Michelle Neilson, BFA (right) is the Vice President and Director of Business Development for MCLEAN ORGANIC FOODS INC.
Michelle is a longtime organic and 'buy local' advocate who believes growing business and growing a sustainable food chain go hand-in-hand.
Dedication to clean, healthy food drives Michelle's hands-on model for business growth. She believes that building strategic partnerships at all levels of production and distribution is key to ensuring product integrity. "We can't just contract out the business and walk away. We have to be connected to the people from farm to plant… from the store, to our customer's table. When we do this, we know the quality is there," says Michelle.
Michelle continues to bring delicious Mclean Organic meats to families across Canada. Overseeing new business development from concept through to production, she is excited about upcoming launches of new Mclean Organic and Natural meats.
Michelle’s Alberta roots inspire her love of organic food and sustainable farming. Raised in part on her family’s 'hobby' farm, she was immersed in back-to-nature living. Years later, while working in southern France, Michelle was introduced to the rich flavours and wide selection of locally produced and hand crafted foods available at farmers' markets.
Today, Michelle seeks to help Canadian organic producers increase strength and sustainability while bringing deliciously different food options to consumers.
Michelle is also passionate about maintaining the integrity in organic standards and volunteers in a key ingredient review committee for Canada's new Organic Certification program.
Michelle also wants to help schools adopt healthier food choices. She has registered select Mclean products on the BC Brand Name Food List, which helps set nutrition criteria for foods used in BC Schools.
When not working on Mclean Organic Foods, Michelle can be found hiking and kayaking in BC's Howe Sound, seeking out seasonal treats at local Farmers' Markets, or painting in her home studio.
Michelle holds a Bacherlor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta and has studied Business Administration at British Columbia's Simon Fraser Univerisity. She has also completed a food safety course at BCIT on internal auditing of HACCP systems in food production.
Favourite Food Books (suggested reading):
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – A year of food life, by Barbara Kingsolver
Hard To Swallow – The truth about food additives, by Doris Sarjeant and Karen Evans
The Food Revolution – How your diet can help save your life and the world, by John Robbins
Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal – An A-Z guide to safe and healthy eating, Readers Digest
Aples to Oysters - A Food Lover's Tour of Canadian Farms, by Margaret Webb
