Over 20 local businesses are set to participate in a new, upcoming event called Passport to Vegan Guelph.
On Nov. 1, participants can visit various businesses to try a specialty vegan dish, or a fun activity, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. After visiting each participating location, residents will be given stamps to collect on a paper passport. Once five stamps are collected, the passport will be entered into a raffle draw at Green Goddess Fromagerie to win prizes.
Passports and a map showing all participating businesses can be found here.
Passport to Vegan Guelph was organized by Morgan Mitchell, the owner or Green Goddess Frormagerie, who decided to hold the event following the cancellation of Vegfest Guelph during the pandemic.
“Historically, we’ve all participated in Vegfest, loved them, and they’ve been a source of great joy for businesses and the community alike,” says Mitchell, “But in COVID times, there’s no joy, there’s no fun, and all of these businesses are also struggling.”
“The idea is to have something fun for people to do in a safe way, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
When organizing the event, Mitchell says she has avoided advertising Passport to Vegan Guelph on Facebook in areas with high COVID case numbers. She adds all participants will also be asked to follow all COVID safety protocols during the event, and to wear a mask where required.
Some companies participating in this event will be doing so online due to not having the ability to maintain physical distancing measures.
“If all of these companies have protocols, they’re in place...then there’s something fun for people to do in a safe way.” says Mitchell, “The business community has come out in spades to really show they support the community, they’re offering something incredible, and people are excited.”
According to Mitchell, vegan and vegetarians are one of the largest growing sectors of the food market. Within Guelph, she says close to 15 per cent of the population falls within that category.
“It demonstrates to the businesses that aren’t totally plant-based, that it’s totally profitable to provide that option.” says Mitchell, “If you don’t offer something plant-based, you don’t see that clientele.”
Although this is her first time running this event, Mitchell says she would love to see Passport to Vegan Guelph go on to become a quarterly event.
“It would be lovely to have a spring event, summer event, a fall event, a seasonal one.” she says, “It’s a one-day thing. If it works out really well, then we can continue to offer it.”
For more information about Passport to Vegan Guelph, check out the event's Facebook page.
