In Episode 6 of Bloom, hosts Emily Rendell-Watson and Faaiza Ramji talk about the first commercial strawberry facility at the Edmonton International Airport.
Calgary-based vertical farming company groHERE is opening the facility as part of the airport's Ag-celerator program, which aims to develop local food and beverage companies. GroHere hopes to be planting by the end of 2022, and at peak production, it expects to produce four million pounds of strawberries per year out of the airport.
You'll also hear about Ramji's plans to mark International Women's Day by highlighting the women involved in the supply chain for her business, Field Notes, which make spirits from distilled Alberta field peas.
"When you talk to the women involved, they're really quick to put themselves in a very support role in the business. But they're not, they're very much at the forefront and very much responsible for a lot of the progress that their businesses have made," Ramji said.
Plus, Rendell-Watson interviews Marcela Mandeville, CEO of Alberta Women Entrepreneurs, about how female entrepreneurs can help bolster the post-pandemic economy; Women in AI Canada has a new Edmonton lead; and Startup Edmonton head Christian Tokarski has left the organization to become an entrepreneur.
Bloom is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and everywhere else you get your podcasts.