Rena Nickerson is a major CPG expert and industry leader in Toronto, so it was great to chat with her about leadership and mentorship.
Browsing Tag
drinks
Hana James
Co-Founder & Director of Community, Greenhouse Juice
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I studied Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill. My plan was to go into medicine, but on that journey, I realized my passion for healing and health was more connected to food and nutrition, which led me to where I am today.
I love the Blue Lemonade! What is the most popular Greenhouse juice?
Blue Lemonade is definitely a popular one! Each of our beverages has their fan bases, but I’d say overall our green juices like Gatsby and the Good are the most popular.
Toronto is filled with amazing restaurants, as well as many foodies and drink connoisseurs. That’s why this weekend’s Taste of Toronto was such a hit in the Six.
Scrolling through Instagram made me even more excited to attend, as my friends posted pics of highly photogenic and tasty treats. Once I looked at the restaurant menus, however, I realized that my choices were limited due to dietary restrictions. That didn’t stop me from having fun though!
Many top brands were eager to help consumers ring in the new year. Overall, I noticed that brands posted more GIFs and short videos this year, which signals progress. Last year’s round up included only three posts and this year’s list includes three categories to help marketers with content development on Instagram.
I hope you’ll bookmark this for future reference and maybe even print it in colour to discuss at your next brainstorm meeting!
Inspiration for Small Businesses
While evaluating posts in my feed, I looked for simple posts that small business owners can learn from and treat as templates for future holiday posts. With the right stock photo and some text overlay in a program like Adobe Photoshop, a post that looks like this one from Aroma is fairly easy to create.
Name: Jason Cassidy
Position: Community Manager
Education: Political Science and Journalism, St. Thomas University; Professional Communication, Ryerson University
Professional role model:
Amanda Nelson was my supervisor at Radian6. Similar to myself, she began as a journalist and turned those foundational skills of writing, editing and storytelling into an up-and-coming role based on content creation and management. I admire her because of what I learned under her guidance, but I also really aspire to work in a similar role.
In 140 characters or less, why should Canadians eat and drink at Jack Astor’s?
Jack Astor’s offers delicious food in a fun, unpretentious setting served by a team of infectiously energetic and pleasant people.
Which menu items do you recommend for first-time customers?
Without hesitation, the Holy Smoke BBQ Burger or The 10oz South American top sirloin steak. Insider tip: order the Jack’d n Stack’d garlic cheese fries on the side!
What do you love about Jack Astor’s food?
About 95% of the menu is made in-house. The Cluckin’ Fresh Chicken Fingers, for example, begin as a boneless, skinless chicken breast. They are then massaged for 2 minutes, chopped and breaded twice for extra crunch. Fresh is best and I don’t think we do a good enough job of communicating that—myself included!