NEWS RELEASE
August 23, 2022
ZGM Inc. and PS&Co announce Ethical Foods Fund
Investment fund to support early-stage, values-based Canadian food companies, future of sustainable food
Calgary, AB – Two of Western Canada’s leading marketing agencies, ZGM Inc. and PS&Co, today announced that together they are giving investors the chance to support good-for-the-planet food companies through a new investment opportunity –Ethical Foods Fund (EFF).
ZGM Inc. and PS&Co’s second tranche of financing for the EFF closes today, August 23, with further opportunity for investment ongoing. Proceeds of the fund will be used to support the growth of sustainable food production via early-stage, values-based, food founders, including:
- • Uproot Food Collective, an Edmonton-based platform helping craft food brands – such as Honest Dumplings, South Island Pies, and Little Bear Gelato – produce and scale original products;
- • Wize Iced Tea, a Vancouver-based company that produces low-sugar iced tea from coffee leaves sustainably and ethically-grown in Nicaragua;
- • Humble Potato Chips, a family-run Canadian company that produces certified organic potato chips in a certified plastic-free and compostable bag; and
- • TMRW Foods, a Vancouver-based food innovation company reimagining how plant protein can feed the planet – today and tomorrow.
“Through the Ethical Foods Fund, our goal is to accelerate food done right,” said Ric Williams, a partner at ZGM Inc. who brings 30 years of experience in food marketing, manufacturing, and commercialization.
Williams will manage EFF alongside the CEO of PS&Co, Bob Stamnes, who brings decades of experience in the development of Corporate Social Responsibility and mission-based marketing for some of Canada’s leading companies. All companies supported by the Ethical Foods Fund are assessed by social and purpose-based criteria, and determined to be in line with B Corp. certification requirements – whereby they are scored on environmental and social performance and trajectory, along with other investment KPIs.
“Our approach begins with the ethical treatment of employees on farms and in factories, and extends all the way to the end of the food production cycle with compostable packaging,” said Stamnes.
Advertising innovator Frank Palmer backs Ethical Foods Fund
PS&Co Chairman Frank Palmer is providing strategic guidance to EFF as a long-time philanthropist and an advisor to the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, a large-scale corporate social impact fund.
“I see first-hand the benefits of the profit-with-a-purpose model that EFF is trying to achieve,” said Palmer. “ As an advisor for the TELUS Pollinator Fund, its investments in for-profit, purpose-driven businesses are creating a meaningful and measurable impact through the same business model. It is incredible to see how TELUS is supporting mission-driven founders beyond just capital and resources by also leveraging its broad network and expertise to enable these companies to grow and thrive. With a similar vision in mind, I look forward to helping EFF get off the ground.”
“The timing is right on two fronts for EFF,” said Tara Bosch, founder of Smart Sweets and investor in EFF. “Early-stage, purpose-based food founders struggle to find smart money to support their growth in Canada, and consumers are moving with their wallets towards ethically-minded brands to support their own beliefs in leaving the world in a better place.”
For more information about the Ethical Foods Fund’s investment portfolio strategy, visit ethicalfoodsfund.com.
For more information, contact:
Ric Williams
Director, Ethical Foods Fund
780-935-0966
ric.williams@zgm.ca
About ZGM
ZGM Modern Marketing Partners is Alberta’s largest independently-owned, full-service agency, specializing in marketing, advertising, digital and web, PR and engagement. Employing more than 100 people in Calgary and Edmonton, ZGM’s corporate mission is to help good organizations make a greater mark on the world.
About PS&Co
PS&Co is an independent, entrepreneurial, creative collaborative that partners with values-based organizations to make the world a better place. It connects companies and brands with the expertise they require to grow and thrive, and fight for an open, just and habitable world. PS&Co is the parent company of the Ethical Food Group (in partnership with ZGM), PS&Co Brand Studio, and Elevator Strategy.