International Women’s Day: 10 Women-Led Vancouver Businesses to Support
International Women’s Day 2025 takes places on March 8, and is an opportunity to spotlight the remarkable, multifaceted achievements of women around the world. Vancouver, known for its inclusivity and diversity, is the perfect place to celebrate and support female entrepreneurs in a variety of different industries.
Nuez Acres embodies the spirit of women’s day: the Indigenous skincare brand prioritizes sustainability, zero-waste, and is woman-led. Nuez, co-founded by Nancy Wingham and her husband Anthony Wingham, produces all natural, water-free products, such as skin serums and lip balms, that use pecan oil extracted from pecans from her family’s farm in northern Mexico. Wingham, also a mother and mentor of fellow businesswomen, can be seen as the friendly face of Nuez Acres at events and markets around town, including local farmers markets.
Dayandra Elrod cares deeply not only about dogs but also about eco and social responsibility. Her dogs motivated her to open Good Boy Collective in Mount Pleasant to take a different approach to products for pets in an industry that often leans to the mass produced. The boutique attentively curates its stylish goods, prioritizing local, small, and women-led businesses, and also sells bulk food from local suppliers in order to promote high quality and zero waste when it comes to pet food.
Mother and daughter, Sandra McIntyre and Acacia Cresswell, run Serenity West in South Granville. McIntyre first dreamed up the concept when she was working as an interior designer and clients were asking for sustainable, locally-made products. They started at markets and pop-ups and eventually opened a retail location where they sell their apparel and accessories and support other like-minded brands. As an alternative to fast fashion, they use eco-friendly natural fabric that is long lasting, producing timeless clothing through ethical, fair wage local production. And they also support non-profit organizations such as Polar Bears International.
Amélie Thuy Nguyen has become a powerhouse of the Vancouver food scene. Nguyen, with a Master of Public Health from the University of Melbourne, has worked all around the world, including for the World Health Organization and Fraser Health Authority closer to home. Of late, she’s brought her boundless energy and enthusiasm to multiple family businesses: Bib Gourmand Anh and Chi; innovative and playful cocktail spot Good Thief; and Me’s Marketplace by Anh and Chi, which offers Vietnamese sauces. If that isn’t enough, she’s also collaborated on an award-winning documentary Mẹ and is part of the dynamic duo behind the YouTube series Munchies to Michelin.
It’s hard to do justice to the impact that Carol Lee (Order of British Columbia and Order of Canada) has had on this city. Lee’s family has long ties to Chinatown, ties that have continued with the businesswoman and philanthropist’s unceasing work to revitalize the neighbourhood. In addition to running Chinatown BBQ, a fixture for barbecued meats and beef brisket curry, she’s also the chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and the Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee, both of which have been instrumental in changing the landscape of the area. When she’s not engaged in a multitude of non-profit work, Lee serves as the CEO and co-founder of Linacare Cosmetherapy, which specializes in therapeutic skincare.
Mèreon, a French, West Coast bistro that launched in West Vancouver last year, embeds in its name its tribute to inspirational women in the culinary industry. Owner Ophelia Arida, who fell for French cuisine and culture during her travels, wanted a name that recognizes the incredible contributions of women to French cooking. She chose a play on the word “mère,” which means mother in French and is also the honourary title given to French female chefs, especially in Lyon. The cooking and community at the restaurant are thus a loving nod to people like Eugénie Brazier, known as Mère Brazier, who was the first person to be awarded six Michelin stars and is considered to be the mother of modern French cooking.
Asha Wheeldon, who was born in Kenya and has lived in Toronto in addition to now Vancouver, started Kula Foods as a mother with a young family looking for culturally-resonant foods in local grocery stories. After finding no Afro-centric options, she addressed this lack by launching Kula Foods, an Afro-vegan line of sauces (e.g., red pepper BBQ sauce) and prepared foods (e.g., BBQ Chik-Un). From a start at farmers markets, she quickly expanded to distributing to other places in town. You can find her products at a variety of retailers, including Rise Up Marketplace and Stong’s Market.
Michelle Ng started Vancouver Foodie Tours out of a passion for the city’s food community. Ng, who was born in Hong Kong and moved to Vancouver at a young age, worked in the IT industry before she decided to pursue her true passion. What started as a side gig quickly became something more, growing to become the top food tour company in the nation. Today, Vancouver Foodie Tours runs numerous different tours, all geared toward showcasing a different neighbourhood or community’s culinary offerings, whether it be Granville Island or Gastown. Ng is all about storytelling and connecting people with like-minded people—and food.
Located at the entrance to Granville Island, Pacific Institute for the Culinary Arts (PICAchef) not only provides professional culinary training, but also offers cooking and wine classes to home cooks, and operates Blue Hat Bakery-Café and Blue Hat Bistro event space. PICAchef’s president and co-owner is Sylvia Potvin, the daughter of Hong Kong immigrants who takes inspiration from her grandmother for her career aspirations. Potvin has a background in advertising and marketing and operates PICAchef out of a desire to foster new talent in the culinary industry as well as to build community through events and classes. She’s also served as a judge for the annual VanMag Restaurant Awards.
Talaysay Tours, owned and operated by Candace Campo and her daughter Talaysay Campo (members of the Sechelt and Squamish nations), is much more than a conventional tour company: it educates about Indigenous culture and people’s relationship to nature, as well as furthers Indigenous cultural revitalization. Candace Campo brings together her training as an anthropologist and teacher as well as her Sechelt heritage in the tours she offers (e.g., Talking Trees – Stanley Park) that prioritize inspirational and informative storytelling. Her daughter Talaysay, in addition to serving as Operations Manager for the company, founded Love the Land, an apparel company that champions Indigenous artists.
In addition to supporting these amazing businesses for International Women’s Day, there are numerous events happening around town you can attend. The IWD March takes place March 8 from 1-4pm, beginning at the Vancouver Art Gallery’s North Plaza with an Indigenous welcome ceremony and community speakers. The event is being organized by a local, grassroots coalition, in community partnership with Simon Fraser Student Society’s Women’s Centre and the SFU Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance. Workout for Women’s Day runs until March 9, 2025, with a bunch of different classes to sign up for, including zumba and hatha yoga, with the aim of raising money for charities such as Dress for Success. Move in community and support worthy non-profit organizations.
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