Skip to content

Following up: Going mainstream

Thunder Bay’s most comprehensive vegan store has moved to Memorial Avenue.

THUNDER BAY -- When Sydney Schell and Sheldon Burt decided to start Compass Foods, they wanted a completely vegan store. While a vegan lifestyle has become more mainstream in recent years, the couple still found that vegan foods were often sold next to non-vegan food, which meant they had to read the ingredient labels carefully for every product.

Compass Foods launched as an online store in 2018, then opened their retail location on Tungsten street a year later. “Our location was a destination place; you had to know where it was,” explains Burt. Seeking more visibility, the two decided to relocate the store to Memorial Avenue earlier this year.

Located on the corner of John Street, Compass Foods gets a lot of new customers. “We find that people who go to Wellwise [next doors] or see us across the street from Shoppers come in,” Burt says. “We’re right on the bus route, so lots of students [come in] as well.”

Although Compass Foods is a vegan store, it caters to a wide variety of dietary restrictions. “Celiac [disease] is very common these days; a lot of people seek out new kinds of breads,” Burt says. When people start a new diet or need to avoid certain things, bread is often the first problem they encounter. “We have so many kinds of bread; vegan and gluten-free,” he adds.

Meat and cheese alternatives are high on everyone’s shopping list, the owners say. Some customers come to Compass Foods looking for meat and dairy alternatives for a vegan guest at a party. “We have all the things they need to make a vegan party happen,” Burt laughs. “You want to veganize it; just come to our store.”

Vegan options can be particularly valuable around holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Easter, says Schell. The store stocked up on Easter-themed chocolates for kids, and will be selling gluten-free and vegan assorted cookie trays for Mother’s Day.

Recently, the store has been adding more environmentally-friendly and sustainable products to meet growing demand. “Now we have beeswax-free reusable wraps. It’s totally sustainable; we’re leaving the bees out of it.” Instead of beeswax, the wraps use plant-based waxes, making them a practical and vegan replacement for plastic wraps.

“We’re there for everybody’s dietary needs. Anything special you’re looking for that’s vegan or gluten-free, we can get it for you,” Burt says. With so many people having various dietary restrictions, Compass Foods’ customer base is growing. The store has a loyalty program for frequent shoppers, and there are more than 3000 members now, Schell says.

With warmer weather approaching, the store received a new look recently - local artist Wendy Horner painted murals across the front windows. Schell hopes to host events outside during the summer, and says they are looking at getting a vegan ice cream machine or hard ice cream. “Merla Mae’s is so close, so we’d like to get ice cream on the go,” Burt says.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks