Meet The Makers Mini Interview: Soul Bite Food
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Soul Bite Food Mini Interview
Soul Bite Food is very special organization that we are so lucky to have in our Pomme community. You might recognize them from our aisles in the form of incredibly delicious vegan comfort foods based on recipes from Eastern Europe and the Middle East—including Balkan Mushroom and Taste of Persia phyllo pastry wraps (Taste of Persia has smoked eggplant and dairy-free walnut cheese!), as well as Serbian Cabbage Rolls made with parsley pesto. But the story behind Soul Bite Food is as awesome as their creations. They began as a local Tri-Cities charity dedicated to fighting hunger and combating food waste, by redistributing viable food at risk of going to waste to families experiencing food insecurities. After five years of relying on volunteer hours and paying for various expenses out of pocket, they decided to create a social enterprise that would support their work. Using traditional recipes from their own families and communities, they developed their amazing retail line of appetizers, and the profits from these award winning products help them continue their incredibly important work. We’re really grateful co-founder Igor Bjelac found some time to answer our Meet The Maker interview questions this month. And if you’re excited to try Soul Bite Food, now is great time, because they’re on special all February!
Share your story with us in a 150 words or less.
Soul Bite Food Inc. is a social enterprise that produces delicious vegan dishes created with traditional recipes from Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Our line of award-winning vegan comfort food is designed for retail – and food service. It has flavour like you’ve never tasted before. We use traditional spices to bring you flavours from around the world. Whether you are craving comfort food or looking for an easy snack to wow your friends, we invite you to eat with us to support food relief in your local community.
Together, we make a difference in thousands of lives by connecting food charities with the resources they need to feed community members.
We fund projects dedicated to fighting hunger and combating food waste around the world. We do that by connecting you with traditional flavours from Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
We donate 50% of profits to charities.
Getting from an idea to a small business is a lot of work! When did it first sink in for you that ‘this is really happening’?
An idea is one thing but selling that idea to others is something else. Our thought that "this is really happening" came when stores and people started to react so positively to the taste of our products, and to the charity story behind them. But we became sure about our work when stores started reordering, and our costumers started sending us letters of appreciation for our work.
What motivates you on a day-to-day basis?
The story behind our social enterprise is super important to us and gives us big motivation to continue our good work. Originally, we started our charity, Immigrant Link Centre Society in order to save the environment and to help less fortunate people. These days, we are feeding over 3,500 people in need for free in a month and Soul Bite Food is helping us to run our charity activities by donating 50% of its revenue.
Out of all your products, which is your personal favourite and why?
My favourite product is Balkan Mushroom. It's a 100 year old recipe that was always vegan. At that time, people of The Balkans were very poor and couldn't afford meat in their dishes. In order to create something nutritious but tasty, our great grandmothers created this special recipe which we have been using ever since.
What’s your favourite thing about the town or city you live in?
Coquitlam is continuously showing support to people and societies who are aware of the environment and are eager to help less fortunate people. Personally, I love multiculturalism in our city. It makes me feel that I am a citizen of the World!
Describe your ideal Sunday including your breakfast.
An ideal Sunday morning breakfast is the one when we are with loved ones or with our inner peace. In that time even the simplest food can become food of Kings and makes you feel worthy of living.
What are your personal top three tips for feeling awesome?
1. Always respect the person who is making your food and never take food for granted.
2. When you are eating try to think of the food on your plate and be grateful for each bite.
3. Share your food, especially with the people who don’t have access to decent food.
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