October, 2009

One Planet Catering - Simply the best for delicious organic gourmet catering in Vancouver BC

Submitted by saul on Fri, 10/30/2009 - 09:58

When it comes to One Planet Catering the first thing that comes to mind is world class. Michael Kraus is best in class, not only as a phenominal caterer but also as someone who truely cares. His goal is to give people a quality dining experience, healthy nutrious and tasty meals to fuel you through the work day. I first met Michael about a year ago when he walked into Tradeworks Custom Products looking for handmade wooden presentation boxes for his locally delivered meals. His style is impecable. Creativity, unbelievable, Michael never ceases to impress.

We are stoked to be working with One Planet closely this holiday season with a line of delicious artisan holiday cookies. These are a little taste of the heavens. Man, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face when Michael brought over the first batch. Hand cut and decorated, full of buttery goodness, these are tasty treats for the holidays. Yet again, a great corporate gift for offices these cookies are great as everyone can have a taste, enjoy and think of you. Baked in a European tradition (Michael was born in Germany) there's a taste of tradition that's hard to miss. If you're looking for a quality experince Michael is your go to guy.

Top 3 things we appreciate about One Planet Catering

1. Service - Super reliable and on time

2. Experience - Meals are delivered in beautiful wooden cases filled with wooden serving boxes. Stacked neatly and protected for transportation One Planet presentation is unique in itself. Eating off nice place settings, drinking from glass and eating with silver ware give the food the opportunity to not only be eaten, but enjoyed.

3. Social conscious - Michael wants the world to be a beautiful place for everyone to enjoy. He's always looking for ways for his business to benefit the community as I've seen through his consistant enquires to procure products from Tradeworks, a downtown eastside Vancouver social enterprise that trains women in carpentry.

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Reinventing the awards and recognition industry - recycled and reclaimed products from Eclipse Awards

Submitted by saul on Tue, 10/20/2009 - 08:21

It's no surprise that Eclipse Awards is leading the space in green sustainable recognition items and awards. Their values for community and the environment ring true through all my interactions with them, not only as my landlord but also as compatriots. Building a community of progressive and innovative businesses that see an opportunity to create social and environmental value, while making money, in the Strathcona Green Zone. This line of awards has been in the works for months and we got a sneak peak into these great items the other week at our open house and green roof mojito party.

In the spring I accompanied Eclipse staff to Las Vegas for the annual Awards and Recognition Association (ARA) trade show and was blown away by all the crappy things people give out to recognize people, their relationships and achievements. We knew there was a better way, not only to give things that look nice but also to do so using recycled and reclaimed materials. The products emerged from there and we talked with the awards suppliers about using recycled materials. Working with local woodshops that salvage wind fall trees in the Fraser Valley, finding Walnut, Maple and Fir trees and turning them into beautiful pieces of art, desk top and wall mounted awards, plaques, picture frames, and business card holders. Some of the woodwork is being done by Tradeworks Custom Products, a social enterprise that trains women in carpentry working to improve their lives in Vancouver's downtown eastside. Adding reclaimed glass from local industry off cuts, sand blasting, etching and laser engraving, Eclipse is producing best in class recognition items that tell a story and share values.

Acting as a sales rep for Eclipse we're happy to be able to offer this great line of green awards through Saul Good.

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Blog Action Day 2009 - Thoughts on Individual Action

Submitted by Alex on Thu, 10/15/2009 - 14:46

I was talking with my Dad recently about Saul Good's participation in the Climate Smart program. Our conversation turned from greener business practices to the choices we can all make as individuals. He said that small changes like deciding to bring a cloth bag to the store instead of using a throw away plastic bag have absolutely no measurable impact on the condition of our environment, but they are in fact the most important kind of actions we can take. That got me thinking.

The truth is that we cannot hope for our individual actions by themselves to affect the kind of dramatic change we need to slacken the pace of our warming climate. But that shouldn't be a depressing reality. Because the needed fundamental changes--in industry, governments, and wider societal values--will only come through a ground level consensus that our current behaviour is short-sighted and in need of adjusting. By recognizing and embracing our responsibility to take part in that big change, we should be motivated to redouble our efforts to make all the small changes we can.

Our potential is simply this: We can all--as businesses and individuals--assume pivotal roles as thought leaders and influencers. Lead by example, agitate the status quo, and you will encourage others to do the same. In that way, seemingly small individual choices can quickly coalesce into something much more powerful.

And if you need evidence, just look out into the street. Vancouver's citizenry have pushed and led green thought for decades, and it's through this wellspring of momentum that Mayor Robertson recently announced the "Green Capital" campaign and his intent to make Vancouver the world's greenest city by 2020. I have no doubt that it's going to be our continued individual actions that spur progressive thought and eventually lead to the kind of major change needed in North America to result in quantifiable benefits for the world.

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How to give successful corporate gifts for Christmas and the Holidays

Submitted by saul on Tue, 10/13/2009 - 09:35

All business is about building relationshps. Gifts are an opportunity to say more than 'thank you' for a job well done, a great contract, or employee appreciation. By building values into gifts and customizing them to tell your story, successful corporate gifts tell people what you're all about and why they do business with you. These types of memorable experiences build relationshps in a meaningful way and help you give more than 'stuff'.

Top 5 things to remember about corporate gift giving

1) Make it memorable, no one needs more 'stuff', if you wouldn't want it yourself, chances are your clients' don't want it either. You can do more harm than good if peoples' reaction is 'thanks?'

2) Wine or alcohol can be a good gift BUT ONLY if you know them personally and that they'll appreciate it. The last thing you want to do is make someone uncomfortable becuase of personal or religious reasons. Remember, we're trying to build relationships here, not destroy them.

3) Have a budget in mind. Know what you're comfortable spending and give a range to your service provider. Let them customize a gift program for you that makes sense based on your needs and values and go from there. High price point gifts can be really nice for some select clients but you don't always have to break the bank. Creativity can go a long way on a limited budget.

4) Tell a story. Use the gift to create an experience that tells your story and shares your values. By sourcing local products for example you tell a story about your values for community and a strong local economy. Sourcing premium artisan products tells a story about quality. Organic and fair trade items tell a story of environmental and social responsibility. What's your story? Let us help you tell yours.

5) When giving gifts to an office that lots of people are going to share, make it easy for them to all get in on the action. Our local artisan cookie gifts, artisan organic chocolate truffle gifts and local artisan specialty nut gifts were designed with this in mind. Lots of small items that people can each get a taste for, enjoy a fresh tasty treat and know who was thinking about them. Its a quick and easy way to get a great point across. Not only do you have good taste but also a sense of practicality.

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Local bees make artisan honey in Vancouver! UrbanSweet Honey

Submitted by saul on Fri, 10/09/2009 - 10:12

I love my job! I got this call yesterday from Russell at UrbanSweet Honey asking me if I was interested in high quality honey made by bees in Vancouver. He prefaced his offer, letting me know that he's only looking to work with retailers that have high end quality products that understand the value the local artisans. It was an easy answer, Russell found his guy.

The product is 100% pure wildflower which is a blend of various plants, maple, dandelion, blueberry and clover. Basically all the various plants you might find in your Vancouver neighbourhood. Russell's bees live near the PNE so this honey is East Van all the way.

Strengthen your immune system

Eating honey from your local ecosystem is good for your immune system as your body becomes more balanced with the local environment as the bees collect pollen from local plants. If you've got mild allergies, eating a little bit of pollen from the plants that give you problems can help your body create an immunity. Tom Ogren, a California horticulturalist and botanist, advocates for the use of small amounts of local (like a few mile radius from your home) to help with allergies. If you have severe allergies you need to be really careful as eating a small amount could cause an adverse reaction so act with caution. UrbanSweet Honey, although lightly filtered still contains pollen, bees wax and propolis, all good things for the immune system.

How local is local?

Bees live in a 2-3 mile radius from their hive so if you want to be truly hardcore, this is what local means to ensure the pollen you're eating is from the plants you encounter. Of course where you live, work and travel affects what local means in this case. Most artisan honeys that you'll find at the farmers market could be local but there are different kinds of bee keepers (or apiarists) which you should know about to help you with your decisions:

1) Migratory - these bee keepers travel up and down the coast to let their bees live in different areas during different season, from California to the BC interior. In this case 'local' doesn't mean much unless you're a gypsy or a rolling stone.

2) Stationary - these bee keepers live and keep their bees in one place, thus local is the radius of how far the bees travel.

In Vancouver there are a few urban bee keepers. Apparently there are bees in Strathcona Community Garden, in addition to bee hives on the roof of the Fairmont Vancouver and the new Vancouver Convention Center. We've seen honey bees on our green roof, so they are getting around!

Top 3 things I love about UrbanSweet Honey

1) The honey is so rich and smooth, the taste lingers ever so slightly and lasts in a good way.

2) Local - as local as it gets, did I mention it's good? Really good!

3) Clean - UrbanSweet is processed in a professional certified food products facility. No need to worry if dem dirty as dreadlocks from the farmers market are getting up in your food.

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Green roof mojito party and open house a success

Submitted by saul on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 08:49

Cooperation once again triumphs. Last week Saul Good along with Eclipse Awards hosted an open house and green roof mojito party for our clients, associates and friends down at our green office space in the Strathcona Green Zone in Vancouver, BC. We wanted the opportunity to show our clients what we've been up to this past year, developing corporate gifts, recognition items and promotional products that say more than 'thank you', using sustainable materials and fair labour practices to create memorable and meaningful gifts that tell a story. Over the last couple years my strategy in this space was to throw a local, organic, wine cheese and chocolate tasting party for my clients to let them have a taste of what we have to offer in terms of our gourmet gift baskets, hosting the party in the fall leading up to holidays, giving ideas for corporate Christmas and holiday gifts. We reincarnated, made fresh mojitos, added a green roof and an amazing space and the 1st annual green roof mojito party was born.

One Planet Catering, Vancouver's leading socially and environmentally responsible catering company, provided an amazing array of things to eat and treat through the day. From hand made cinnamon buns and muffins in the morning to croissants with pear and brie to a spread of cheese and fruit into the afternoon and evening. Amazing artisan crisps from Gone Crackers paired with artisan cheeses and a selection of organic wines from Lotusland Vineyards, a local organic vineyard near Abbotsford, BC. We were also happy to showcase new artisan specialty nuts from Cocoa Nymph, a Vancouver based chocolatier, featuring espresso and cocoa covered local Agassiz hazelnuts, great items that are easy to share and enjoy for hosting or to send to your clients. Once again we were also happy to feature fair trade organic chocolate bars from Zazubean and the new single origin fair trade organic coffees from Salt Spring Island Coffee.

I felt really good getting to spend time with my clients, new and old, and meeting some of the companies that have been working with Eclipse over their 11 years in business. It was something that really pulled our team together both at Saul Good, Eclipse and how we both work as teams individually and collectively. We can't take all the credit, we had great help, insight and planning from Corwin at Red Wagon Management, whose work and experience made the event a smooth success. Did I forget to mention the party? Had a great time playing dj with Unkl' Funkl', one of my friends from BGI, mixing tunes well into the night. Thanks to all our friends and associates for coming out, contributing, good times and conversations. We're in it together and its really just begun.

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Seeing the value in social enterprise corporate gifts

Submitted by saul on Thu, 10/08/2009 - 07:35

A month back I had an amazing experience. As Alex and I were delivering gifts into the new Woodward's building we met an amazing woman named Annie. As we rode the elevator together with a dolly full of gifts ready for the new homeowners, Annie asked us if the wooden boxes the gifts were packaged in were from Tradeworks. We confirmed and Annie went on to tell us that she had participated in training programs at Tradeworks and that it had helped her get her where she is today, gainfully employed working construction on one of Vancouver's highest profile developments.

The gifts were a selection of green cleaning products and sustainable lifestyle items destined for the suites of new homeowners, with each gift packaged in a an engraved pine beetle wooden caddy made by Tradeworks Custom Products. As I've been writing about for the last year, Tradeworks is a social enterprise that trains and employs women in carpentry living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Besides gaining tradeskills and work experience the program builds participants confidence and self esteem while preparing the women for careers in the trades.

Walking the talk

Woodward's is a landmark development in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, creating space for not only the privilaged but also providing a range of social housing, for families, single people and also the physically challenged. W2, the community media arts center, will also find home in the Woodward's block. We always thought it was great that Westbank, the developers of the project, wanted to include the wooden boxes from Tradeworks in the welcome gift program for Woodwards but to see that creating employment opportunities for DTES residents is not only a commitment but also a reality was something that really hit home for me. Business is a powerful tool that can improve the world. Gifts can be a lot more than just cool stuff and it feels real good to know the work we're doing is helping to make things better.

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