Better for the environment: We believe plant-based foods and zero-waste shopping are powerful tools to lower food-based pollution. We also aim to provide organic and locally sourced foods, and we compost all of our food waste.

Supporting local community: We believe small independent businesses make socially and economically vibrant communities. Many of the producers we work with are small-scale Ontario companies.

Healthy bodies: Many of our foods are organic, unrefined, and additive-free. We have a wide selection of vegan and gluten free options.

One unsuspecting evening in 2017, we noticed a hand-written "For Sale" sign on the busy community board at Full Circle Foods. The store was a downtown Kitchener icon since 1981, and we felt sad that it might close. We loved bumping into our friends while scooping oats in the bulk section. We lived two blocks away, and frequently rushed over for emergency peanut butter.

We started having hypothetical discussions about whether we could buy Full Circle. Those led us to coffees with other local business owners. We love Kitchener and got excited at the thought of contributing to the culture of downtown.

With the help of 22 community lenders, we were able to buy the store on January 24, 2018. It's exactly what we want to be doing with our lives and we couldn't be happier.

– Julia & Sam