Michelle Neilson (BFA, GDBA),  Vice President / COO for MCLEAN MEATS INC.

With over 15 years of business development consulting experience in international travel trade and tourism plus over 8 years in the food and grocery industry, Michelle continues to expand her knowledge-base in business development. Over the past 25 years, Michelle has successfully managed projects from a variety of industries relating to strategic business planning, operations analysis, new product development, vender procurement, importing and national distribution. Today, in addition to overseeing company finances and reporting, Michelle manages Mclean's logistics for new business development, vender purchasing and marketing.

Michelle is a longtime organic and 'buy clean' advocate who believes growing a 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 have more confidence in the quality of the product and the scalability of the business," says Michelle.

Michelle’s Alberta roots inspire her love of clean 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, with food allergies and chemical sensitivities on the rise, Michelle sees Mclean as an innovative leader in Canada's food industry. 'Mcean capitalized on the trends of the Organic movement that had taken root in the early 1970's," says Michelle. 'This movement was critical because it was the foundation for challenging international farming standards which at the time were not sustainable for the land, the animal or the end-user consuming the product'.

In addition, Michelle's personal food allergies to soy and gluten drive her passion for creating CLEAN foods that she can eat while also offering parents, schools and restaurants healthier food choices to their families and customers.

When not working on the operations of Mclean Meats, Michelle can be found hiking and sailing in BC's Howe Sound, seeking out seasonal treats at local Farmers' Markets, or painting in her home studio.

Michelle holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (BFA) from the University of Alberta and has studied Business Administration at British Columbia's Simon Fraser University under their GDBA program. 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

Apples to Oysters - A Food Lover's Tour of Canadian Farms, by Margaret Webb

Send me your recommended 'foodie' book to michelle@mcleanmeats.com