The founder of a small but successful Kelowna startup company was named one of the Globe and Mail's Food 53.
This summer, the Globe picked the 53 most influential people in Canadian food – chefs and CEOs, farmers and winemakers, plus researchers, restaurateurs and, of course, eaters. Matt Gomez, the founder of Soil Mate was named as one of the Top 8 ‘Thinkers’ in Canadian food and wine and featured by the Globe across the country.
“It’s obviously really nice to be recognized in this way, especially as a ‘Thinker’, I’d say more of an over thinker maybe," said Gomez.
"The truth is there are lots of problems within the food system and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by that sometimes. But at Soil Mate we look at the problems as opportunities and are working hard on finding reasonable and actionable solutions so that we can make a real change. The current food models need disruption for various reasons and we are trying to lead that change here and in the US.“
Gomez launched Soil Mate in 2014 with a desire to connect consumers with their local food and drink options. Starting with Farms and Farmers' Markets, Soil Mate spread across North America to serve every state and province in the US and Canada.
It connected thousands of consumers with local food options, driving more sales to local farms. Since then the system has expanded out to include all elements of local food and drink systems. This was based on customer feedback, requests, and a desire to support all businesses that are playing their part.
What often seems like a passion project to Gomez, is actually based on solid business metrics, data, and trends. All data shows that consumers will change grocery stores based on local impact, consumers will choose where to eat based on local impact, consumers will pay higher prices for a drink that is produced locally and with strong values and ties to the community. The strong business case for Soil Mate allows such a strong social mandate to be a reality, with significant portions of gross revenue going back into communities to support local food security initiative
To see Gomez's award winning project, go to soilmate.com.