meet cris & cathy
Cris spent years working in health food stores and eco-focused jobs on Vancouver Island. When practicing in Lethbridge as a nutritional consultant, she met Cathy. The two complimented each other nicely, and shared vision for what could be in the city of Lethbridge.
BACK TO OUR ROOTS
Because we only have one body and one planet, we strive to nourish our community with intent. We aim to provide products made close to home, by those who are returning to a local way of doing things. We named our store Purple Carrot in order to reflect this - the purple coloured carrot was the original colour. We are returning to our origin. Coming back to our roots. And we invite the community to join us in that journey.
CATHY’S STORY
“My late husband Cam had a passion for the outdoors. We had many adventures driving to remote places and living there for months at a time. One of my favourite places is a cabin he built off grid that ran on solar panels and a generator. Cam always told me how lucky he was to be able to live his passion and always pushed me to dig deep inside to find mine. He was always challenging me "what do you want, what's your passion?" That really stuck with me after his passing. Meeting Cris, I was able to learn so much about the body and why it functions the way it does. I truly understand the deep connection of nourishing our body with the right foods. The deep connection for me is knowing where our food comes from and the importance of it being locally sourced. My favourite saying we have at Purple Carrot is: One body, one planet, nourish with intent. Purple Carrot fuels my moving forward; it's about one step at a time, but every little change matters and makes a difference. I thank Cam, my Children, my Mom and Dad and Sisters because without your love and support I wouldn't be able to live out my dream. It fills my soul to do something I am passionate about and to make a difference.”
CRIS’ STORY
“I have wanted to own a health food store my entire adult life. I started working at The Vitamin Shop in Victoria when I was 20 years old and since then have worked at multiple amazing health food stores while moving around BC and Alberta. Health food stores have always been ‘home’ for me, growing up in an natural minded family. The smell of bulk foods, carob, herbs and spices brings me right back to being a child.
I have been passionate about our planet as far as I can remember. My family has been recycling, eating clean, composting, reducing waste, reducing water use since as I was young. I never understood littering, clear cutting, poorly planned oil transportation, excess packaging and pollution. I wrote letters frequently to my local MLA, premier and our prime minister. My school projects were often based on my passions: stopping littering, cleaning up our oceans, and stopping oil spills and clear cut deforestation. I was even invited to the Governor Generals house to accept an award on my schools behalf, due to my passion for our planet (see my awkward photos below.)
I believe that as humans, we have an obligation to do better. We have an obligation to ourselves, our children and our planet to do the best we can.”
Since we opened our doors to the Southern Alberta community, we have served thousands of customers, diverted thousands of bottles from the landfill, and educated our community about nutrition and health. We saw hundreds of new products crowd every inch of our humble little store. We quickly outgrew it, and now have our own, large building that includes 3 consulting offices, a loading dock, industrial kitchen, and room to grow! We are on a journey to zero waste, and love partnering with our amazing customers as we keep getting better, cleaner, and more sustainable.
meet the rest of our team
We are so grateful to have such an experienced, passionate and kind team of staff members to help make Purple Carrot what it is today.