Merissa Myles

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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: It's Vancouver's podcast on the Canada's podcast network
[00:12] SPEAKER_01: Hi, this is Angela Barnard coming to you from Canada's podcast where you can listen
[00:18] SPEAKER_01: Discover and engage we're here on site at the Vancouver Island Economic Summit
[00:22] SPEAKER_01: And I'm super excited to be talking to Melissa Miles from tree island gourmet yogurt
[00:29] SPEAKER_01: Welcome. Thank you for having me. Yeah, absolutely. So let's just talk about it. How's your entrepreneurial journey? Yeah, I did just start
[00:35] SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm married to a biologist. He's actually an expert in microbiology
[00:39] SPEAKER_00: So we always knew he wanted to have a family business and about 10 years ago
[00:45] SPEAKER_00: We decided that we were gonna start a yoga company on Vancouver Island in the co-mox valley
[00:49] SPEAKER_00: So now we're born and raised here. Yeah, no, I'm actually from Vancouver actually
[00:53] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but we were looking for the right place for the right lifestyle for our family
[00:57] SPEAKER_00: And we knew we wanted to do something hands-on and do bio processing so my husband has a PhD
[01:02] SPEAKER_00: And I had a background in community economic development
[01:06] SPEAKER_00: Wow, nice. Yeah, so we wanted to be a local employer that was really important to us and also work on
[01:13] SPEAKER_00: regenerating the local economy nice. Yeah, so how is tree island
[01:17] SPEAKER_00: Contruding to the local. Yes, well, we're making
[01:22] SPEAKER_00: Lots of yogurt. We're sourcing milk from local dairy farms
[01:25] SPEAKER_00: Which are actually using grass-fed
[01:29] SPEAKER_00: Processes for feeding their cows
[01:31] SPEAKER_00: So that's focused on building the soil health and protecting food lines for future generations
[01:37] SPEAKER_00: And then we are distributing all over so we're feeding people in Vancouver and Victoria
[01:42] SPEAKER_00: With fresh whole milk
[01:44] SPEAKER_00: No powders, no fillers. I'm using fresh ingredients like coconut and lemon and fresh ground cardamom
[01:51] SPEAKER_00: Some samples. Yes
[01:53] SPEAKER_01: Start to get hungry
[01:55] SPEAKER_01: So where do you where do you process where do you produce? Yeah, it's like I imagine steward out of your garage or do you have a process?
[02:03] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we actually have a artisan dairy. So it's about
[02:07] SPEAKER_00: 7,000 square feet. Wow. There's lots of concrete and stainless steel
[02:12] SPEAKER_00: We have about a 30 employees
[02:14] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, holy wow. I know. Yes, so where and you talk about distribution? Yes, fresh. Yes, fresh
[02:21] SPEAKER_00: So how do we how do you get from yeah processing plant to table? Yes, absolutely
[02:27] SPEAKER_00: So we actually go from sourcing the raw milk all the words towards processing and putting it onto our own trucks and distributing it
[02:35] SPEAKER_00: So that's something that we manage ourselves some food processors
[02:38] SPEAKER_00: They work with a distributor. We like to have the direct relationships with our retailers
[02:43] SPEAKER_00: Because we really have our foot on the ground or hear what consumers are saying we get to build those relationships
[02:47] SPEAKER_00: And that's what we find fulfilling
[02:49] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we live on an island. How do you get your trucks?
[02:54] SPEAKER_01: economically right around the island and into the lower mainland? Yeah, yeah
[02:59] SPEAKER_00: Well, I liked a joke that I started a yogurt company, but I realized I'm actually in the trucking business
[03:06] SPEAKER_00: I've been looking for a trucker hat to you know go with the whole thing. I'm embracing it
[03:11] SPEAKER_00: So um, we actually have a five-ton truck a three-ton truck a two-ton truck
[03:16] SPEAKER_00: So we like to we um do use some third-party carriers
[03:19] SPEAKER_00: But we also load up the the five-ton and we take it over to Vancouver and drop off yogurt so that our Vancouver truck can pick it up
[03:26] SPEAKER_00: Wow, I do routes. We have daily routes all over the city. Yeah, so how did I'm sorry?
[03:32] SPEAKER_01: I'm an infrastructure queen. So I'm thinking 7,000 square foot infrastructure
[03:36] SPEAKER_01: You know a ton of fleet vehicles. Yes. How did you get from idea to where you work? Yes, right? Yes
[03:43] SPEAKER_01: What we described that experience marine? Wild ride for sure
[03:50] SPEAKER_00: How trip to the moon and back, right? Yeah
[03:53] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know what it's actually I think what's really cool is that there's been so much support from our community for
[03:59] SPEAKER_00: For developing local agriculture and recognizing that we have these resources
[04:03] SPEAKER_00: We don't need to import things from far and abroad that we have something we can make right here
[04:07] SPEAKER_00: And that was a big part of our process
[04:09] SPEAKER_00: So it was a combination of you know business planning mentorship partnering just like getting the job done
[04:17] SPEAKER_00: 24-7 hands-on
[04:18] SPEAKER_00: Let's do this or you know to the moon and back and talk to me about capital because there must be capital injections
[04:24] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, capital injections. So um, you know, we had the shoebox under the bed. Yeah started with that
[04:30] SPEAKER_00: Luckily, we had a house
[04:33] SPEAKER_00: So that helped we did some fundraising. So um we reached out to family and friends. Okay
[04:39] SPEAKER_00: To to be the first bank of that. Yes, thank you. Done
[04:42] SPEAKER_00: Thank goodness for that that helped a bit
[04:45] SPEAKER_00: But honestly, we did actually get some people in the community that were interested in local investing
[04:49] SPEAKER_00: So a big part of the money did come from us, but we had a couple supporters that were able to help us at critical times
[04:57] SPEAKER_00: To programs that helped us a lot were the island chefs collaborative have a partnership with van city
[05:04] SPEAKER_00: And it is to invest in local food businesses. I think it's a $10,000 micro loan
[05:11] SPEAKER_00: And that helped us buy a piece of stainless steel equipment that we needed for
[05:15] SPEAKER_00: Our production as well. We were we're local producers and we support supply yogurt to whole foods
[05:22] SPEAKER_00: So we got a
[05:25] SPEAKER_00: Local producer loan and so it was also low interest loan to buy a filling machine
[05:29] SPEAKER_00: Which helped us improve our process and gain greater efficiency
[05:33] SPEAKER_00: So sorry, what was that? It was a something
[05:35] SPEAKER_00: Loan local producers loan from Whole Foods Market
[05:39] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, wow they have loans in their different communities. So they are they're huge advocates for developing
[05:45] SPEAKER_00: Agriculture locally. Wow. Yeah, it's amazing. Yeah, they've been so this is quite a little ecosystem going on on vincuvera land
[05:52] SPEAKER_00: Absolutely producers. Yeah, absolutely
[05:55] SPEAKER_00: And I think that's how we make it happen. So I think a lot of people are looking at
[05:59] SPEAKER_00: How do we create food security? How can we use what we have locally reduce our carbon footprint in terms of moving stuff around
[06:07] SPEAKER_00: And just actually developing food businesses
[06:11] SPEAKER_01: locally. So do you think that culture and that sort of collaborative
[06:15] SPEAKER_01: Effort and maybe even the ecosystem itself. Do you think that's unique to van kovar on it?
[06:21] SPEAKER_00: Um, I think I'd love to say it is. I think it is something unique. There's some magic happening here for sure
[06:26] SPEAKER_00: Right, I mean, it's a very progressive place
[06:29] SPEAKER_00: But I know that I think around the world and around in different cities and communities these ideas are popping up
[06:35] SPEAKER_00: Right. Yes, so I did study community economic development and I learned about lots of different models that people were trying to
[06:42] SPEAKER_00: Create jobs locally empower
[06:46] SPEAKER_00: You know
[06:47] SPEAKER_00: Grow their local economy and food is a primary way because we're all eating all the time right fantastic
[06:53] SPEAKER_00: Uh, a little bit about so tell me where you live. Okay, the comahs valley. I live in a little house next to the ocean
[07:00] SPEAKER_00: Nice kind of we call it glamping. It's like full-time glamping. It's very modest
[07:04] SPEAKER_00: Um, but keeps it real. Yeah, and you're looking at the ocean every day and I'm looking at the ocean and take out that's my daily walk
[07:09] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, nice nice. Yeah, so comment s valley just to put in perspective is how far from van kovar? Yeah, it's about
[07:16] SPEAKER_00: Three hours if you were to drive you got to get on a ferry and you got to drive up the island
[07:20] SPEAKER_00: I think it is about 200 kilometers. Right. Yeah, not that far not that far. Great little community. What's the size of it?
[07:26] SPEAKER_01: It's about 60,000 people 60,000 people
[07:29] SPEAKER_01: Fantastic and why comahs valley you said you were in van kovar. Yeah, you were looking for the right community
[07:34] SPEAKER_00: What stood out for you for comahs valley comahs is amazing. There is a mountain and an ocean
[07:40] SPEAKER_00: So you can ski in the winter you can sail in the summer you can go swimming there's beaches
[07:45] SPEAKER_00: It's very family oriented, so it's great for kids
[07:47] SPEAKER_00: You can go out your door and be on hiking trails you can go mountain biking
[07:50] SPEAKER_00: So definitely how many minutes and like two minutes
[07:54] SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry
[07:55] SPEAKER_01: Like it all the people really believe us. They're made that live in major urban centers when you don't fall
[08:00] SPEAKER_00: In like 10 minutes, yeah, it's just there and actually the way I noticed it the most was the migratory birds and the changing of the seasons
[08:08] SPEAKER_00: Actually, and I realized wow there are so many little critters and birds that are changing
[08:13] SPEAKER_01: That I never saw in the city wow fantastic. So do you consider yourself to be in food tech?
[08:20] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, yeah, there's a tech aspect to it for sure
[08:24] SPEAKER_00: um, and we like to say actually on our package we
[08:28] SPEAKER_00: We blend old world tradition with technology
[08:31] SPEAKER_00: So we're looking at how is the food made? How can we eat whole food without making franken food?
[08:36] SPEAKER_00: And how can we also use innovative technology to be more efficient to create something unique and to
[08:42] SPEAKER_00: maintain the integrity of the the essence of the food yeah, so how do you maintain
[08:48] SPEAKER_01: Innovation in life. What what what do you use inspiration? Yeah, motivation
[08:53] SPEAKER_00: That yeah, you got to feed the soul you have to keep that creative energy
[08:56] SPEAKER_00: So I I like quiet time
[08:58] SPEAKER_00: I'm kind of that introverted artist actually sometimes right so I got to go hide away and read my books right
[09:03] SPEAKER_00: But I have done the artist's way and the artist's date is something
[09:07] SPEAKER_00: Which is a really good tool and it's like a little date by yourself that could be doing something fun
[09:12] SPEAKER_00: And it could be going to the thrift store to do something fun or going to the art store or just going to a museum or go
[09:18] SPEAKER_00: Reading a book that inspires
[09:20] SPEAKER_00: So I think that's something that I've learned through the entrepreneur journey up of like having a huge creative output
[09:27] SPEAKER_00: Putting it out there working all the time feeling burned out feeling oh my goodness. Where what am I doing this weird at all?
[09:33] SPEAKER_00: Where is this energy going? I need to feed it back, right? Yes. Yes. So you know rest exercise reading yeah fantastic
[09:42] SPEAKER_01: Staying fit for work. Yes. We like it or not. Yeah, so you talk about books
[09:46] SPEAKER_01: Maybe not a business but but what are you reading now that that would I am
[09:51] SPEAKER_00: Sign of insightful. Well the artist's ways like I mentioned. Okay. I'm just this is the second time I'm reading it
[09:57] SPEAKER_00: And that would author yeah, um Julie Cameron
[10:00] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so it's kind of a classic actually so I'd recommend that the other thing on my bedside table is roomy poetry
[10:06] SPEAKER_00: So uh roomy
[10:08] SPEAKER_00: The Sufi mystic
[10:10] SPEAKER_00: I think it's a good call
[10:12] SPEAKER_00: It's really inspiring is from the 13th century and he writes a lot of love posts and it's about his connection with god and love
[10:20] SPEAKER_00: um and that's always um a nice place to be important
[10:25] SPEAKER_01: To maintain right absolutely. Yeah, do you have an inspiration? Yeah quote that kind of you have on your wall or a computer?
[10:32] SPEAKER_00: um oh my goodness
[10:34] SPEAKER_00: um trying to think of one
[10:37] SPEAKER_00: Today I talked about um
[10:40] SPEAKER_00: Not a quote from someone but I don't even actually know where it came from but one of my little mantras is teamwork makes the dream work
[10:47] SPEAKER_00: And uh, yeah, absolutely for entrepreneurs. I think sometimes you're out there
[10:51] SPEAKER_00: You're doing it. You're definitely a leader, but it really takes a community to make it happen. It really does
[10:56] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Is there anything that um you know that's coming up or that's a kind of a
[11:01] SPEAKER_01: Business resource for you an event or a publication or a magazine or a podcast or a
[11:09] SPEAKER_01: Periodical that that you use for kind of business right inspiration
[11:13] SPEAKER_00: I just actually subscribed to the Harvard Business Review
[11:16] SPEAKER_00: Which is amazing. It's like I feel like it's such a good investment
[11:20] SPEAKER_00: And it's like really cutting at research based
[11:24] SPEAKER_00: And it because I feel like I'm in a small valley in the corner of the world doing my little thing in my little happy place
[11:29] SPEAKER_00: I like to use to look at you know the landscape right it keeps you global it keeps you global
[11:34] SPEAKER_01: That is a major major thing. Yeah, absolutely global thinking. Yeah, local application totally. Yeah, absolutely
[11:40] SPEAKER_01: That's it perfect. Yeah, is there anything that you'd like to add specifically about tree island? Yeah far. Yeah
[11:46] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, tree island you need to find it
[11:49] SPEAKER_00: Go out there and look at your local grocers so you can find us in natural
[11:53] SPEAKER_00: Health food stores as well as um specialty grocers
[11:56] SPEAKER_00: We are in some more of the mainstream grocers as well in BC. So you can take a look for us there nice
[12:01] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, awesome
[12:01] SPEAKER_00: And how can we get a hold of you personally after today? Oh after today you could find me online
[12:06] SPEAKER_00: So you can find me my email and um phone number for our business is tree island yogurt calm. Okay. Yeah, perfect
[12:14] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, awesome. What was such a pleasure? It's such a treat to have you
[12:18] SPEAKER_01: Once again, thanks for joining us. This has been Angela Barnard from Canada's podcast here at the Vancouver Island economic summit
[12:27] Speaker UNKNOWN: citizens
[12:27] Speaker UNKNOWN: The