iHeart Fat Fudge is excited to launch their new brand Mindful Monk that makes functional foods with ingredients proven to lower blood sugar levels and increase healthy fat intake for energy and absorption of certain nutrients. Our foods provide an excellent source of vitamins, polyphenols, antioxidants, and minerals, help aid digestion, and support a healthy microbiome! After her firstborn child, owner Alice Grey decided it was time for a lifestyle change. She started eating a low carb, high fat, moderate protein diet and managed her reoccurring gestational diabetes through food when she became pregnant with her second. Like anyone, she had sweet tooth, and after searching for no added sugar, healthy fat bombs, she reached a dead end. She took it upon herself to develop a recipe that checked off all her boxes. After several failed attempts and friends and family taste tests, she did it! Mindful Monk’s mission is to make functional food for everyBODY to prevent and reduce chronic diseases. And Alice is doing whatever it takes to make her products an option on the shelf wherever you shop.

Question: How are you supporting other local businesses?

We source locally whenever we can and work with local distributors for ingredients that aren’t sourced locally but are from Canada or other parts of the world. For example, we work with Star Marketing to source Nuts to You nut butter from Ontario, LCG Foods for our organic oat fibre and our nuts come from a local business called Angkor Harvest, who we met at  Good to Grow. 

I rent production space at a local commissary kitchen called Core Kitchens in Langley. For our packaging, we use Summit Labels and BSIbio. We bank with Vancity, they have been so supportive of our business. We get all our marketing materials printed at Duolynx Design and Print. We also work with a number of businesses in the lower mainland for our insurance, accounting, and digital marketing.  I love supporting other local businesses too. I’ve has done some collaborations on Instagram to create awareness and gain exposure. I’ve been trying to actively meet other business owners in BC – learning about each other’s businesses, supporting each other with connections and resources.

Question: What social and environmental practices are you proud of?

Answer: I’m proud of bringing a new, truly no added processed sugar, option for functional food to the market – it’s the first 100% monk fruit sugar product in BC.

I don’t have any employees yet, but I’ve worked with students from the Master of Food and Resource Economics program at UBC. They have helped with my finances as part of their grad project, so they got some experience with a real company.

I’m proud of our commitment to sustainable packaging. We use recycled stone paper for our labels, our packaging, which is 100% bio-degradable, and our box packaging is eco-friendly cardboard and soy ink. I care deeply about sustainability and I’d like to be a BCorp one day.

I donate to local charities whenever I can. For Valentine’s Day, we did a box with 10-15% proceeds to the Langley Food Bank. To help support those affected by the Abbotsford flood, we donated a few cases – $2-3K worth of fudge. It’s high-calorie, so it’s a great food for crises like this. Once I’ve been in business longer, I’d like to donate a % of profits towards food and education. I’d love to be a voice for healthier foods in programs that feed hungry kids.