This company is creating tasty foods and living-wage jobs in the process

Made in Vancouver is a collaboration between Vancity and Daily Hive. Together, we’re turning the spotlight onto local businesses, organizations, and individuals who are helping to create a healthy local economy.

Lover of soup? this Vancouver-based small business is creating delicious soups and stews using locally sourced ingredients.

Goodly Foods was created from the desire to make good food from surplus natural ingredients.

They also provide employment opportunities for people with barriers to traditional employment — paying a living wage. 

They have turned tons of produce into tasty foods while creating accessible living-wage jobs in the process.

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As part of our Made in Vancouver series spotlighting local businesses, we talked to Aart Schuurman Hess, CEO of Goodly Foods, about making delicious soups and stews with quality ingredients.

Vancity has been supporting local businesses like Goodly Foods with different programs. Now until Sept 30, Vancity enviro™ Visa* cardholders will earn 1.5x the rewards points at select businesses through the Load Up on Local program. To learn more, visit vancity.com/local

“At Goodly, we believe in being able to read and understand the ingredients we use for our soups. And many are surplus, straight from farms near you,” said Schuurman Hess in an interview with Daily Hive.

Goodly Foods started in 2013 with a large donation of bananas to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. 

Schuurman Hess and the team decided to use part of the donation to create banana bread instead — which has a longer shelf life and more of a taste appeal.

After this, they realized they could do more with similar produce. From there, Goodly was born.

Goodly is now a stand-alone organization growing its retail and foodservice business in BC and potentially Alberta this coming winter. 

 

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Schuurman Hess told us their most popular dishes are Chicken Orzo Soup and Beef Mushroom Barley Soup.

They also have other soups like potato, tomato, beet, squash, orzo, carrot, barley, and more on the way.

All their soups are developed by our Product Development Chef Karen Barnaby.

“We offer the best soups in town and there’s more in the pipeline,” said Schuurman Hess.

 

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Currently, they are not a restaurant but a small food processor at 8811 Laurel Street #107, Vancouver.

They also have soups available on a bulk packaging, the wholesale basis for foodservice operations, or in 500ml, sealed deli containers for grocery and select retail locations.

“Come and visit our facility in South Vancouver. We love to have you over,” Schuurman Hess said.

Locally produced, delicious, and healthy — what more could you want?