Farmers’ markets can be fertile ground for aspiring entrepreneurs as they not only provide a low-cost way to reach consumers but they’re also great places to help build a brand.
From a side hustle to a whole new career, those behind the booths at your local farmers’ market are a diversified lot and often come with interesting backstories. The Okotoks Farmers’ Market, which runs every Friday afternoon just north of town, is no exception as it features plenty of people who have made the leap and are now working for themselves.
Here are the stories of three vendors who have recently turned into entrepreneurs.
Paul Poutanen
Paul Poutanen is a one-man shop who does it all.
An engineer for decades, Poutanen started his own distillery, Tippa Inc., seven years ago, selling his first bottle of gin a little over five years ago. “Tippa” means “drop” in Finnish and is a nod to his Scandinavian heritage.
“I was in high tech startups for like 30 years and as you get towards the end of your career, sometimes you have to look at moving from the direction that you were in, so that is why I moved on,” said Poutanen on the decision to start his own business.
He chose to make spirits as it was something he could do on his own. He now sells his award-winning Tippa’s Lovebird Gin, which is described as the smoothest gin on Earth, along with his Wood Duck Oaked Gin and Magpie Rum.
All of his products are produced in a gluten- and wheat-free facility in Okotoks.
“I did a lot of research and I figured out that while you’re selling, there’s time for sales and marketing and all the rest of it in between bottling and everything else,” he said. “That is certainly one of the reasons I’ve always liked gin and rum.”
His sales dropped considerably when COVID hit since sampling wasn’t possible and lots of people weren’t willing to buy a bottle unless they got a taste of it first.
Poutanen then decided to diversify by making his own vinegar, starting a division of Tippa Inc. called Alchemist Vinegar.
“Vinegar is made from alcohol and I am selling liquid products, so it is along the same sort of genre. The vinegar is raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized with the mother of vinegar, so it has all the probiotics,” he said.
In the last year and a half, Poutanen has made about three dozen different vinegars, with flavours such as honey ginger, honey coconut, honey wildberry, honey mango, honey chive, maple and more.
He said it takes a while to build a company, a task that was complicated by setting up a distillery that required approvals from various agencies.
“There's always challenges starting up, it takes a long time as you're building a brand,” he said. “That doesn't happen overnight. People don't know about your product. So the marketing, the selling, the sampling face-to-face is all part of it.”
When COVID-19 hit it became difficult to sell his product as indoor spaces and markets were closed and cash flow became an issue. Although he’s faced some hardships over the years, Poutanen enjoys being an entrepreneur and doing everything at his own pace.
“I'm a one-man shop, so I do it all and determine what's required on a daily basis to fill orders, etc. I love it,” he said. “If you make something yourself, and then you sell it, and people like it, there's nothing that brings more happiness to me.”
Tippa’s Lovebird Gin is available in about 60 stores across the province as well as online at tippa.ca. The vinegar can also be purchased online.
Rhonda Neufeld
Rhonda Neufeld has always enjoyed making crafts, but more recently has turned that hobby into a business.
About 12 years ago, Neufeld took a beginner class with her daughter where she immediately fell in love with glass beading and melting glass. She began honing her craft and in 2014 opened Eternal Flame Glass Art Memorials. Neufeld can now make everything from cufflinks and keychains to bracelets, pendants and bookmarks.
“Our Bernese mountain dog passed away and then I thought maybe I could learn to work with ashes and make something special with the remains,” she said.
The craft involves incorporating a small amount of cremains, covering them with more glass to encase them within the piece while designing it. Afterwards, the piece is put into a kiln where it can slowly cool off so it is strong and durable.
“I wanted to be a person that could provide an affordable memorial for people and for their pets. I wanted to be able to provide something really special and meaningful. It’s a way of helping people through their grief,” she said.
Working for herself has been a scary journey, but it has also been a gratifying one. What started out as just a thought ended up becoming a successful idea.
“I started melting glass and learning the skill because it takes a lot of practice to acquire the skill to do what I do now. It’s like anything, the more you do something, the better you get. It took many hours of practice everyday to get to where I am today with what I can create,” said Neufeld.
Neufeld said because clients are often grieving the loss of a loved one, she must be understanding of their situations.
“People are in a disturbing time in their lives and it’s hard not to jump in really fast and just get back to them right away because it is really important to them, to hear back from you,” she said.
She said owning your own business makes it hard to turn that aspect of your life off since you are constantly thinking about it.
“You will think you are done for the day, but you’re never really done with it. But the best part about this is just working by myself with the memorial art work,” said Neufeld.
Along with Eternal Flame Glass Art Memorials, Neufeld also runs Glass Bead Girls where she teaches glass bead classes.
Imasel Jimenez Moreno
Imasel Jimenez Moreno has always loved to cook, a skill that his mother taught him.
Moreno is from Oaxaca, Mexico, but has been living in Canada for almost 30 years. He has spent most of his life working in the restaurant industry in Vancouver but after moving to Alberta he decided to open a business on his own.
“I decided to follow in the footsteps of my mother who has always been cooking for people,” said Moreno.
He opened an online store based out of High River in 2018 called el papalote, which means kite in Spanish. Moreno chose that name to represent his roots as an indigenous person from Mexico.
His store sells meal kits, salsas, sauces, tortilla chips, coffee, chocolate and more, all created using ingredients that represent the distinct culture of Oaxaca.
“I started expanding my line slowly and added the mole sauce which is a very particular sauce from Oaxaca and the chilies also from Oaxaca that I use to make chilli sauce with,” he said.
Moreno said his business works closely with the farmers of Oaxaca so the food he prepares has authentic flavours from the region. The heirloom chilies, corn, spices, beans and other ingredients are imported directly from Mexican growers.
Starting and running your own business always has a lot of challenges, but Moreno said he finds joy in doing what he is passionate about.
“We are trying our best to provide something, whether it is a service or a product to the public,” he said.
Moreno is living his dream of making Oaxacan food accessible, providing people with the experience and helping them recognize the value of products and the amount of work that goes into making such food.
“I think it is important for me to have a business that fits the people because at the end of the day when times get hard with us, we will always have food to look forward to,” he said.
