About Sunspring Farms
We are a social impact enterprise
Sunspring Farms will combine production and consumption by integrating hyper-local hydroponic vertical farms with Calgary affordable housing developments in order to grow safe, fresh and healthy produce, while employing sustainable business practices and underserved populations (e.g. persons with cognitive and physical disabilities) in order to drive social impact in Calgary communities.
Our story
A message from our CEO
Not surprisingly, COVID-19 played a major role in the formulation of our business model, but it also reminded us of how important it is to shop local and the impact a global emergency can have on employment and food security. When the panic buying started in Calgary, it quickly became apparent that there are obvious gaps in our supply chain and our dependence on outsourced products such as fresh produce is no longer viable.
We began hearing endless stories about essential workers and how difficult it was for them to gain access to fresh produce on a daily basis, while also working odd hours at minimum wage. Delivery services for groceries and everyday staples were out of reach for them. As a result, families were no longer able to purchase fresh produce because once they arrived at the grocery store, there was nothing left thanks to the lack of local supply to meet the demand.
Turn your focus to the underserved populations and you will hear similar stories from those suffering from cognitive or physical disabilities. Stories that have even hit close to home. For years I have watched helplessly as a family member with Autism struggled to find meaningful employment that promotes career growth as opposed to just another job. Employment that properly aligns with their skillset and capabilities always seems unachievable. These issues have existed within our society long before COVID-19, but the pandemic has exacerbated the problem.
My dream has always been to become an entrepreneur, but it is important that I focus my energy towards a mission that creates change in our community and environment. It is stories like these that have been fueling our efforts to make Sunspring Farms a reality, while also helping to solidify the WHY in our mission in order to differentiate ourselves from the competition.
“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world.”
Michael Pollan - Author of The Omnivore's Dilemma
Our values
Our values as a social impact enterprise are what drives us to bring our farms and vision to life, every single day. With our founding team being natives to Calgary for over 30 years, we are committed to creating a work environment for all Calgarians that strives to be inclusive, transparent and always curious.
Inclusive
We strive to be accepting and respectful of all human beings, while nurturing the inherent good in everyone.
Transparent
We promise to be highly dependable and trustworthy in order to establish a deep connection with our team and community.
Curious
We seek to cultivate positive intentions, embrace change, pursue innovation and be open to new opportunities.
Our team
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Chad Kolesnik
Co-Founder & CEO
With over ten years in the global marketing and communications industry, Chad's aspirations for making an everlasting impact in our community and environment is what helped shape the backbone of Sunspring Farms, along with his unique blend of leadership, project management and digital marketing experience.
Chad has a Bachelor of Management degree with a concentration in marketing from the University of Lethbridge and resides in Calgary with his two girls, wife and dog.
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Bruce Kolesnik
Co-Founder & Senior Strategic Advisor
Bruce brings over thirty years of product development, manufacturing, business development, and alternative and renewable energy experience in the hi-tech, alternative energy and renewable energy industry. Sunspring Farms aligns well with his values and passion for sustainability and making a difference from a societal perspective.
Bruce has an MBA from the University of Calgary, loves spending time with his family, and enjoys cycling around Calgary.
Our partners
Why Calgary?
Because we are diverse, progressive and resilient.
Calgary food action plan
The Calgary Food Action Plan is a core driver behind our business model. By growing hyper-local produce through vertical farms integrated with affordable housing, we can contribute to supporting local food growth through Controlled Environment Agriculture, increase accessibility to healthy and environmentally sustainable food for many Calgarians as possible in a variety of socioeconomic classes, and prevent food waste through efficient use of a diverse labour force and innovative hydroponic growing systems.
Climate resilience strategy
Climate change and the recent COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the importance of supporting a vision of resilience for Calgary and shopping locally. To help The City of Calgary advance innovative energy solutions to build a more resilient community, the energy used to grow our produce will be offset using renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. By growing more food that harnesses renewable energy, vertical farming will help The City of Calgary achieve net-zero emissions while contributing to the Climate Resilience Strategy by providing safe, healthy, and locally grown produce.
Economic resilience strategy
The past year has seen oil prices at historic lows, resulting in significant job losses and challenging times for all Calgarians. Given the nature of the production and operations within hyper-local vertical farms, we can help build a structured work environment that creates equal employment for everyone and opportunities for contributing to the growth of our products and company, which aligns well with The City of Calgary’s Economic Resilience Strategy.
Greater downtown strategy
Our farms will help breath new life into some of Calgary’s historic buildings found within the downtown and surrounding area, while also helping to reduce the vacancy rates of existing commercial spaces as we work to develop a replicable business model within Calgary. Our vision aligns with The City of Calgary’s Greater Downtown Strategy and Heritage Planning as we work to support the communities we grow within, while attracting investment into heritage building preservation and improving Calgary’s building stock.
Sustainable building policy
As part of our commitment to creating an integrated, impact driven ecosystem, hyper-local vertical farms will help The City of Calgary achieve net-zero emissions through the implementation of sustainable business practices, innovative energy solutions and Controlled Environment Agriculture technology. This aligns with The City of Calgary's Sustainable Building Policy and triple bottom line by achieving economic, social, and environmental resilience for all Calgarians.
Looking to the future
Given Alberta's vast history in agriculture, we believe our adoption of Controlled Environment Agriculture will be the next step in our farming future. As a result, we will be able to tap into a new workforce and train new talent for a bright future in vertical farming and urban agriculture. We also plan to use this as an opportunity to partner with post-secondary institutions to train students for a career in this rapidly growing industry and attract new talent and organizations into the Calgary economy.
Our commitment to sustainability
By aligning our vision with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Envision disability 2030, we will ensure the inclusion and development of persons with disabilities and help The City of Calgary achieve net-zero emissions by creating a path to sustainable food production, distribution, and access to affordable products.
