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On the Street: Sales jump for Island Good, products made on Vancouver Island

Plus: Praise for Hotel Zed in Tofino; large-format Starbucks
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A sampling Island-made products being sold under the Island Good umbrella.

Island Good products see sales increase

A marketing and labelling initiative for Island-made food and other goods is paying off for local producers.

Island Good products range from seafood, sauces and cheese to baking and fresh produce — even gin and mattresses.

The program is backed and monitored by the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance, which revealed this week Island Good product sales were up 37% in 2020 compared with the previous year.

“These results are phenomenal.” said Dan Dagg of H2 Accelerator, chair of the alliance’s Island Good Committee. “Everyone was impressed with our original test case in 2018 which showed a 16.4% increase, to more than double that is amazing.”

In 2019 sales were up 17.5% for the same period the previous year.

The survey measured a ­sample of 16 Island Good licensed products from March to December in 15 grocery stores from Victoria to ­Parksville.

“Our goal was always to ­create good household-­sustaining jobs, strengthen our food security, and increase goods production to diversify the Island economy,” said George Hanson, VIEA president. “More demand means more ­production, more jobs, more investment and increased ­resiliency.”

The Island Good initiative is funded entirely from the 165 participating licensee fees.

“We have been amazed by the support we’ve received from Island Good; they’ve helped us get recognized, listed in stores, and have provided a network that helps us get things done better,” said Jessica Duncan of Singing Bowl Granola Inc.

Island Good products are featured at Country Grocer, Quality Foods, 49th Parallel Grocery, Pepper’s, The Market Stores, Fairway Market and other ­retailers.

Hotel Zed in Tofino ranked a top-five inn

Fodor’s Travel has named Tofino’s Hotel Zed as one of the five best hotels in Canada.

The inn was among the respected travel publication’s 2022 guide of the Most Incredible Hotels in the World.

This year’s list views the global hotel industry’s changes brought on by the pandemic and how lodgings navigate the new desires and demands that travellers expect, including upgraded safety protocols and “the need for hotels to serve as escapes in themselves.”

Owner Mandy Farmer ­incorporated her design ideas to make the Hotel Zed a unique experience.

The hotel is a ­throwback to the 1970s, with a bike-through lobby, a psychic’s den and a custom driftwood Volkswagen interactive van. Other amenities include a mini disco, a secret retro arcade, a hot tub and sauna nestled in the rainforest and access to the Tofino mudflats — an ecological sanctuary for migratory birds.

Earlier this week, Lonely Planet ranked Vancouver Island No. 9 in its best regions in the world for travel in 2022.

Starbucks opens large café

Starbucks is opening a new ­location in the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel downtown on ­Monday.

At 2,100 square feet and 104 seats, the open-floor concept is different than the usual Starbucks and is designed for meeting in groups.

DoubleTree is at 777 Douglas St., and the ­Starbucks can be accessed from Burdett Street.

— Times Colonist