Meet the Root Ventures 2017 Participants!

Click here to learn more about the Root Ventures program.

Birken House Bakery	We will be a hub for the love of bread, baking and community. In addition to providing organic high quality artisan breads and bakery items to local residents and visitors, we will provide opportunities to learn about and experience great bread in a beautiful, rural setting.
Crabapple Love	The crabapple trees lining the main street of Pemberton produce a beautiful flower show in the spring, and abundant, ruby red fruit later in the summer. These historical trees were planted in honour and memory of local community members, though the fruit has been a major bear attractant over the years. Unfortunately, this resulted in high levels of human-bear conflict. Stewardship Pemberton Society was eager to find a solution that saved the trees and the bears. The Crabapple Project was born. What began as an educational experience for local children in a home kitchen evolved into a project that sees all the fruit picked and made into jelly in the community kitchen. Resultantly, this project has mitigated human-bear conflict while producing a beautiful edible product of yesteryear.
DiMarco’s Fresh Pasta	This fresh pasta business would provide an easy, quick, healthy and affordable meal option. All of the products would be made in-house with organic and seasonal ingredients. I would try to buy local ingredients first, or source them from as close as possible. I would use compostable containers and packaging. Producing a quality product/service that meet the demands of like minded people in Pemberton.
Hunter’s Harvest	We want to take the lost art of canning and elevate it to a creative an artistic level. Using locally grown, fresh and in season produce. Hoping to market my products to the high end Whistler restaurants that feature charcuterie plates on their menu.
Lil’wat Bakery	To open a bakery which sells pies, desserts, bread as well as offering catering services for events, birthdays and special events,
Living Roots Community Garden	To provide year around local living food supply using the aeroponic vertical growing system called Tower Garden with the goals of raising community pride by growing year around fresh healthy food, to supply the food bank, to educate youth/young adults with a Gardens to Groceries program, to raise funds by selling living plants & food items made with harvest.
Pemberton Community Abattoir	I would like to champion, investigate, develop, and ultimately establish a local community abattoir. Safe, Humane, Local option for local farmers and producers to process their animals here – avoiding the drive and or shipping of live animals to the interior or lower mainland.   Lower carbon footprint, less stress on the animals, less time and expense in shipping and travel, keeping the facility local = local $$ stay in the community
Rough Fir Wood	Creating an environment to showcase and develop the talents and natural products of the Pemberton Valley. Artistic wood and other forest products that may be worked on as a collective (fallers, mill, carvers, artists, upcycling…)
Wild Planet Raw Food	Born in the Pemberton Valley, Wild Planet Raw Foods in a Organic Plant Based Food and Lifestyle Brand. Our mission is to Nourish, Inspire, Educate and Inspire through our line of food products, workshops, retreats and catering services. When possible we source organic locally grown, foraged and wildcrafted ingredients. Our intention is to produce nutrient dense, minimally processed foods.

Root Ventures is generously supported by Community Futures Howe Sound and Squamish Savings, as well as our in-kind sponsor the Squamish Lillooet Regional District. The program is part of the Centre’s LEAN (Local Economy Action Network) initiative, which aims to create a stronger shared-value based local economy through collaboration and collective action.