OCNews

A year after winning the Canadian nationals and placing in the top four at the Enactus World Cup, Okanagan College students are back on the national stage this week, presenting aggressive expansion plans for their social enterprise the Unusually Good Food Company to top Canadian business leaders.

Enactus OC will compete against students from other Canadian business schools this week at the Enactus Canada Nationals in Montreal, presenting an update on Unusually Good Food, the business that has taken off, producing apple juice, apple chips and candles out of apples that are rejected due to their appearance to address the social issues of food insecurity and food waste.

Unusually Good Apple Juice is now available in 19 cities in Western Canada and has plans to expand further across the country this year. It is re-using more apples, expanding to including unusual cherries and grapes, and producing candles out of pomace, the waste left behind after fruit has been juiced.

“Our amazing team of students has been working hard through final exams, work commitments, and their personal lives to be ready to present at the nationals,” said MacKenna Lenarcic, Enactus OC President. “It’s been incredible to see the drive of our students to expand our Unusually Good impact across Canada.”

Enactus OC consists of 46 OC students with representation from each of OC’s campuses. Last year was the first year a team from Western Canada had won the Canadian Nationals and represented Canada on the world stage.

“It’s been a pleasure to watch the Enactus team really dive into this social enterprise, working on real world problems, while working towards their career goals,” said William Gillett, Dean of the School of Business. “This type of experience is so valuable for our students as they get set to enter the workforce. We are very proud and wish them well at this year’s nationals.”

•••

Earlier this year, Enactus OC claimed two silver medals at the Enactus Regional Exposition event for the Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge and the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge. The competition took place in Calgary on March 17th where Enactus OC presented two new social enterprises, each in collaboration with community partners.

Full Circle is an enterprise that provided mentorship to high schools and businesses in Salmon Arm and Penticton, challenging them to reduce their waste. Elevate partnered with the Ki-low-na Friendship Society to empower Indigenous youth through the development of entrepreneurial skills.

“The greatest success of this project was how students from Penticton to Salmon Arm joined community partners in high-impact waste reduction initiatives that left participants feeling optimistic that their efforts make a difference,” said Professor Danielle Robinson.

For information on Okanagan College's School of Business, click here.