some serious business: getting the paperwork in place to legally sell our marzipan. Luckily Mike has a background in finance and, as an experienced entrepreneur, a lot of expertise with respect to legal business requirements. For us, it all…
November 1, 2017
From beef jerky to butchery “Fresh pork belly can be unreal,” Chris van Ouwerkerk, owner of Butcher & Butcher and Jerkules Fine Beef Jerky, tells me as we sit down to chat. My previous encounters with pork belly can be counted on one hand and only some have been favourable. But the passion with which van Ouwerkerk speaks about fresh…