Meet seven of the incredible women behind your Marketplace faves.

For International Women's Day, we’re taking the time to celebrate the incredible women in our community. We're talking about the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, caregivers, and every other superheroes who surround us. That’s why we’re highlighting the stories of seven women-led businesses tackling sustainability with fresh, local, and responsible products.  

At 59, an age when most people are planning retirement, Chin Ning started her own business. Without any experience, she took over O’Mari, a fresh noodle and pasta factory that blends Asian and Italian techniques in honour of her roots and upbringing. She looked within her community to build her team, hiring hard-working women of similar age who’ve since grown a deep connection with one another. If you ask Chin, she’d say cooking comes naturally to her as a woman, but to be an entrepreneur in the food business and to lead a team is an entirely different feat that requires compassion and understanding.

Anie Rouleau still gets butterflies on her daily commute into the office. She’s built The Unscented Company to be a highly sustainable operation that focuses on household and body care products made from natural, biodegradable ingredients. Anie strives to support women and build connections between women entrepreneurs, believing there's strength in numbers. Her greatest pride (among many others) is to be able to lead a successful business while being present for her two teenagers - who she can always count on to help her keep on top of social media trends.  

According to Marie-Josée Katcho, femininity is a superpower in business. Despite the challenges of a male-dominated environment, Marie-Josée finds the time to remain her creative, caring, and authentic self while providing her community with sweet bites of local flavour. Her greatest obstacle has been gaining respect from peers - her advice is to remain honest about your struggles because failing is not weakness. And to top it all off, aside from baking sweets for Jaimée, she regularly donates pastries and food to the Mile End Mission to support those in need. 

Jade Seo builds up those around her so they can grow further together. What began as a Korean restaurant swiftly extended to Sum Sauce Lab, a line of unique condiments for Lufavores. Jade says the best part of the job is keeping her mother’s recipes alive through crafting kimchi, fresh sauces, and marinades with local ingredients. With so much already working against women in business, her advice is to let down those guards and accept help when it comes around. As a single mother herself, she’s built a team of working moms with a love for cooking and a drive to provide as a way to empower these solo warriors in her community. 

Jennie Coleman and Kim Chackal are on a mission for global Fairtrade banana domination. With the help of their small team, the two women have built Equifruit into the empire it is today. They thrive on empowering farmers through community support while setting strict policies to make sure fair wages and conditions are set for their Fairtrade and organic-certified banana partners. Together they work to educate and inspire the public to stand up against unfair pay and working conditions in farming. Jennie and Kim’s advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs is simple: just do it - break down those barriers, find like-minded individuals, and reach for your goals.

Les Filles Fattoush believe women have always been agents of change. Since the start, owners Josette Gauthier, Adelle Tarzibachi, and Geneviève Comeau take on Syrian refugee women to support their integration into their new community. Building up their culinary skills, they cook traditional meals together the same way their mothers and grandmothers did. Over the years their team has witnessed these women find success beyond the kitchen, from gaining citizenship to graduating university and becoming homeowners.

With the help of her family, Julie Boyer juggles the demands of running a farm. She knows a thing or two about field work, coming from a farming fam, studying ag, and starting up Jardins d’Ambroise in 2015 alongside her husband. Fluent in Spanish, Julie makes sure to prioritize her team of 20 seasonal workers from Mexico and Guatemala - with her dedicated crew coming back year after year, she finds success in building a community and making sure everyone’s well cared for. Beyond work, Julie cherishes family time and loves to see her two little ones flourish on the farm.

These are just a few of the many superwomen we work with. Each one of them helps us every day towards creating a better food system, and for that we’re incredibly grateful. Visit our Marketplace to support them and try their fresh, local, responsible products.