By Canadians, for Canadians. Spend your money wisely.
Name: Teletics
Products: Specialized wireless communications equipment for worksites and difficult environments
Manufactured In: Calgary, AB
Where to buy: Online
Website: teletics.com
Canadian Owned: Yes
Teletics is a Calgary based manufacturer of telecommunications equipment for industrial usage. Their VoIP and Wifi infrastructure solutions are used in both the private and public sector for work in explosive and corrosive environments.
Name: Floating Leaf Fine Foods
Products: Rice blends
Manufactured In: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Where to Buy: eatwildrice.ca/
Website: eatwildrice.ca
Canadian Owned: Yes
Floating Leaf is a family-owned business making a variety of products with wild rice. It appears that their rice is sourced from Minnesota and California, though it does grow in the northern prairie lakes. You can find their products online through Amazon as well as grocery stores across the country.
Name: Little Qualicum Cheeseworks
Products: Cheese
Manufactured In: Parksville, BC
Where to buy: Online, various retailers, at the farm (under normal circumstances)
Website: morningstarfarm.ca
Canadian Owned: Yes
Little Qualicum Cheeseworks is a brand of cheese produced at Morningstar Farm, on Vancouver Island, by the Gourlay family. They have a large array of cheeses, and even used to make wine (Mooberry Winery), though the wine operation has been shut down as of March 2020. Under normal circumstances, you can visit their farm for a petting zoo and a stream of their milking process.
Name: Midnight & Two
Products: Pre-shave, shaving soap, aftershave balm, beard oil, beard balm, beard/hair wash
Manufactured In: Calgary, Alberta
Where to buy: Online, various retailers
Website: midnightandtwo.com
Canadian Owned: Yes
Born of frustrations at the failing of both synthetic and natural grooming products and some hard work between the hours of midnight and 2AM, Midnight & Two’s all natural products were born. Handmade in Calgary using ingredients from around the world, Midnight & Two uses essential oils rather than synthetic fragrances for scent, and a combination of various oils, butters, and aloe vera to create the “Complete Shave System”. This consists of pre-shave for preparation, shaving soap for protection, and aftershave balm for rejuvenation. They also offer some beard care products.
Name: Bigfoot RV
Products: Travel trailers, truck campers
Manufactured In: Armstrong, BC
Where to buy: Various factory outlets across North America
Website: bigfootrv.com
Canadian Owned: Yes
Operating for over 30 years, Bigfoot makes truck campers and travel trailers out of Armstrong, BC. They also seem to have a robust support network for their owners, through the Owners Centre on their website.
Name: Canus
Products: Goat’s milk soap, lotions, body wash
Manufactured In: Quebec (head offices located in Montreal) & Ontario
Where to buy: Online, various major chains (Costco, Walmart, Loblaws, Dollarama, Sobey’s, etc.)
Website: canusgoatmilk.com
Canadian Owned: Yes
The fifth largest soap manufacturer in Canada, and owner of 3 seperate brands, Canus produces 70 different goat’s milk products, including a monthly production of 1 million soap bars. All of their products incorporate fresh Quebecois goats milk, which is then used for manufacturing in Ontario and Quebec. Their brands Caprina, Nature by Canus, and Li’l Goat’s can be found in most major grocery and dollar store chains in all provinces and territories.
Name: Oöm Éthikwear and Message Factory
Products: Clothing
Manufactured In: Quebec, Canada
Where to buy: Online and retailers across North America
Website: messagefactory.ca
Canadian Owned: Yes (we believe so)
Message Factory purchased Oöm Éthikwear in 2015, and between the two brands they’ve been ethically producing Made in Canada clothing for more than 15 years. 90% of their factories are located within 50 km of their shipping center, meaning that the carbon footprint is drastically cut down when compared against clothing produced overseas.
They also are part of 1% for the planet. All in all, a great way to escape the cheap, crappy fast fashion that is so common today.
Name: Canakit
Products: Raspberry Pi Kit
Manufactured In: Kits put together in North Vancouver, electronics manufactured internationally.
Where to buy: Online
Website: canakit.com
Canadian Owned: Yes
Canakit assembles computer kits for hobbyists and educational purposes, and are famously known for their Raspberry Pi kits. They also put together Arduino kits, as well as a multitude of other, less well known types of kits. Though the component parts aren’t produced in Canada, they are put together in BC.
Name: Taste of the Okanagan Specialty Foods
Products: Bacon ketchup, BBQ sauce, pulled pork sauce, vinaigrette, various other snacks and jellies
Manufactured In: Kelowna, BC
Where to buy: Online
Website: baconketchup.ca, tasteoftheokanagan.com
Canadian Owned: Yes
Taste of the Okanagan makes various handmade condiments, jellies, and sauces out of Kelowna, and is a family owned business. Their bacon ketchup website was specifically submitted to us, but their main website seems to suggest that all of their products are handmade with local ingredients.
Name: Westholme Tea
Products: Tea, ceramic teaware
Manufactured In: Westholme, BC
Where to buy: Online, various retailers
Website: westholmetea.com
Canadian Owned: Yes
What started as an experiment in growing tea on Canadian soil has since turned into a company making tea with no artificial flavours, as well as handmade ceramics, out of British Columbia. They even offer pickup at their farm (though their tea shop is currently closed for obvious reasons).