Development Goals (SDG) and saves 700 lbs of CO2 per pallet vs. imported quinoa, too. Inside the firm, the company culture is driven by its holacracy system. This flat governance structure promotes the development of distinct, autonomous, and symbiotic teams to accomplish tasks with a greater distribution of power and authority. “The culture ensures that members are supported by each other, with primary and secondary accountabilities,” Jamie says. “Members gain new learnings and insight across the corporation which provides for an active culture that drives growth and diversity of inputs. Our motto is to ‘find a way’ through team collaboration, ideation, and execution.” And Jamie and the team have recently been rewarded for all their hard work and effort by being recognised in the Canadian Business Awards 2023 and named Quinoa Brand of the Year 2023 - North America. Contact: Jamie Draves Company: Quinta Quinoa - Quinta Local Superfoods Inc. Web Address: www.quinta.ca Feb23028 Quinoa Brand of the Year 2023 - North America Quinta Quinoa is a growing Canadian company which invests in human health and the circular economy. We find out more as we talk to the company Founder following a well-deserved win in the Canadian Business Awards 2023. In 2007, Quinta Quinoa Founder and CEO, Jamie Draves was diagnosed with idiopathic pancreatitis – a rare condition without any known cause, cure, or treatment. After two surgeries, losing a third of his pancreas and being ‘written-off’ by traditional medicine, Jamie built his own healthcare team and adopted a mantra of a ‘healthier today than yesterday’. That was the beginning of his pathway back to health. Jamie formulated a health plan and kept to a very strict diet, in which quinoa was a staple – This was the trigger event to drive his passion and pursuit to develop the highest protein and nutrient-rich quinoa on the market. “I had a young family at the time and was not ready to leave just yet!” he explains, speaking of his devastating diagnosis. Today, having created the first naturally developed commercial quinoa on the market as well as the first Ontario and Quebec grown quinoa, Quinta Quinoa has now been grown locally across five provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The firm’s core values reflect Jamie’s own and he strives to help people heal through superfoods and to ensure his ‘super quinoa’ reaches the people and communities who need it the most. “Accessibility is vital, so we strive for online and provincial or national instore presence of our product,” he elaborates. “We help support our customers through our website which has more than 100 fabulous recipes for cooking with Quinta Quinoa and through active social media campaigns. To provide our product to the people who need it the most, Quinta Quinoa is active with food banks and kids nutrition programmes such as Food4Kids, helping to provide over 785,000 servings of Quinta Quinoa during Covid-19.” The brand, which boasts 2-4 times the amount of minerals and nutrients as standard quinoa, enjoys its highest availability in Ontario and is stocked at many of the outlets and retailers, including Sobeys/Foodland, most Metros/Food Basics, Lococo’s, Wholefoods, and at many Loblaws/Zehrs stores. It has also recently launched nationally in Walmart stores, and can be found in certain small chains, such as Calgary Co-op, across Canada and in the US. Plus it is accessible online through Amazon.ca or Amazon.com. Despite the economic turbulence over the last few years, focusing on one’s health continues to be a strong trend in Canada. The interest in plant-based proteins has been further boosted by social and environmental concerns and by the new Canada Food Guide. Also, sustainability and climate change concerns have become more prominent in Canadians’ everyday lives, as they have worldwide. This environment all bodes very well for Jamie and the future of Quinta Quinoa due to it being a high protein plant-based food, and among the most nutritious non-GMO whole food on the market. In fact, few competitor brands can top Quinta Quinoa when it comes to supplying key nutrients, such as fibre, iron, and magnesium. In keeping inline and ahead of the global sustainability trend, Quinta Quinoa directly supports 12 of the 17 WHO Sustainable
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