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Rory Holland wants you to put your money where your mouth is

Rory Holland doesn’t consider himself a ‘foodie’ but says food has always been a quiet, persistent influence in his life.
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Rory Holland says he is enjoying the benefits and new sense of connection brought by the bee colony in his garden.

Rory Holland doesn’t consider himself a ‘foodie’ but says food has always been a quiet, persistent influence in his life.

He adds that for a long time, gardening was not his thing and all of his outdoor efforts consisted of digging holes or moving dirt for his wife, Lisa. Then once, when asked to empty the kitchen compost, he had a “conversion experience.”

“I saw the rich, black soil filled with worms that the food turned into and it just got me. Gardening led to Permaculture, and that led to thinking about all the ways food impacts our economy, our environment and our community,” says Holland. 

In the past few years, Holland has turned this passion into an organization that exists to support local food and agriculture businesses called Knives and Forks Community Investment Co-op.

“The inspiration for this started at a ‘Slow Money’ conference my wife Lisa and I attended in Colorado,” he says. “Woody Tasch, Slow Money’s founder, asked the question ‘what could the impact be if we invested 50 percent of our money within 50 miles of our home?’”

Holland says the help of Van City Credit Union, and a dedicated founding board, made his vision a reality by navigating securities regulations and helping to set-up a co-operative. He adds that the initial goal set two years ago was to get 150 investors and a total of $300,000. The organization is halfway there, and currently funds two businesses: Sunday Cider, that uses organic apples grown in the Simlkameen and Okanagan Valleys, and Coast Protein, a Vancouver company producing protein bars out of cricket flour.

“We’ve told our investors that they might get a 2% return, and a handful of people have even dipped into their RRSPs to make investments,” says Holland. “I think we need to shift the way we think about investing, and we need to shift the way we think about food: when you’re investing in your community, the returns go beyond financial. The potential for positive environmental, social, and economic impact is a benefit to everyone, even if little or no money is made. When it comes to food, we need to consider the whole life cycle, sure food grown-well costs more – but it’s an investment in the soil, the farmers, as well as our own health”.

Holland says that he’d welcome local Bowen farmers and food producers to seek out Knives and Forks.  

“All that said, however, I think the best thing anyone can do is to start a garden of their own,” says Holland. “It’s as local as you can get and the bonus is it creates a sense of empathy and understanding about the effort required to grow real food in the first place.”

If you are interested in either becoming a member or seeking a loan from Knives and Forks you can contact them at- info@knivesandforks.ca