Article content Asha Wheeldon founded Burnaby-based Afro-Caribbean vegan food label in 2018 to fill a void she found moving to Vancouver. Born in Kenya, she came to Canada at age 10. Her family settled in Toronto, where the large West Indian and African population meant familiar flavours and ingredients were relatively easy to source.
But when her tech career took her to B.C. in 2015 that changed.
Dining experiences in the Lower Mainland were almost as hard to find as specific ingredients. After a welcome meal at Da Roti Shak on 12th Street in New Westminster, a business idea began to form. “I was hungry and looking for anything that resonated with the East African cuisine I grew up on or the West Indian roti shops I had become familiar with, and I knew I wasn’t alone in that experience,” said Wheeldon.
“There was a missing piece in the market for Afro-Caribbean food products, particularly meal-ready choices. At the same time, I was transitioning into a far more plant-based diet and I got the encouragement sharing meals with people in the local food industry to consider developing a product line.” During maternity leave for her first child, she attended the BCIT’s entrepreneurship certificate program and developed the plan for what became Kula Foods.
From there, she took the concept to the manufacturing stage. The company launched in 2018 at . The product line includes with a trio of plant-based meat alternatives including ginger beef, BBQ chik-un and G.
O.A.T curr.