Not many people can say they have successfully built their company by putting lifestyle before profit. However Shani Cranston and Willy McBride, of hOMe Grown Living Foods, are an example of a local business that has managed to balance their entrepreneurial spirits with a deep reverence for Mother Nature. “Nourishing people is our passion, and living a balanced life is one of our core values,” explains Shani, Chief Formulator for hOMe Grown.

 It is truly impressive how much Shani is invested in her work. She started producing her delicious and healthy snacks over eight years ago after being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in her early 30’s.  A health advocate all her life, the diagnosis led her to delve deeper into the alchemy of food and how it affects our bodies. As a passionate surfer, yogi, and nature lover she needed easy digesting low-glycemic snacks to fuel her active lifestyle and discovered a gap in the market. Hence hOMe Grown Living Foods was born.

Specializing in sprouted, raw, vegan, gluten and grain -free, hybrid snacks, free of any refined sugars, all their products are handmade in small batches. These include items like RAWgles, CHOCOlivies, and Sprouted Surf Snax featuring ingredients such as sprouted buckwheat groats, local fruit & vegetables and wildcrafted local seaweed. “Our nuts and seeds are soaked to release digestive inhibitors, making multiple times more nutrients bio available to your body,” explains Shani. “Dehydration at low temperatures completes our processing to maximize flavour, enzymes and life force.” This is really Slow Food, taking up to 48 hours from formulation through to packaging.

Shani is constantly experimenting with new formulations and ingredients. Enjoying what she does while maintaining her healthy and active lifestyle is a big part of her mission. As long as she is inspired, she will keep going! “Time is our most precious commodity, and we have to make the most of it,” Shani explains.

Shani and Willy’s beautiful home in Lake Cowichan is also the site of their fully certified manufacturing facility; production takes place in two transformed shipping containers full of state of the art equipment including commercial Blixers, Dehydrators, a Formatic machine, and a walk-in cooler courtesy of Willy’s handyman skills. ‘Piece by piece’ has always been the way at hOMe Grown and has allowed for slow growth within their own means.

With only 1 full time employee, hOMe Grown still manages to produce, package, and ship products all over North America. Not only can hOMe Grown’s products be found in retail stores coast to coast, they can be ordered direct online through their website.

Shani and Willy, proud members of the Cow-op, are big advocates of promoting local growers and source as many of the ingredients from local farmers as possible for their Farm 2 Shelf products. Order hOMe Grown Living’s snacks every week from the Cow-op along with all your other local produce needs by visiting www.cow-op.ca

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