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SMALL BUSINESS MONTH - SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2023
Supplied
Mike Mikulak, Executive Director Food & Beverage Manitoba
“In 2022 alone, our customers helped divert over 11,280 one-liter bottles from landfills through our sustainable refill program,” she says. “That’s a lot of bottles that didn’t go into a landfill.” Mike Mikulak, executive director of Food & Beverage Manitoba, says Wolseley Kombucha is a great role model for other companies in the local food and beverage industry. “With sustainability being top of mind for a lot of consumers and governments, I just love what they’re doing – they’re thinking holistically,” he says. “Bringing your own container for refills equals zero waste. It’s a great example of what a local company can do.” Providing consumers with refillable bottles accomplishes several things at once, adds Mikulak. “Not only is it easier on the environment, but using the refillable bottles ends up being cheaper for the company, as those bottles are expensive to buy. It also simplifies their distribution. That makes it easier on the company, on the environment and the consumer. Wolseley Kombucha is showing what can be done.” Creating a company culture centered around sustainability is absolutely feasible, says Leclair. “Certainly, there’s an initial capital investment that needs to be made, which for us was equipment (taps) and bottles. But that all worked into our business plan, which was based on sustainability and centered around the concept of reduce, reuse, refill, and compost.” Roughly seven years after launching the company, the concept has clearly caught on, showing other businesses its long-term viability. “If we can do it, other companies, both big and small, can do it too,” she says. “It’s just about talking small baby steps. If we can help push people in the right direction, we’re happy to do it.”
Supplied by Wolseley Kombucha
Wolseley Kobucha’s healthy brew comes in refillable 946 ml and 1.89 liter bottles.
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