Social Venture Institute Hollyhock 2023 Case Study Presenter

Gathering Place Trading Ltd (GPT) is located in Campbell River on Vancouver Island. It was founded by owners, Lovena and Ryan Harvey in 2003 on Cortes Island, where they happily continue to live and homestead a small acreage and food forest. GPT direct-sources organic spices, herbs, sea salt and teas from ethical and sustainable family and cooperative farms, including fourteen Canadian Grown products.

We meet our suppliers face to face to establish direct relationships and hand select partners with strong environmental and social integrity, creating more transparency in the global food system. We blend and hand package ninety retail products and sell Nationwide. While most of our customers are in BC, we are currently expanding into eastern Canada with new distribution partners. We have three routes to market: retail stores, manufacturers and direct to consumers through our website. We are certified organic, green business certified and in 2022 obtained our HACCP certification, a globally recognized food safety standard.

We are moving to a new facility in Campbell River in late 2023 and are excited for some new potential growth and opportunities with Harmonic Arts co-founders, Yarrow and Angela Willard. We donate 1% of our gross sales to underfunded projects in the countries and regions our products come from and here in BC to benefit and protect our precious BC coastline. Our vision of “Farmer to Family, for Love of the Earth’ guarantees the highest quality, freshest and most ethically produced ingredients in the world!