MEET THE MAKERS
The people behind the products.
NOVEMBER 2021
Every product has a story, a raison d’être, a problem to solve, an inspiration, a dream. Here are a few of those stories from the makers in our Holiday Gift Guide.
BUBBLES & BALMS
Lower Norton, NB
Creating bath and body products that are good for your skin and enhance wellness is the mission of Bubbles & Balms founders, Judith and Justin Sweeney. #BetterEachDay is the creed that guides everything they do; from ethically sourced, natural ingredients for sensitive skin, to zero-waste packaging, to products carefully made by hand. Based in Lower Norton, New Brunswick, Bubbles & Balms makes over 70 products that are now sold in numerous retail locations and available online.
BLOOMING WILD BOTANICALS
Belleville, NB
Seeking a simpler existence, Charlotte and Ryan Walker were drawn to a rural lifestyle, surrounded by nature and all it has to offer. They learned to grow herbs and flowers and practiced skills like soap making and foraging, resulting in a successful business that now sells products right across Canada. Every product is brimming with natural, premium quality ingredients designed to nurture the body and soul. Find a large variety of soaps and skin care products such as lip balms, toners and moisturizers, bath soaks and body butters, all available to order online.
LOVE OVER IT
Saint John, NB
Fighting racism the New Brunswick way, with love and kindness, Saint John's Andrew Holmes saw the need for positive dialogue and education in his community. From this passion grew Love Over It, his brand dedicated to the promotion of inclusion, unity, and positive human relations through community engagement and the development of a clothing line.
BIBILYN DESIGNS
Moncton, NB
An educator, advocate and champion of women and children who are victims of violence, Lyne Chantal Boudreau, founder of Bibilyn Designs, is a social entrepreneur who utilizes her clothing designs to create awareness and effect change. A lover of fashion and couture, Lyne Chantal's products include scarfs, handkerchiefs and custom, made to order dresses for all occasions. Every purchase made from her store supports this important cause to empower women and children to take back control of their lives.
SUNSEEKER JEWELRY
Edmundston, NB
Myrium Scott’s inspiration for her business came from the desire to find a meaningful purpose in life. By combining two of her passions, gemstones and handmade jewelry, she started creating custom made pieces.
When choosing to work with a certain gem, she takes the time to discover its origin, if it has been modified in any way, the pollution trail that it left before arriving on the work bench, and finally, making sure that the gem was extracted and transformed in an ethical, safe and fair environment. Every piece of jewelry is authentic and inspired by the gem itself.
RABBITTOWN BEVERAGES
Fredericton, NB
Stefanie Loukes founded Rabbittown Coffee Co. in 2017 when she decided to roast her own coffee beans with a popcorn maker. Despite that first bean-roasting experience proving to be a bit of a disaster, Stef came out of it with a vision: to serve locally-roasted coffee and hand-crafted iced teas out of a tiny trailer. The decision to pivot from coffee to tea came when Stef was invited to pitch her business and its plan for expansion to a group of investors. In a prophetic last-minute decision, she pitched the idea of putting her iced tea drinks in a can. Her decision paid off!
ROUTE 102 HMG
Queenstown, NB
Cyndi Brittain and Michael McQuay are clock and jewelry makers. Since 2002, they have designed and built original work in copper, stainless steel, and aluminum. Cyndi, a dedicated recycler, produces her extensive line of jewellery using off-cuts from Michael's work with metal. With a background in commercial photography, they are self-taught artists with keen eyes for esthetics developed in the pre-Photoshop days of photography, where everything had to be perfect before making an exposure. That attention to detail has never wavered, and is reflected in all of their work.
OCEAN BOARDS BY EVELINE
Saint Andrews, NB
A discovery of resin while on a road trip through the Yukon and inspired by the beauty of her home town, Saint Andrews, Eveline designs stunning ocean-themed serving boards made from a variety of local wood types. The boards are sourced from Dave Thompson, a woodlot owner and craftsman in Elmsville, NB, who values sustainable woodlot management, a practice for which he has won awards. Each one-of-a-kind board is taken from their backyard.
CAVOK BREWING CO.
Dieppe, NB
CAVOK, (pronounced Cav-Oh-Kay) is an aviation acronym meaning Ceiling And Visibility are OK. The company is based in Dieppe and was founded in by two air traffic controllers and friends, Serge Nadeau and Serge Basque. Their philosophy is to support local as much as possible, including working with local farmers to acquire ingredients. CAVOK is an active participant in their community, serving as the sponsor of various events that bring the public together.
SOUL'S JOURNEY JEWELRY
St. George, NB
Vicki Haddon, founder of Soul's Journey Jewelry, is passionate about creating pieces that clients will treasure throughout their journey in life. She offers heirloom quality pieces as well as hand-stamped, personalized pieces and a very popular 'Words to Live' collection. Her hand-crafted creations are made from Sterling Silver and 14K Gold fill. Inspiration for her work comes from the beautiful Bay of Fundy where her studio is located.
BELLY'S HOT SAUCE
Moncton, NB
Belly's Hot Sauce came to life when the company's founder, "Farmer" Phil Béland, tried to grow a vegetable garden. And though he discovered he might not have been so adept at farming, Phil realized the only plants that survived and thrived were his habanero peppers. Despite having no formal experience in the culinary industry, Farmer Phil’s steadfast love for spending time in the kitchen resulted in his first hot sauce, Mango Habanero. Feeling encouraged, Phil passed around some samples, the feedback for which was overwhelmingly positive. The company grew quickly, providing customers flavourful hot sauce with fresh ingredients that complement the food they eat, not overpower it.
ACADIAN STURGEON
Carters Point, NB
Cornel Ceapa has dedicated the greater part of his life to studying and working with sturgeon. Together with his wife Dorina and son Michael, the family oversees all aspects of the business, from caring for the fish, to harvesting, salting and mixing the eggs, as well as smoking and packaging the sturgeon meat. Not only do Cornel and his family love what they do, they take great pride in knowing that they are able to build a sustainable business using their knowledge and passion for sturgeon.
Absolutely beautiful!!!
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