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Thrive Impact Funds Expands to Interior

Thrive Impact Fund expands to invest in social enterprise throughout BC and the BC Interior


Social enterprises across BC and the BC Interior now have a fund that specifically supports their needs for patient, impact aligned investment capital. Thrive Impact Fund is a community-based loan fund investing in social and environmental organizations, projects and entrepreneurs that face barriers to accessing financing. Since launching in September 2021, TIF has made investments in non-profits and social enterprises in Victoria, Salt Spring Island, Comox Valley, and the Lower Mainland. Through a new partnership with Purppl, the fund expands across BC and the BC Interior.

“Organizations addressing our most pressing challenges have difficulty finding capital to develop and deepen their impact. TIF helps to close a capital gap for non-profits, social enterprise, and social impact businesses. Purppl is humbled to work alongside Scale Collaborative to expand TIF and invest throughout BC and the BC Interior,” said Andrew Greer, Managing Director at Purppl. “We aim to be strong allies in building a sustainable, regenerative, and just economy and contribute to a future defined by collective wellbeing, equity, and the health of the air, land, and water.”  

This expansion is a collaborative effort made possible with significant trust and leadership from our longtime partners Interior Savings as well as Vancity and the Real Estate Foundation of BC. A big shoutout also goes to Community Futures Central Okanagan for their enabling role in making this happen. TIF continues to seek additional investment partners. Read the release and quotes here.

We are excited to begin investing in social enterprises and social purpose organizations in the BC Interior. Take a look at www.thriveimpactfund.ca to see our investment priorities. For social enterprises who want to consider investment from TIF, please visit the website and connect directly to Impact Investment Manager Emeline Le Guin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 
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How Kelowna's most luxurious taxi service is leading industry change

Business Matters posted Apr 6, 2022 @ 06:40pm by Lauren Frost  https://bit.ly/3NQ7JOe

In this episode of Business Matters, presented by Valley First, a division of First West Credit Union, host Rob Cupello is joined by Lindsay Iannucci, Sales and Marketing Manager for Current Taxi to chat about the impact of COVID on the transportation industry and what the future holds as we move out of the pandemic.

The future of the cab industry is sustainable, luxury, and customizable, and Current Taxi is a major driver (no pun intended) of these changes. Current Taxi has a fleet consisting of entirely Tesla vehicles, making them a leader in sustainable transportation. They have also recently launched an app that helps facilitate custom service for their corporate partners and clients.

Watch the full episode to learn about how taxi service is evolving in the post-pandemic era and what you can expect during your ride with Current Taxi.

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The Best Salad Dressing in the World

a9e2c7f7 aec7 9733 8f8b 280d26e2be21Posted from [EDITION] VOLUME 43 https://bit.ly/edition43
THE VOICE OF ATLANTIC CANADA. A bi-weekly boost, brought to you by Stewart McKelvey.

Maritimers who joined forces five years ago to create the world’s greatest gourmet dressings, that also happen to be both vegan and gluten-free. 

UMAMI Crave the Fifth Original is a versatile dressing, dip and finishing sauce that they proudly assert can be used pretty much on everything: green or grain salads, any and all protein, roasted vegetables, bowls, stir fry, charcuterie, sushi… the list, they claim, is endless. 

And from my experience, they are absolutely spot on. Each sauce is uniquely delicious and spectacularly diverse, which is remarkable given its allergy friendly nature. 

The UMAMI Curried Maple and UMAMI Chipotle Caesar evolved from the original recipe to add complexity to the dishes, but simplicity to your cooking. The original dressing was invented by Chef Justin Best, Stephanie’s brother and Joanna’s husband. 

Joanna & Justin both attended culinary school in Atlantic Canada and proceeded to cook their way across the country. In 2009, they arrived in Kelowna, British Columbia where Justin first encountered a cider emulsion created with nutritional yeast. He proceeded to create his own version of this style of dressing calling it a “cider vin” and has been offering it on his menus to rave reviews ever since. Every so often, Justin and Joanna would casually discuss making and selling the cider vin themselves, but with a growing family and busy working lives it didn’t happen. 

Once Stephanie, a registered nurse, and her family moved from New Brunswick to Kelowna in 2014, the three born and raised Maritimers were 46df592c 1394 62a1 8a5b bfb7e7d31bd7reunited.  With children of similar ages and spouses who worked long and irregular hours, Joanna and Stephanie spent a lot of time together and shared a lot of meals.  With the “cider vin” now a staple on the menu of a very popular local eatery (BNA Brewing and Eatery), it didn’t take long for talks about bottling and selling it to resume.  In April 2018, the cider vin was offered for purchase for the first time as UMAMI Dressing Dip and Finishing Sauce.

Stephanie and Joanna’s goal has always been to elevate home cooking without added stress, effort or hassle.  “Like most moms, we used to (and sometimes still do) put a lot of pressure on ourselves to create meals worthy of a mention in a parenting or cooking magazine,” they told [EDIT]ION. “We have learned that our families aren’t necessarily looking for culinary masterpieces; they just want something that tastes good and that makes them feel good. Believe us when we say that food doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious. UMAMI Crave the Fifth can help you create easy, extraordinary meals with ordinary food.” 

And to assist you in achieving these admirable goals, they have exclusively shared two of their favourite recipes below. 
 
Click here to order UMAMI dressings and get ready to enjoy the meal of your life, right at home.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Pumpkin Seeds, Dried Cranberries and UMAMI Crave the Fifth Original
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Ingredients
1 lb brussel sprouts, halved
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds 
1/4 cup dried currants or cranberries (chopped)
extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
salt & pepper
UMAMI Crave the Fifth Original

Directions

  1. Set oven to "broil". Remove ends and halve 1 lb brussel sprouts. Peel off some leaves from the sprouts (about 2 cups) and reserve in a bowl.  Toss halved sprouts in EVOO, salt & pepper.
  2. Place sprouts on a sheet pan and broil for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350.
  3. Drizzle pumpkin seeds with a little EVOO, salt and pepper. Toss and roast pumpkin seeds for 7 minutes, then remove from oven and cool completely.
  4. Toss roasted sprouts and leaves with all remaining ingredients.   Serve with fresh parmesan (optional) and finish with an UMAMI Crave the Fifth drizzle. 
    Serves 4 as a side dish.

UMAMI Chipotle Caesar Potato Wedges

27879027 c04e f757 6c97 a44277133763Ingredients
3 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges (about 8 per potato)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp pickled jalapeno (homemade or store bought)
2 Tbsp pickled shallots (recipe follows)
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt & pepper
UMAMI Chipotle Caesar
olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400
  2. Toss wedges in a bowl with 2 TBSP UMAMI Chipotle Caesar, a drizzle of olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Roast in oven for 20 minutes, flip wedges and roast for additional 10 minutes (or until cooked through and golden).
  4. Serve with scallions, pickled jalapeno and shallots, a drizzle of UMAMI and grated parmesan.
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Tourism Kelowna Participates in 10 Million Acts of Kindness Movement

Random+Acts+of+KindnessAfter a difficult year, Tourism Kelowna wanted to spread a little joy among the amazing people that make up the industry and personally thank them for the great service they provide.

That's where 10 Million Acts of Kindness came into play. Launched in Kelowna in the summer of 2021 by local entrepreneur, Crystal Flaman, this social movement project was aimed at inspiring kindness within the community and beyond. Small acts of kindness can go a long way and the movement's aim is to create a ripple effect in the world that can change people's lives.

Over 10 days in September, the Tourism Kelowna team hand-delivered over 100 hundred gift bags to front-line staff of Tourism Kelowna stakeholders, including coffee shops, art galleries, hotels, wineries, restaurants, and many more. The gift bags included a thank you note, local products, Love for Kelowna stickers, and a card that not only explained the initiative but also encouraged them to pay it forward with their own act of kindness.

Tourism Kelowna hopes this will create a ripple effect in the tourism and hospitality community - feel free to join the movement by doing something to bring smiles and warm hearts in your community.

Small acts such as helping someone in need, leaving a positive review for a local business, sending a note of gratitude, or paying it forward can go a long way. #10millionactsofkindness.

https://www.10millionactsofkindness.com/

 

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