The Veganist — a local, all vegan and vegetarian grocery store in Chilliwack — is hosting an all vegan food festival this weekend, in celebration of the store’s one-year anniversary.

The festival, with over 22 local food trucks, vendors, and speakers, is one of the first of its kind in the Fraser Valley, according to Veganist co-founder Logan Bryan, who says the sprouting, plant-based community surrounding Chilliwack has been supportive of the grocer’s shop.

“Historically, we have to go into Vancouver or elsewhere to go to events like this," Bryan. "There is a large community of plant-based eaters and plant-based lifestyle individuals in the Fraser Valley that have until recently not really had a voice in the community as a whole.”

“One of our big goals with this is to help broaden the education in the Fraser Valley as a whole, so that we can bridge that gap between the vegan community as well as the regular, general populace,” he said.

Bryan says that one of the driving factors in the Veganist’s business is that there’s “something for everyone” when they shop at the store. Their food festival is a way for the locals to learn more about the products with guest speakers and to see that there are local vendors selling plant-based options for dietary and healthcare needs.

“We've had a great response from the community,” says Bryan. “A lot of people of the community prefer to shop locally and support local businesses. About 30 to 40 per cent of all of our products are BC made. We advertise and push local products, and we build relationships with the vendors. When we can assign a face and a name to the brand, we are more likely to sell it.”

The Veganist’s food festival takes place on June 17 starting at 11 a.m. at Chilliwack’s Central Community Park; Logan says they are welcoming all who want to try new foods and learn new diets.

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