AN 11-YEAR-OLD CLIMATE ACTIVIST AND A PLANT-BASED SNACK START-UP ARE THE TORONTO-BASED WINNERS OF THE 2021 EARTH’S OWN PLANT PROJECT GRANTS

September 29, 2021 [Vancouver, BC] - Plant-based brand Earth’s Own announced today that two Toronto-based entrepreneurs have been selected as winners for the company’s 2021 “Plant Project” grants. Ella Grace Galaski-Rossen from The Cleanup Kids and Monique Chan of Bruized will both receive funding and support from the brand to grow their projects here in the GTA and across the country. Through the Plant Project program, Earth’s Own is providing funding and support to groups, individuals and projects across Canada working to fight climate change by sparking a shift to plant-based eating.

Ella Grace Galski-Rossen & The Cleanup Kids

Galaski-Rossen is an 11-year-old climate activist from Ajax, Ontario and co-founder of The Cleanup Kids - a “kid thought-up, kid-inspired and kid-run” non-profit dedicated to protecting the planet. And she has a big idea about how to teach other kids her age about the impact their food choices have on the planet: indoor garden boxes.

With the support of Earth’s Own, Galaski-Rossen and The Cleanup Kids are planning to create and distribute more than 100 boxes to elementary schools across the GTA, helping provide a deeper understanding of where food comes from. Galaski-Rossen had already begun working on prototypes and will use the Plant Project grant to buy the necessary tools, materials and seeds to produce the boxes.

“I am so happy that Earth’s Own selected me and our project,” says Galaski-Rossen. “This ​ grant will do incredible things, because it means more kids will be able to learn how to grow their own fruits and vegetables and learn about how what we eat connects to our planet. I can’t thank Earth’s Own enough!

Bruized

Monique Chan worked as a line cook for years, and saw firsthand just how much food was going to waste every night. After studying food waste at university, Chan knew she needed to take action. She founded the plant-based start-up Bruized in 2019 that rescues ingredients commonly wasted across the supply chain, like organic juice pulp and ‘imperfect’ produce, and upcycles them into 100% plant-based snacks.

Chan brought designer Justice Walz on board as business partner and creative director, and they currently have two products on the market – Pulp Crunch, a plant-based granola made from organic juice pulp and Salted Choco-Pearamel Cookies that use imperfect pears and upcycled aquafaba - which are sold through farmer’s markets, at pop-ups, and online at bruized.com. The support from Earth’s Own will help them secure additional kitchen space to further grow her business.

“I’ve built this business to help give people more sustainable food options, and I feel I’ve found a kindred spirit in Earth’s Own,” explains Chan. “This support - not just the financial support, but the marketing power, the business insights and the mentorship - is a game-changer for me, and for my business. I’m so proud to be part of an amazing group of Plant Projects.”

Earth’s Own launched the Plant Project program last year, and funded four projects across Canada in 2020, including Winnipeg’s first-ever plant-based food truck (expected to launch in 2022), the non-profit Lettuce Harvest (who are redefining the typical community garden experience), a high school teacher from Saskatchewan who used the grant to fund a hydroponic growing tower for his students and Vancouver’s Eat the Dishes, a zero-waste, plant-based food company. ​

“At Earth’s Own, we’re on a bold mission to change the world. We know that the planet can’t sustain our current eating habits and that adopting a plant-based diet is the biggest thing we can do as individuals to fight climate change,” says Brittany Hull, Vice President of Marketing at Earth’s Own. “But we also know that we can’t make the kind of wholescale change the world needs alone - that’s why we’re so thrilled to be able to help support the amazing work being done by plant pioneers like Ella Grace and Monique.

”More than 200 groups and individuals submitted Plant Project applications this year. Final selections were made by a judging panel that included members of the Earth’s Own team and plant-based advocate and Plant Project ambassador Erin Ireland. The third 2021 Plant Project recipient is Eggcitables - a chickpea-based vegan egg alternative founded by Hannah Chisholm, a 25-year-old entrepreneur from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

“We have been blown away by the response to this program. It’s been so incredibly inspirational to see the plant-based thinking that’s being done across Canada by forward-thinking and enterprising Canadians working to save our planet,” says Hull. “Now comes the fun part: seeing how our support can propel these projects and grow the plant-based movement here in Canada.”

The call-for-entries for the 2022 Plant Project program will be released next spring.