Meet The Makers: Grow Your Roots Interview
In July 2021, the
Top Shelf Guide to Cocktailing partnered with local business Grow Your Roots to add some extra flavor. With everything you need to elevate your cocktailing, and tons of great gifts and products from local businesses, the
Top Shelf Guide to Cocktailing is the perfect way to indulge and learn.
You can try it now with $15 off your first box by using the code: CLUB15
Grow Your Roots is a women-owned enterprise that has been quick to adapt through the the pandemic. What started as a bustling vegan restaurant in Kanata in 2014 has evolved in to a whole lot more: a recipe kit, paired with simple instructions and quality ingredients, shipped right to your door.
Take one look at the menu, and Grow Your Roots will have you pining for a Hollandaise smothered brunch, longing for birthday cake, and firing up the grill for vegan burgers. We connected with founders Melanie and Sarah about some of what makes Grow Your Roots special.
What’s the backstory behind Grow Your Roots Foods?
Grow Your Roots began as a premier vegan restaurant in Ottawa. Melanie Boudens took her favourite sweet and savoury recipes and transformed them into vegan menu items for everyone to enjoy at the quaint cafe in Kanata. After its closure in 2020, Grow Your Roots was reimagined to bring on a new business partner, Sarah Hogg, and a #covid friendly way of sharing delicious vegan food. Now known as Grow Your Roots Foods, Melanie took her most popular restaurant dishes, and recreated them as dry-mix to bake and cook at home with just a few simple ingredients.
As animal lovers and passionate entrepreneurs, they wanted to make plant-based food easy to prepare, accessible, approachable, and delicious!
What causes are important to your company?
We truly believe that our daily choices shape our future, and we are here to share all the benefits of incorporating more plant-based foods into your world.
We have three main values that we stand by at Grow Your Roots Foods:
Keep it Simple:
Vegan food should never be complicated! Whether you’re just getting started with your first plant-based recipe, or you’re a seasoned pro in the kitchen, you will love our approachable recipes.
Keep it Kind to the Animals:
We believe in a kind and compassionate world, and we’re here, first and foremost, for the animals. We hope that when you try our delicious recipes you will feel inspired to make kind food choices.
Keep it Kind to the Environment:
The foods we choose, how they’re processed, packaged, and distributed matter. We are committed to keeping the packing of our products as sustainable and earth-friendly as what’s on the inside.
Why Collaborate With Top Shelf Distillers?
We have both been buying from Top Shelf for years. We love supporting a super cool business from a beautiful small town that's close to home.
Not only do we of course love the taste of Top Shelf products, but we also really love the story and initiatives behind the company. The
subscription box supports a lot of other small businesses and we love being a part of a small business community that lifts each other up and gets the word out there about how many great local places there are to buy from. It is great to collaborate with a business that shares similar goals and values that we do.
And, most importantly, what’s your cocktail of choice?
Mel's favourites are an Old Fashioned with
Maple Moonshine of course and anything fruity for summertime! Sarah loves a rose sangria or a
classic Caesar.
Thank you again to Melanie and Sarah for taking the time to connect with us! Top Shelf is lucky to be part of such a supportive community of thoughtful, driven, and conscientious entrepreneurs. We couldn’t be more in support of your environmentally conscious approach, and can’t wait to see what you do next.
