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Raise a Glass to Three ‘Island Good’ Years!

While it’s been hard to find much of anything to celebrate in 2020 and 2021, our increased dedication to supporting local products deserves our enthusiastic endorsement.
Island Good is celebrating its third anniversary March 21st!
Watch for product features and Island Good stories and join the fun throughout April and May.
The Island Good brand was developed over three years (2015-2017) and launched in March 2018 with a 6-month pilot project in 45 grocery stores with four retail partners that achieved an astounding average sales lift of 16.4% for Island-made products.

Island Good has since grown to include over 130 licensed businesses featuring everything from potatoes to mattresses, from furniture to whiskey, from tortillas to cosmetics, and from yogurt to spice mixes. If it’s Island Good, you know it is contributing to our Island and Gulf Island economy!

And especially in the last two years, Island Good has been all about resilience, community, and collaboration.

This past year, Island Good distilleries WaywardShelter Point, Stillhead and Goldstream  produced hand sanitizer to fill our local needs when global supply chains could not. Walcan Seafood created Tide to Table offering seafood home delivery from Victoria to Campbell River. Cowichan Milk expanded to offer home delivery of a variety of local food products in their region. The Kindness Factory created masks and grew with increasing demand. They have since diversified to include a new product, zeropad.

With the decrease of flights and new restrictions at the Comox AirportOn the Fly Café was hit hard. However, Comox Airport, already using Island Good to promote local products in their gift shop and café, opened a takeout window starting with fruit pies and dinner pies—expanding from there.

It has also been exciting to see local grocers welcome more Island Good products to their isles such as Singing Bowl Granola and Tilly’s Galley, now on the shelves at Quality Foods.

And communities, seeing the importance of helping local businesses weather the pandemic storm, have sponsored Island Good licenses to promote products being made and sold in their communities. What was started by the City of Campbell River has expanded to include Cowichan Economic Development and Community Futures Cowichan, City of Langford, City of Port Alberni, Sidney BIA, and the Women’s Enterprise Centre.

“The Island Good program allows people to easily identify local products. Look for the Island Good logo and support our local businesses and producers here in Campbell River and on Vancouver Island to help strengthen island-grown supply chains and our local economy.” -Campbell River Mayor Andy Adams

And now you can also shop online for Island Good products, order an Island Good gift box for a loved one, customize Island Good gift boxes for your clients, and use our searchable directory at islandgood.ca to find where your favorite Island Good products are sold.
Island Good has several curated gift boxes to choose from, such as Pacific Pantry (full of Island-crafted kitchen staples), spa-themed gifts, and even a selection of pet boxes. Someone sent a pet box to a friend in Toronto and their dog liked it so much, the recipient ordered a case of dog food direct from the producer. Choose from a wide array of locally crafted goods and have them delivered to your doorstep.

Island Good was created and is managed by the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA) to help improve business prospects for goods production in the Vancouver Island and Gulf Island region. This is a story of altruism secured in the fundamental belief that ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’. VIEA is a unique non-profit, non-government organization that started Island Good on a shoe-string budget with a simple question: ‘If we make it easier for shoppers to identify local products, will they buy more?’ The answer, we have discovered, is a resounding ‘YES!’ And this answer leads us to an important observation: greater awareness leads to more sales and more market share which leads to increased production, investment and jobs. Island Good is good for us and good for our economy.

So, how can you join us celebrating the third anniversary of Island Good?
  • Look for/ask for Island Good wherever you shop;
  • Visit islandgood.ca to discover Island Good products and where you can buy them;
  • Check out Island Good gift boxes and shop for Island Good products at islandgood.ca;
  • Follow Island Good on social media (islandgoodbrand);
  • Have you been enjoying a particular Island Good product? Send us your Island Good stories;
  • Sign up to receive the Island Good newsletter at islandgood.ca.

 

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