Vancouver Island Economic Alliance launches Island Good!
… a campaign to help shoppers identify locally sourced food products. Look for the Island Good logo at Thrifty Foods, Country Grocer, Quality Foods and 49th Parallel Grocery across Vancouver Island.
The Backstory
If you were to prepare a meal using only food products grown, produced or manufactured on Vancouver Island, what would you include? How about meals all day or food for an entire week?
That challenge was undertaken a few years ago by the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA). VIEA decided to serve only foods that are made or grown on Vancouver Island at a luncheon it was hosting. A board member was given a budget and given the task of purchasing foods for the event. What seemed like a simple enough task, turned into a scavenger hunt as the VIEA shopper combed the shelves and display cases of local grocery stores for Island food products. The products could be found on grocery shelves, but a great deal of diligence and label reading was required to source those goods.
That exercise will now be easier with the creation of the ‘Island Good’ point of sale campaign being championed by our four retail partners Country Grocer, Quality Foods, Thrifty Foods, and 49th Parallel.
Island Good will launch across Vancouver Island in March 2018.
Vancouver Islanders believe in local, want to shop local, source local, and eat locally sourced food. Local Vancouver Island food products will be easy to find on grocery shelves. Shoppers will be able to identify Island Good options by looking for the colorful Island Good shelf messaging. As Islanders make more Island Good choices in their shopping, we think increased demand will lead to increased production, more jobs and more production capacity as shopping dollars stay on Vancouver Island to support Island growers, producers and grocers.
Look for the Island Good tags in our partner grocery stores. Enjoy local food and support our local economy. We’ll all be good. Island Good!
Island Good Food Facts
| In fact, VIEA’s annual Economic Report for Vancouver Island shows that while the Canadian economy is 70% services and 30% goods, the Island economy is 80% services and only 20% goods. Our present focus on food production is only the tip of the ice berg.
Our ultimate goal is to have every product from potatoes to airplane parts marked ‘Grown’ or ‘Made on Vancouver Island’. Food products are an easily understood starting point for Island Good branding. Advocating for a point of sale pilot project to promote Island made products already carried in the stores of major grocery retailers is an effective starting point. Islanders love their Island and the food quality it offers. It’s ‘Island Good’. By comparing same product, same store, same month sales activity from March-September 2018 to the same period in 2017, Island Good will demonstrate the effect of improved product awareness. |
Next steps could include food growers and producers marking their products as ‘Made on Vancouver Island’ or ‘Grown on Vancouver Island’ to further promote the brand and build demand.
Foodies, consumers, retailers, grocers, importers and investors across the Island and BC, throughout Canada and around the world will see products and product packaging marked ‘Made on Vancouver Island’ as a trusted brand. It will enhance the profile of Vancouver Island as a great travel experience, followed by seeing The Island as a place to safely invest, nurture innovation and grow business. That growth means export trade expansion to short and long distance markets, and better balance, diversity and resilience within our Island economy. We think this is good. ‘Island Good’. How about you? |
Other Economic Alliance Initiatives
Island Wood An industry forum on value-added manufacturing March 23, 2018
Vancouver Island An active application for Foreign Trade Zone Point designation TBD
3rd Annual Aboriginal Business March Vancouver Island March 26-28, 2018
12th Annual 'State of the Island' Economic Summit October 24/25, 2018
4th Annual 'State of the Island' Economic Report to be released October 2018
Funding & Retail Partners
Island Good is a pilot project to monitor consumer interest and support for local products. Island Good is good for our Island economy, good for our Island communities, good for the families whose livelihood will benefit, good for developing food security, and good for our pride in Island products and Island businesses. It’s all “Island Good”!
VIEA’s initiative and management of the Island Good project also highlights the enthusiastic participation by four major grocery retailers: Thrifty Foods, Country Grocer, Quality Foods and 49th Parallel Grocery. Isn’t it Island Good to see these four competitors work in collaboration on this campaign!
- Vancouver Island Economic Alliance
- Spark Strategic Group
- Country Grocer
- BC Salmon Farmers Association
- Quality Foods
- Vancouver Island Farm Products Inc.
- Thrifty Foods
- B&C Foods
- 49th Parallel Grocery
- Paradise Island Foods
- Island Coastal Economic Trust
- Portofino European Bakery
- Hothouse Marketing
- Hertel’s Meats Ltd.
- Saputo Inc.
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The Contest
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Contact VIEA
- George Hanson, President
- george@viea.ca
- 250-667-5225
- Mailing Address:
PO. Box 76, Station ‘A’
Nanaimo, BC, V9R 5K4
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