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
Sandy and Stephen Stewart find new revenue through innovation Down a winding secondary road in the west end of the Island is a booming business, built on hard work, family values, and innovation. H.F. Stewart is a second-generation company and their contribution to the agricultural landscape—in particular, potato agriculture—of PEI has been substantial over the past 30 years. When considering…
February 1, 2018
Matt Dykerman: running a split operation farm Why do you choose to do what you do? For some, work is not ‘work’ at all but rather, getting paid to do what they love to do; for others, work is a full time, teeth-gritting, clock-watching event endured for reasons merely logistical in nature. The truth of it is that there are…
February 1, 2018
And everywhere in between Out of adversity comes opportunity. That old Ben Franklin chestnut couldn’t be more true for Peter Toombs and Diversified Metal Engineering. DME is a big player in the world of brewing and is based here in Prince Edward Island. But the seeds of its creation came from a failed—if warmly remembered—experiment in local craft brewing. “DME…
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
Warming up to Indian cuisine in PEI’s capital There’s been something special in the air in Charlottetown lately, and it’s not just the remnants of Christmas spirit. How about freshly baked naan and the scent of richly spiced curries that have been simmering into perfection? The alluring smell of Indian food is now more common and recognizable in Charlottetown than…
January 1, 2018
Zesty herb favourite in Atlantic Canada The distinctive flavour of summer savory is an Atlantic Canadian tradition for many families, but for Kevin Ryan, the popular herb is a family tradition in more ways than one. Bona Vista Summer Savory, located in South Pinette, PEI, is a small operation run by Ryan and his family–wife Marcella, and children Seamus, 8,…
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
Adam Sweet of The Cook’s Edge showcases Japanese knives and shares tips on blade selection, care, and sharpening. “The Santoku translates to three virtues or three problems,” Adam Sweet of The Cook’s Edge tells me as he pulls a Japanese knife with a short blade out of a display case. “And the three problems you usually have in a kitchen…