Kathy Cooper-MacDonald and Sheena Russell built Made with Local from the ground up.

By Fallon Bourgeois

When Sheena Russell (BSc’09) and Kathy Cooper-MacDonald (BCD’06) set out to create healthy snacks with no-nonsense ingredients, they never imagined they would go from making their first batch of bars at a community kitchen (in a lobster pot no less) to creating a product that is now available nationwide.

But more than that, Made with Local – a product they literally built from the ground up –  is truly making a difference in communities throughout Nova Scotia.

In the early days, Russell and Cooper-MacDonald, co-workers at the Halifax Regional Municipality, were focused on making healthy snacks that tasted good. “It seemed the two didn’t go together,” recalls Russell. Through trial and error, they eventually created Made with Local bars. “We were basically creating a template that could be adapted to different batch sizes and flavours.”

The success of their business came quickly, in large part, Russell says because of local farmers’ markets.

“The markets were integral in those first few years. We were five inches away from our target market. We got to see consumers interact with the product, how they felt about the prices and the flavours. And we were also working alongside our producers. We could hop over to the stall next to us and buy our honey, for example.”

Made with Local bars and oats are chock full of local ingredients

Powerful partnerships

And as their families grew, business did too.

Made with Local is about nourishment and empowerment.

“It was during the end of my pregnancy in 2014 when we decided to partner with our first social enterprise,” says Russell, who now has a three-year-old daughter. “We found the perfect production partners in a local social enterprise called The Flowercart Group in New Minas, Nova Scotia. They provide opportunities for people who face barriers to mainstream employment.”

And that Russell says was the beginning of a “beautiful relationship”. Since then, Made with Local has continued to partner with social enterprises who produce and distribute the products.

“We work closely with three social enterprises, which means we have 70-75 individuals who are a part of our business. Much like our farmers and producers, these individuals are our greatest asset. Seeing how our products made a difference in their lives changed our purpose – not only are we making quality products, we are having a beneficial impact on our community.”

She continues, “Our product is a physical manifesto of the community we’re building. I see the growth of this brand as a true ripple effect. A portion of our revenue supports many individuals and goes directly into our community, mainly rural Nova Scotian communities.”

Making a mark

Made with Local loaded oats can be found in Bulk Bars across the country.

Long gone are the days of simply having stalls in two local farmers’ markets. Today, Russell, who left her full-time job with the municipality in 2015, focuses on marketing, while Kristin Elliott-Grace focuses on marketing, sales and operations. (Cooper-MacDonald is involved part-time with events and promotions.) Made with Local products are on shelves at Sobeys throughout Atlantic Canada, and in Bulk Barn stores nationwide. You can also find the product at local businesses in Nova Scotia and Ontario. And in March, it will be available at all seven Whole Food stores in Ontario.

And while there are many factors attributed to its success, including Russell and Cooper-MacDonald’s tenacity since day one, Russell believes it has a lot to do with the community and its people.

“Halifax, more than ever, is becoming a centre for purpose-led businesses. It is such a supportive group of people who lift each other up,” says Russell, who is originally from Prince Edward Island.

With a new year ahead, Russell and Made with Local have no plans to slow down. While she has ambitious business goals, her primary focus for Made with Local is to continue to create nourishing products that literally and figuratively feed the community.

Images: provided by Made with Local