On the weekend, I went to the 32nd Annual Wellness Show in Vancouver. I was there for the first time in 2023 and I managed to discover a few unique food products. This year, I intended to continue this tradition, and with the looming U.S. tariffs, it’s even more important to discover and support local food products. In no particular order, here are nine BC or Canadian food products that I sampled and enjoyed, and would recommend you all to give it a try. Please take the time to read into their ingredients and health benefits before purchasing, and follow their instructions to not over-do it. These products should be available at local health- and wellness-forward grocery stores such as Nesters Market, Whole Foods and Pomme Natural Market, or online on their own website. You can also ask your favourite grocers about them, and they just may start carrying them for you!
Gladstone Sauce The Mariner Hot Sauce – A husband-and-wife company based in Langley, BC, all their hot sauces start with scotch bonnet peppers. They are launching a limited edition, special collaboration with Coquitlam’s Mariner Brewing. The Mariner Hot Sauce is made with Mariner Brewing’s Lafarge Lake Lager, and it will be used in the food menu served at the brewery. It’s spicy but doesn’t burn your tongue, and it’s flavourful with a prominent scotch bonnet note. It will make a great dipping sauce or marinate.
Wisely Wellness Functional Chocolates – Based in BC, they literally just launched the brand and products at The Wellness Show, with ribbon cutting and all! They infuse chocolate with non-psychedelic mushrooms and other functional botanicals, creating sweet treats that boost your energy, improve your sleep, make your skin glow, and more. I sampled a few flavours and I found them quite tasty. It’s well balanced so the mushrooms/botanicals aren’t very prominent in flavours, but you are enjoying the benefits of them all the same. According to the team at the booth, one chocolate bar has six squares, and your daily serving size is one square.
Moonshine Mama’s Lemon Turmeric & Spiced Elderberry Elixir – Based on Salt Spring Island, BC, this company makes turmeric elixirs activated with ingredients such as black pepper, lemon and coconut oil. Turmeric brings so many health benefits and these elixirs are available in different flavours to tickle your taste buds. I previously tried the Spiced Elderberry and really liked it. At The Wellness Show, I sampled the Lemon flavoured and it’s just as tasty. Keep in mind, this is a concentrate so you shouldn’t take too much of it at once.
GluteNull Lilu’s Truffle Chocolate Cake (Vegan Gluten Free) – Based out of Port Coquitlam, BC, they make 100% gluten-free, vegan, and organic baked goods. Truthfully I didn’t like much of their other products, but the Truffle Chocolate Cake was to die for! It’s moist, it has nice crumbs like a cake should, and it’s decadent. It’s an almost guilt-free guilty pleasure treat after dinner or with a cup of coffee/tea.
Herbaland Naturals Oh My! Gummies & Supplements – I’ve tried many of their plant-based, all-natural Oh My! Gummies. The shapes are fun, and the texture and flavours are great. Based in Richmond, BC, they just relaunched their Supplements line with new packaging. They’re very well-rated on their website, and I’m curious about the Eye Care, Glowing Beauty and Sweet Dreams products myself.
Fromagerie L’AncĂŞtre Cheese Factory 2-Year-Old Cheddar (Lactose Free) – Based in Quebec, they have a lot of lactose-free cheese products. At the booth, I tried a few but I particularly liked the lactose-free 2-Year-Old Cheddar. It has the nutty flavour you expect in an aged medium cheddar, and the texture is spot on. If it’s served on a charcuterie plate, I wouldn’t know it’s lactose free and I like that a lot.
Queen Street Bakery Everything Superfood Bagel – Based in Ontario, their products are all gluten-free and made with superfood ingredients such as chia seed, flax seed, sorghum flour, and millet flour. The Everything Bagel looks great (not flat like most other GF products) and has good texture. Their products actually don’t use any common food allergens, even sesame, but this tastes just like an everything bagel. If you’re looking for a gluten-free bread product, this is a good one to consider!
Four O’Clock Golden Turmeric Organic Fairtrade Herbal Tea – Based in Quebec, Four O’Clock carries a wide variety of tea. I only sampled the Gold Turmeric, and I really liked the flavour. It was made into a latte with oat milk, but you can still taste the turmeric, ginger and cinnamon in the tea. These are some ingredients that are beneficial to your immune system and help reduce inflammation.
Mycelyum Focus Gummies – Another functional mushroom product line. Based in Sechelt, BC, I was told at the booth that their gummies are more concentrated in mushroom content than other products, so you are supposed to take smaller doses and the gummies are flavoured so it’s more palatable. The lime-flavoured Focus gummies are made with Lion’s Mane that is known to help support memory and focus. It’s quite tasty and I would take it if it helps with focusing on work and having better memory. (The Calm one using Reishi had a rather bitter taste so I didn’t like it as much.)
VanFoodies.com 
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