Planted Expo returned to Toronto for a weekend-long food and fashion event, just in time for spring.
Held at the expansive Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place, the exhibit brought together over 150 plant-based, vegan and sustainable brands and guest speakers from all over North America.
Komlanvi Dodjro, a Togo native and founder of Dodjivi, said he sought natural solutions for his partner’s pain and sleepless nights, and, after 14 rounds of research and development, later launched his own Reishi mushroom coffee company.
“It’s exciting to be a part of this great event,” Dodjro said. “[Planted Expo is a chance] to tell our stories and share the benefits of functional mushrooms with the rest of the world.”
From left. Dodjivi founder Komlanvi Dodjro and his partner Claudine Martel pose with Planted Expo attendee Leanna Dacunha on March 23. Dacunha samples the Dodjivi products and says, “I was expecting [the coffee] to taste more like earthy or mushroomy, but it tastes like regular coffee. It’s pretty smooth and delicious!” Photo credit: Annicca Albano
“A lot of people know a lot about us,” Pesall said. “But people might not know that our full product line is all vegan.”
She said customers are also surprised to discover an albino cacao bean, which she calls “mother nature’s white chocolate,” exists and infuses their chocolate bars with a distinctive flavour.
Pesall, a vegan, said she takes pride in the shop’s support for ecological farming methods and relationship with cacao growers in Central and South America.
Doors to the Planted Expo opened at 10 a.m. and the first 500 attendees were greeted with goodie bags from participating vendors.
Still, everyone enjoyed exclusive discounts and free samples of ready-to-eat meat alternatives, dairy-free frozen desserts and other pantry staples plus organic bath and body products that people can easily incorporate into their daily habits.
Theresa Corazon poses with Love, a 12-year-old teacup yorkie, at the Planted Expo on March 23. “Knowing that I’m not only buying nutritious food for myself but I’m also supporting a fellow entrepreneur? I love that,” Corazon says. Photo credit: Annicca Albano
Theresa Corazon, who came with her dog Love, said the expo was like an insider’s journey to what is new in the plant-based world.
“There’s a lot of things that our generation don’t know about,” said Corazon, the producer behind the book adaptation The Miracle Morning Movie.
“It takes movies and documentaries like [Live to 100, You Are What You Eat and Forks Over Knives] to inform us about how food is made and what’s in it,” she said.
For Ellen Magers of Sexy Fit Vegan, the event is the perfect time to connect with plant-curious people and clarify misconceptions.
“Vegans are often thought to be scrawny or weak or unhealthy when actually the opposite is true,” said Magers, who flew in from Miami to speak at the event.
“Being compassionate is sexy,” Magers said. “You can be fit and have fun as a vegan… It’s not a sacrifice at all.”
Other speakers included Genesis Butler, a 17-year-old environmental and animal rights activist, and Carleigh Bodrug, cookbook author and Instagram personality behind PlantYou.
Attendees were also treated to an hour-long vegan fashion show, a first for the expo.
Models walk the runway with vegan and sustainable products (from left) No. 49, The Wifey Collection and Jummobi at the Planted Expo on March 23. The Vegan Fashion Show is this year’s newest addition to the plant-based expo. Photo credit: Annicca Albano
Among the featured designers is Rosanne Wood, founder of No. 49.
“I’ve always loved fashion and handbags,” Wood said. “I just want there to be more choice out there.”
She said she created cross-body bags, shoulder bags and clutches using apple leather and bamboo.
The bags are not only stylish and cruelty-free, Wood said. She also partnered with CleanHub, which collects two pounds of plastic that would have polluted the oceans for every handbag she sells.
Vikki Lenola, director of The Vegan Fashion Show, said, sustainable fashion needs to look at alternatives to animal leather and byproducts.
The vegan movement has “come a long way,” she said. “It’s an exciting time that we’re looking at.
“Brands need to be moving away from [mass production of cows and animal agriculture] if we want to have a sustainable future,” Lenola said.
About 2.3 million Canadians followed a vegetarian diet in 2018, according to a Statista survey. A recent Statista study showed that vegan, vegetarian and pescetarian diets are gaining popularity among Canadians aged 19 to 29.
Laura Armenio, founder of the culinary studio Nourish Happy, performs a live baking demonstration at the Planted Expo on March 23. Nourish Happy is one of the food businesses present at the two-day event. Photo credit: Annicca Albano
Some have food intolerances that led them to adopt specific diets, like Laura Armenio, a nutritionist and Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef who founded the culinary studio Nourish Happy.
“We love to customize [our ingredients] towards people with dietary restrictions, allergies or preferences,” Armenio said. “Being in a community that’s so rich and so vibrant… everyone’s been just so kind in our conversations.”
(From left) American physician and NYT bestselling author Michael Greger sits with The Exam Room host Chuck Carroll in a live podcast recording for the Planted Expo on March 23. Greger’s latest book “How Not to Age” has over 6,000 citations to studies on lifestyle changes that help people live healthier, longer lives. Photo credit: Annicca Albano
The exhibition’s first day capped off with an exclusive live podcast with Michael Greger, an American physician and New York Times bestselling author of How Not to Age, and Chuck Carroll, nicknamed “The Weight Loss Champion.”
“Anything we can do in moving along the spectrum of healthier eating, the better,” Greger said. “It’s never too late.”
Planted Expo stops in Seattle from April 20 to 21 before returning to Canada on June 1 and 2 to bring the experience to Vancouver.