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- 2024 Recipient: Remix Snacks
2024 Recipient: Remix Snacks Explore the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Introducing Remix Snacks, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2024! Founder: Isabelle Lam Location: Toronto, ON Discover Remix Snacks online: Website // Instagram About Remix Snacks Remix Snacks is an Asian female-led company founded by dietitians that creates bean-based snacks using upcycled ingredients to reduce food waste. Their mission is to make beans fun and approachable, highlighting their delicious and nutritious qualities while addressing common hesitations about them. The company offers two high-protein, high-fiber snack lines: Bean Bark, a dark chocolate treat made with 70% dark chocolate, black beans, and upcycled fruit, and Beanies, a savory puff made with mung beans and upcycled carrots. All products are diet-inclusive—free from nuts, dairy, gluten, and preservatives—and are Plastic Neutral certified through the rePurpose Program, removing plastic waste from the environment. How will the fund make an impact with your business? Remix Snacks will use the grant to fuel growth and streamline operations. For in-store sampling ($2,000), which has driven over 200% sales lifts at retailers like Sobeys and Metro, the grant will help hire brand ambassadors to expand sampling nationwide, increasing reach and sales. For R&D ($500), we aim to lower ingredient costs to improve margins and offer more affordable products to consumers. A Walmart campaign ($2,500) will combine digital and in-store activations to double business with the retailer while boosting brand awareness. Lastly, for cash flow and packaging updates ($5,000), the grant will fund large production orders for expanding retailers and improve case packaging to enhance visibility and sales at Walmart. What is your long term goal for the company? As we solidify establishing our brand in Canada, we plan on expanding to the US market over the next few years. We’re specifically looking at the states of Washington and New York, as they are close to the border for shipping and distribution, and have consumers that align with our target markets and values. With our mission of using beans as the base of our snacks, and upcycled/imperfect ingredients to reduce food waste, the product possibilities are endless. We plan on expanding our product offerings, and entering into new CPG spaces such as the breakfast and other snacks spaces. Through all of this, we plan on reducing over 50,000kg of food waste over the next 3 years. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2024 recipients here.
- Pier Five x Mastercard | Pier Five
Mastercard and Pier Five are working together to empower small businesses. Mastercard and Pier Five are working together to empower small businesses. Since 2022, Pier Five and Mastercard have worked together to empower small business owners across Canada. Together, they’ve launched the annual Small Business Fund. Now in its 3rd year, Mastercard is providing $100,000 CAD in funding to women-owned small businesses. Through this initiative, along with networking events and educational content, both brands remain committed to supporting and uplifting small business owners across all industries. Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Mastercard and Pier Five launched the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund to help close the gender funding gap in Canada. Women owned small businesses in Canada receive 150% less funding than male owned small businesses and through the fund, Mastercard & Pier Five have worked to identify high-potential recipients, with Mastercard distributing $10,000 CAD in funding to each recipient. In addition to funding, recipients are given access to resources and a Priceless experience with mentors and business experts! Small businesses like yours are the foundation of our local communities, and we’re here to help you do more. At Pier Five, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and leveraging the power of our people, resources and network to be a force for good in the communities that we serve. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply. Discover Past Recipients 2024 2023 2022 Fund Recipients 2024 ImaginAble Solutions Lianna Genovese Remix Snacks Isabelle Lam Shawish Market Amanda Bernard Mahara Mindfulness Sheba Zaidi & Genevive Savundranayagam Paintillio Jess Devenport & Lyssa Kayra LESLEY HAMPTON Lesley Hampton Bruized Monique Chan & Justice Walz BocoBoco Lauren Rochat Folds Wear Nina Kharey The Magpie Cakery Libby Brewer-Dulac & Maggie Frith Fund Recipients 2023 Joni Linda Biggs Loba Kate Bouchard Spice Girl Chai Rebecca Pereira Dandylion Carolyn Chen Zing Jannine Rane Inoki Bathhouse Helen Yin Guests On Earth Jackie Prince Cubed Style Christine, Candace & Camille Oliver U Grow Girl Crystal Wood & Leha Marshall Colour The Trails Judith Kasiama Fund Recipients 2022 Barbet Andrea Grand Aaniin Retail Inc. Chelsee Pettit Rise Arts Co. Shivani Sen Apricotton Jess Miao & Chloe Beaudoin Parkerview Brews Kombucha Amy Kaban Priceless Experiences Mastercard and Pier Five offer in-person programming for small business owners to help them connect and learn from one another, as well as small business mentors and experts. From founders dinners to roundtable discussions, our goal is to build long lasting relationships and empower a community of energetic and ambitious entrepreneurs. Read about the 2024 Priceless Experience here. To learn more about how to get involved in Pier Five & Mastercard small business programming, join our mailing list and follow us on Instagram at @pier.five and @mastercardca .
- Privacy | Pier Five
Privacy Policy (Click here for French) Last modified: December 2022 INTRODUCTION Pier Five and our affiliates and subsidiaries (“Company” or “We”) respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through our compliance with this policy. This policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect the personal information of our customers and website users (“you“), describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit the website www.pier-five.com (our “Website“), and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information. We will only use your personal information in accordance with this policy unless otherwise required by applicable law. We take steps to ensure that the personal information that we collect about you is adequate, relevant, not excessive, and used for limited purposes. Privacy laws in Canada generally define “personal information” as any information about an identifiable individual, which includes information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person. Personal information does not include business contact information, including your name, title, or business contact numbers. This policy applies to information we collect, use, or disclose about our customers and Website users: On this Website. In email, text, and other electronic messages between you and this Website. When you interact with our advertising and applications on third-party websites and services if those applications or advertising include links to this policy. On our social media pages and profiles, including Facebook and Instagram. The Website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins, services, social networks, or applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow the third party to collect or share data about you. If you follow a link to a third-party website or engage a third-party plugin, please note that these third parties have their own privacy policies and we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. We do not control these third-party websites, and we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit. This policy does not apply to information collected by any third party, through any application or content (including advertising) that may link to or be accessible from or on the Website. Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices for collecting, processing, and storing your information. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use our Website. By accessing or using this Website, you indicate that you understand, accept, and consent to the practices described in this policy. This policy may change from time to time (see Changes to Our Privacy Policy). Your continued use of this Website after we make changes indicates that you accept and consent to those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates. INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU We collect and use several types of information from and about you, including: Personal information, that we can reasonably use to directly or indirectly identify you, such as your name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number, age, occupation, gender, income, interests, social media handles, Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, user name or other similar identifier, billing and account information, and any other identifier we may use to contact you online or offline (“personal information“). We provide an opportunity for any user to unsubscribe from our newsletter or opt-out of contact for marketing purposes, including event invitations and surveys, on an ongoing basis by accessing our Website or using the unsubscribe mechanism at the bottom of our e-mails. Non-personal information, that does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity or directly relate to an identified individual, such as demographic information, or statistical or aggregated information. Statistical or aggregated data does not directly identify a specific person, but we may derive non-personal statistical or aggregated data from personal information. For example, we may aggregate personal information to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific Website feature. Technical information, including your login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, or information about your internet connection, the equipment you use to access our Website, and usage details. Non-personal details about your Website interactions, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), clickstream to, through and from our Website (including date and time), products you viewed or searched for, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), methods used to browse away from the page, or any phone number used to call our customer service number. Consent is required for the collection of personal information and the subsequent use or disclosure of this information. In order for us to receive personal information from you and allow us to provide you with a requested product or service, your consent to allow us to use that personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy will be obtained before the submission of such personal information. When you are entering any information on a form on our Website, you will be required to confirm by way of checking a box that you have read and agreed to the terms of this Privacy Policy. Only after such box is checked, will your personal information included in the form be provided to us. If you need to provide personal information about other individuals, you must first obtain their consent for these purposes prior to your disclosure to us. Providing us with your personal information is always your choice. When you request services from us, we ask that you provide information that enables us to provide those services to the best of our abilities. You will be authorizing us to use and retain this personal information for as long as it may be required for the purposes described in this policy. Your consent remains valid even after the termination of our relationship with you, unless you provide us with written notice that such consent is withdrawn in accordance with this policy. By withdrawing your consent, or not providing it in the first place, you may limit or even prevent us from being able to provide you or an authorized third party with the products or services desired. HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT YOU We use different methods to collect your information, including through: Direct interactions with you when you provide it to us, for example, by filling in forms or corresponding with us by phone, email, or otherwise. User contributions. You may also provide information for us to publish or display on public Website areas or transmit to other Website users or third parties. Automated technologies or interactions, as you navigate through our Website. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies. Information You Provide to Us The information we collect directly from you on or through our Website may include: Information that you provide by filling in forms on our Website. This includes information provided at the time of subscribing to our newsletter or magazine, posting material, or requesting further information about our services. We may also ask you for information when you enter a contest or promotion sponsored by us, and when you report a problem with our Website. Records and copies of your correspondence (including email addresses), if you contact us. Your responses to surveys that we might ask you to complete for research purposes. Details of transactions you carry out through our Website and of the fulfillment of your subscription. You may be required to provide financial information before placing an order for our magazine through our Website. Your search queries on the Website. Information We Collect Through Cookies and Other Automatic Data Collection Technologies As you navigate through and interact with our Website, we may use cookies or other automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns, including: Details of your visits to our Website, including traffic data, location data, logs, and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the Website. Information about your computer and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type. We may also use these technologies to collect information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or other online services (behavioral tracking). To learn more or to opt-out of tailored advertising please visit Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada Opt-Out Tool for information on how you can opt out of behavioral tracking on this Website and how we respond to web browser signals and other mechanisms that enable consumers to exercise choice about behavioral tracking. The information we collect automatically is statistical information and may include personal information and we maintain it or associate it with personal information we collect in other ways, that you provide to us, or receive from third parties. It helps us to improve our Website and to deliver a better and more personalized service, including by enabling us to: Estimate our audience size and usage patterns. Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Website according to your individual interests. Speed up your searches. Recognize you when you return to our Website. The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include: Cookies (or browser cookies). A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our Website. Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Website may use local stored objects (or Flash cookies) to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our Website. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings that are used for browser cookies. For information about managing your privacy and security settings for Flash cookies, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information. Web Beacons. Pages of our Website and our e-mails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity). HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information: To present our Website and its contents to you. To provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us. To fulfill the purposes for which you provided the information or that were described when it was collected, or any other purpose for which you provide it. To provide you with notices about your subscription, including expiration and renewal notices. To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts with you, including for billing and collection or to comply with legal requirements. To notify you about changes to our Website or any products or services we offer or provide though it. To improve our Website, products or services, marketing, or customer relationships and experiences. To allow you to participate in interactive features, social media, or similar features on our Website. To measure or understand the effectiveness of the advertising we serve to you and others, and to deliver relevant advertising to you. In any other way we may describe when you provide the information. For any other purpose with your consent. We may also use your information to contact you about our own and third-parties’ goods and services that may be of interest to you, as permitted by law. If you do not want us to use your information in this way, please use the unsubscribe mechanism at the bottom of our e-mails. For more information, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information. DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction. We may disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this privacy policy: To our subsidiaries, affiliates and business partners To third parties to market their products or services to you if you have not opted out of these disclosures. For more information, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information. To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business (such as analytics and search engine providers that assist us with Website improvement and optimization) and who are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this policy. For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information. With your consent. We may also disclose your personal information: To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request, in accordance with applicable law. To enforce or apply our terms of use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes. If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Company, our customers, or others. TRANSFERRING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION We may transfer personal information that we collect or that you provide as described in this policy to contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business (such as analytics and search engine providers that assist us with Website improvement and optimization) and who are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this policy. We currently process and store you personal information in Canada. In the future, however, we, or third parties to whom your personal information has been provided in accordance with this policy, may process, store, and transfer your personal information in and to a foreign country, with different privacy laws that may or may not be as comprehensive as Canadian law. In these circumstances, the governments, courts, law enforcement, or regulatory agencies of that country may be able to obtain access to your personal information through the laws of the foreign country. Whenever we engage a service provider, we require that its privacy and security standards adhere to this policy and applicable Canadian privacy legislation. You are welcome to contact us to obtain further information about Company policies regarding service providers outside of Canada. See Contact Information and Challenging Compliance. By submitting your personal information or engaging with the Website, you consent to this transfer, storage, or processing. CHOICES ABOUT HOW WE USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION We strive to provide you with choices regarding the personal information you provide to us. We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information: Tracking Technologies and Advertising. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. To learn how you can manage your Flash cookie settings, visit the Flash player settings page on Adobe’s website. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this Website may not be accessible or may not function properly. For more information about tracking technologies, see Information We Collect Through Cookies and Other Automatic Data Collection Technologies. Third-Party Advertising. If you do not want us to share your personal information with unaffiliated or non-agent third parties for promotional purposes, you can opt-out by using the unsubscribe mechanism in our emails or at the bottom of this page. Promotional Offers from the Company. If you have opted in to receive certain emails from us but no longer wish to have your email address used by the Company to promote our own or third parties’ products or services, you can opt-out by using the unsubscribe mechanism in our emails or at the bottom of this page. If we have sent you a promotional email, you may unsubscribe by clicking the unsubscribe link we have included in the email. This opt-out does not apply to information provided to the Company as part of a product purchase, warranty registration, product service experience, or other transactions. Targeted Advertising. If you do not want us to use information that we collect or that you provide to us to deliver advertisements according to our advertisers’ target-audience preferences, you can opt out by using the unsubscribe mechanism in our emails or at the bottom of this page. DATA SECURITY The security of your personal information is very important to us. We use physical, electronic, and administrative measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. We make the effort to train our employees and make them aware of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of personal information. Our employees are required to maintain confidentiality and may not use the information for any unauthorized purpose. Only our employees with a business need to know, or whose duties reasonably so require, are granted access to your personal information. The safety and security of your information also depends on you. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password for access to certain parts of our Website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share your password with anyone. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our Website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Website. DATA RETENTION Except as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law or regulation, we will retain your personal information indefinitely, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Under some circumstances we may anonymize your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you. We reserve the right to use such anonymous and de-identified data for any legitimate business purpose without further notice to you or your consent. ACCESSING AND CORRECTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION It is important that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes. By law you have the right to request access to and to correct the personal information that we hold about you. If you want to review, verify, correct, or withdraw consent to the use of your personal information you may also send us an email at community@pier-five.com to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that you have provided to us. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect. We may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and your right to access, and to provide you with the personal information that we hold about you or make your requested changes. Applicable law may allow or require us to refuse to provide you with access to some or all of the personal information that we hold about you, or we may have destroyed, erased, or made your personal information anonymous in accordance with our record retention obligations and practices. If we cannot provide you with access to your personal information, we will inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions. We will provide access to your personal information, subject to exceptions set out in applicable privacy legislation. Examples of such exceptions include: Information protected by solicitor-client privilege. Information that is part of a formal dispute resolution process. Information that is about another individual that would reveal their personal information or confidential commercial information. Information that is prohibitively expensive to provide. If you are concerned about our response or would like to correct the information provided, you may contact our team at community@pier-five.com . WITHDRAWING YOUR CONSENT Where you have provided your consent to the collection, use, and transfer of your personal information, you may have the legal right to withdraw your consent under certain circumstances. To withdraw your consent, if applicable, contact us at community@pier-five.com . Please note that if you withdraw your consent we may not be able to provide you with a particular product or service. We will explain the impact to you at the time to help you with your decision. CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page with a notice that the privacy policy has been updated on the Website home page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users’ personal information, we will notify you by email to the email address specified in your account and through a notice on the Website home page. We include the date the privacy policy was last revised at the top of the page. You are responsible for ensuring we have an up-to-date, active, and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting our Website and this privacy policy to check for any changes. CONTACT INFORMATION AND CHALLENGING COMPLIANCE We welcome your questions, comments, and requests regarding this privacy policy and our privacy practices. Please contact us at: community@pier-five.com Attention: Pier Five Team We have procedures in place to receive and respond to complaints or inquiries about our handling of personal information, our compliance with this policy, and with applicable privacy laws. To discuss our compliance with this policy please contact community@pier-five.com using the contact information listed above.
- Activation Grant | Pier Five
Small Business Activation Grant Pier Five and Intak Printing are teaming up to give small business owners the chance to bring their next activation to life—completely free . Through this grant, selected recipients will receive high-quality printed assets from Intak Printing and marketing, operational, and community support from Pier Five to help execute their event or brand activation. Whether it’s a pop-up shop, product launch, community event, or creative installation, this program is designed to empower small businesses with the resources they need to make an impact. Grand Prize Grays Runner Up Stimmie Runner Up Yueh Tung Restaurant Grand Prize $10,000 CAD of Custom Printed Materials - Provided by Intak Printing. This could include signage, posters, menus, packaging, wall decals or other essential assets. Operational & Marketing Support – Pier Five will help with: Connecting recipients to local vendors and suppliers Pre-activation content support (storytelling, interviews, social media features) On-site and post-event coverage for social & web content Bringing in community brand partners for in-kind product support Runner Up Prizing Two Runner-Up Prizes: $2,000 CAD credit to Intak Printing and a dedicated social content feature with Pier Five. To be eligible for the Pier Five x Intak Printing Small Business Activation Grant, applicants must meet the following criteria: Business Location: Must be a registered business operating within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Business Registration: Must be a legally registered business in Canada (sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation). Proof of registration may be required. Business Age: Must have been in operation for at least one (1) year as of the application date. Revenue Cap: Must have an annual gross revenue of under $2 million CAD. Activation Alignment: The proposed activation (e.g., pop-up shop, community event, product launch, or creative installation) must: Be feasible to execute before December 31, 2025. Align with the small business’s brand, product, or service offerings. Be open to the public or targeted toward community engagement (private corporate events do not qualify). Commitment to Execution: Recipients must actively participate in the grant program, including: Providing updates on activation progress. Engaging in pre- and post-activation content (e.g., interviews, social features). Allowing Pier Five and Intak Printing to document and share their activation journey. Exclusions: Franchises, multi-level marketing businesses, and passive investment businesses are not eligible. Businesses engaged in illegal or unethical activities will not be considered. Previous winners of a Pier Five grant within the past 12 months are ineligible. Marketing: Recipients must be following @pier.five and @intakprintingcanada on Instagram For full grant terms and conditions, click here.
- Designer - Tory Van Thompson | Pier Five
Tory Van Thompson Where: New York, NY What: Designer Tory Van Thompson, aka the workwear-master has been a household name in the world of New York designers for many years. With a decade of experience working with clothing under his belt, Tory has done a little bit of everything, from graphics to Japanese selvedge and now reworking Dickies and vintage denim to create unique silhouettes that you can't find anywhere else. We came across his work a while back and were very excited to get him involved in this project. Following up from our team jackets made last December, we knew Tory would be the perfect person to finish off the fit with his reworked 2Tone Dickies pants using the iconic 'Lincoln Green' colourway. Why are you excited to be a part of the grant project? This project is very unique and not like anything that I have been a part of before. I am excited to be able to help offer young creatives opportunities that I never had when I was coming up as a designer. It doesn't always take a lot to support others. Every bit helps and I know how much of a difference that can make for someone so I had to take advantage of the chance to be a part of this. Can you tell us about the pieces that you've made for the grant? The pairs I made for the grant are done using my original 2Tone shape which swaps out the back of the pants for a secondary colourway. I wanted to keep it simple. We used the Dickies 'Lincoln Green' colourway as the base since that's the Pier Five brand colour and matched it with a classic black to make these pants really stand out but also be subtle at the same time. You can rock these all summer long and also have them as your go-to in the fall and winter. See All Designers Lookbook (Coming Soon) Shop (Coming Soon)
- Designer - Cereal Artist | Pier Five
Cereal Artist Where: Toronto, ON What: Designer / Artist Vivian Huang is a Toronto-based artist, inspired by sneakers and streetwear, who creates fun and functional accessories and garments using sneaker parts and other interesting materials. Vivian was one of Pier Five's first guests on the platform in 2021 and so it only felt right that she be a part of the Pier Five Creators Grant. We are lucky enough to have two amazing items from Cereal Artist for this collection, including one of her staple card holders and a never before seen side bag made from a Croc clog. Read the Pier Five interview with Cereal Artist here . Why are you excited to be a part of the grant project? I think it's great that Pier Five is creating opportunities to showcase local creatives and use that to also create opportunities for emerging artists. I am always excited to get involved with the community and this project gave me an opportunity to think out of the box on some new product concepts as well which I was excited about. Can you tell us about the pieces that you've made for the grant? For the Pier Five grant, I really wanted to create something new and unique that hasn't really been done before. For the main piece, I chose Crocs because I've never worked with that brand before and I thought it would be fun to turn it into a bag which looks great but is not what it's actually made for at all. For me, it's all about being fun and getting creative. The Card Holder is something I've done before but I always love using new sneakers and materials and the Puma Suede in green was a perfect fit for the collection. See All Designers Lookbook (Coming Soon) Shop (Coming Soon)
- General Rules - Activation Grant 2025 | Pier Five
Small Business Activation Grant General Rules 1. Eligibility 1.1 The Pier Five x Intak Printing Activation Grant ("Grant") is open to individuals and businesses that meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the application guidelines. 1.2 Applicants must be legal residents of Canada and at least 18 years of age at the time of application. 1.3 Employees of Pier Five, Intak Printing, and their affiliates, as well as their immediate family members, are not eligible to apply. Apply to the Pier Five x Intak Printing Activation Grant here. 2. Application Process 2.1 Applications must be submitted within the designated application period, as stated in the grant timeline. 2.2 All information provided in the application must be accurate and complete. Pier Five reserves the right to disqualify any applicant providing false or misleading information. 2.3 By submitting an application, applicants consent to receive emails and communications from Pier Five and Intak Printing for marketing, promotional, and informational purposes. Applicants can opt out at any time. 3. Selection and Notification 3.1 Grant recipients will be selected based on criteria established by Pier Five and Intak Printing. 3.2 Finalists may be contacted for interviews as part of the selection process. 3.3 Selected recipients will be notified via email and must confirm their acceptance within a specified timeframe. Failure to respond within the given period may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate recipient. 4. Grant Activation and Use 4.1 The grant is intended for the recipient’s business activation and branding through Intak Printing services. 4.2 Recipients must complete the activation project within the timeframe specified in the grant agreement. 4.3 Pier Five and Intak Printing reserve the right to use the recipient’s name, business name, and activation details for promotional and marketing purposes. 5. Liability and Indemnification 5.1 Pier Five, Intak Printing, and their affiliates shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from the acceptance, use, or participation in the grant program. 5.2 Recipients acknowledge that participation in the activation project is at their own risk. 5.3 Recipients agree to indemnify and hold harmless Pier Five, Intak Printing, and their affiliates from any claims, damages, or losses arising from the activation project. 6. Modification and Termination 6.1 Pier Five and Intak Printing reserve the right to modify or terminate the grant program at any time without prior notice. 6.2 Any changes to these terms will be communicated to applicants and recipients via email or the official Pier Five website. 7. General Conditions 7.1 This grant is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash. 7.2 All decisions made by Pier Five and Intak Printing regarding the grant are final and binding. 7.3 These terms and conditions shall be governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and applicable Canadian laws. By submitting an application, applicants acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agree to these Terms and Conditions.
- Designer - Thheme | Pier Five
Thheme Where: Vancouver, BC What: Designer Tom Robinson is the brain behind Thheme, an independent brand focused on making premium quality headwear, based out of Vancouver, BC. All of Tom's hats, from the crown to the brim, are made by hand using deadstock and reclaimed materials. His intent is to bring life to fabrics that may have been overlooked or sitting around awaiting their disposal to the landfill. We came across Tom through some local connections and were immediately obsesses with his work, knowing that we had to bring him in to make something special for the grant project. Why are you excited to be a part of the grant project? I think it’s a great opportunity to showcase creators and local talent throughout Canada and beyond. This in turn gives emerging makers/creators an avenue to see that starting your own business is a possibility and can be done with the help of this grant. It could be the little jumpstart that you’re in need of to get your business off the ground. Can you tell us about the pieces that you've made for the grant? These hats were a collaborative effort with Pier Five to showcase the diversity of reused materials and fall in line with a fun summer aesthetic using greens which are the Pier five colour palette. We pulled a mix of plaid, cotton and canvas, corduroy, suede and leather for these ones; really taking the material mix to the next level. The red button up top is my signature and I think it adds a nice hit of colour and contrast to these caps. See All Designers Lookbook (Coming Soon) Shop (Coming Soon)
- Spice Girl Chai
Spice Girl Chai Spice Girl Chai Who: Rebecca Pereira Where: Toronto, ON Instagram Website How would you use the $10,000 CAD fund for your business? See All Winners
- 2024 Recipient: Paintillio
2024 Recipient: Paintillio Explore the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Introducing Paintillio, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2024! Founders: Lyssa Kayra & Jess Devenport Location: Vancouver, BC Discover Paintillio online: Website // Instagram About Paintillio Since its founding in 2017, Paintillio has been dedicated to creating high-quality, collaborative paint-by-numbers projects that foster community growth through artistic expression. As Canada’s only provider of large-scale, premium paint-by-numbers murals, made possible by proprietary software, Paintillio empowers people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to contribute to a shared creative goal. These projects build teamwork and a sense of accomplishment, whether at corporate teambuilding events, festivals, or public mural installations sponsored by companies to strengthen local communities. Paintillio’s unique approach has attracted major clients like Coca-Cola, Amazon, and Toyota and earned the company nominations for awards like the BC Small Business of the Year. With support from Mastercard and the Pier Five Fund, Paintillio plans to bring even more communities together through the power of shared artistic expression. How will the fund make an impact with your business? With $10,000 from the Mastercard x Pier Five Fund, Paintillio will be able to scale its production capabilities through the development of an advanced software program. These funds will be used to hire a full-time developer for two to three months to work alongside Paintillio’s current developer, enhancing the software to meet both current and future demand. The goal is to increase production capacity to 100 murals per day while reducing project turnaround times from 3-4 weeks to 1-2 weeks, ensuring Paintillio can meet the needs of time-sensitive clients and event planners. By investing in this critical upgrade, the team will also be able to redirect resources toward marketing campaigns and business development in the U.S., supporting the company’s ongoing growth and international expansion. What is your long term goal for the company? One of our long-term goals is to reach $2 million in revenue within the next three years, and our current demand puts us on track to achieve it. However, our in-house software, which transforms client images into custom paint-by-numbers murals, has become a bottleneck. It can take up to 24 hours to render large-scale images, limiting us to one mural per day and a 3-4 week turnaround time. Upgrading this software is crucial to meeting demand, reducing turnaround times, and unlocking new business opportunities. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2024 recipients here.
- Pier Five Community Dinner: Volume 1
Pier Five Community Dinner: Volume 1 Last week, Pier Five hosted an incredible Community Dinner event at Hong Shing in Toronto, and it was nothing short of a resounding success. The event, which featured a 7-course Chinese family-style meal and a panel discussion with distinguished business owners, drew an enthusiastic crowd of creatives, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. Tickets sold out quickly, and the room was buzzing with inspiring conversations and valuable insights. Being a small business owner comes with its own set of challenges, especially in times of economic uncertainty. The goal of the event was to support and encourage the small business and creative community by sharing experiences and strategies for success. The evening began with a welcome cocktail, setting the tone for a night filled with networking and camaraderie. The 7-course dinner was a delightful journey through Chinese cuisine. Each dish was a testament to Hong Shing's culinary expertise, enhancing the atmosphere of collaboration and connection among attendees. The food was paired perfectly with delicious beer and wine courtesy of Madri Excepcional & Charton Hobbs. The highlight of the evening was the panel discussion, featuring three remarkable business owners who have recently achieved incredible success in their respective industries. Carolyn Chen, Founder of Dandylion, shared her journey of innovation and resilience. Jess Miao and Chloe Beaudoin, Co-Founders of Apricotton, captivated the audience with their entrepreneurial spirit and insights into building a brand that resonates with young consumers. Justin Veiga, Co-Founder of Lost & Found, provided valuable perspectives on navigating the challenges of the retail industry. The panel discussion was not just a monologue; it was an interactive session with a lively group Q&A. Attendees had the opportunity to engage directly with the panelists, asking questions and seeking advice tailored to their unique business situations. This exchange of ideas and experiences fostered a sense of community and mutual support among all present. One of the key takeaways from the event was the importance of collaboration and community in overcoming challenges. The entire group emphasized this, sharing knowledge, and supporting each other, showing that the small business community can thrive even in uncertain economic times. In addition to the dinner and discussion, attendees were all connected via the Pier Five community channels post-event. This feature has allowed for continued networking and support, ensuring that the connections made during the evening can develop into lasting, beneficial relationships. The success of this event is a testament to the vibrant and resilient spirit of our small business community. Pier Five is committed to hosting more events like this, fostering an environment where entrepreneurs and creatives can learn, grow, and support each other. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to making this dinner event a memorable and impactful experience. We look forward to seeing you at our next gathering! If you're interested in joining the next Pier Five Community Dinner, follow us on Instagram or send us an email at community@pier-five.com !
- Never Too Comfortable With Louis-Martin Tremblay
Never Too Comfortable With Louis-Martin Tremblay We hear all the time that growth is imminent once you step outside of your comfort zone. This is very much the case for Montreal based product designer Louis-Martin Tremblay. By never spending too long in a comfortable place and always exploring and experimenting, Louis has created an incredibly diverse journey for himself. His past involves television, the skateboard industry, global footwear brands, his own blog and flourishing design studio and now one of the best new trail running brands in North America, all solidifying himself as a force to be reckoned with in the footwear design space. We got the opportunity to sit down with Louis to discuss his beginnings, how he approaches the design process, his new role as Head of Design norda™, tips for aspiring designers and so much more. Read the full interview below to learn more about Louis’ incredible story and make sure to check out our Introduction to norda™ story afterwards for more on this groundbreaking brand. Hey Louis! So great to be chatting. To kick things off, for those who may not be as familiar, can you tell us a little about yourself? My name is Louis-Martin Tremblay Lawrence and I am a product designer working out of Montréal, Canada. I specialize in footwear design, but have also done menswear clothing, accessories and graphic design to a certain extent along my career. I am passionate about nature and like to spend as much time surrounded by it as I can. This curiosity toward mother nature has been a constant source of inspiration and elevation as it is inexhaustible. You’ve built quite a strong portfolio of work over the years. How did you get your start in product design? When I finished high school, I wanted to be an illustrator and loved travelling. I was really into rave culture in the UK and punk and skateboarding and was travelling to experience all of this. After a short time in the cartoon space doing kids shows, I got to work with Underworld Skateboard shop back in Montreal designing for their boards and then started doing accessories/clothing design for brands. I was always very driven by the creativity of it all and being able to experiment with new styles. After some time with Underworld, someone called me up to see if I wanted to try designing skate shoes. I did it as a private label job but wasn’t learning much and felt stagnant in my illustrating. While I was doing that I started a blog called KOMFORTZONE, posting about important trends I was seeing in the footwear space. About a year in, people were referencing the blog a lot and I started getting calls from some big companies to consult. This led to a job at Aldo on the women’s shoe side which I loved. This was like a “footwear university” for me. I was learning so much. I moved to the men's side about two years later which focused on mostly dress shoes and felt less creative so I began to think about my next move. Shortly after that I left Aldo and started my own design studio Atelier LMTL . After a couple big jobs with shops like Off the Hook in Montreal and brands like Aimé Leon Dore in New York, things started to really pick up for me and new clients started coming in quickly which was amazing. I loved working with brands on different footwear designs. It gave me everything I was looking for; products, fashion, related to culture, mixed material, etc. I also love working on shoes because you can get a good sense of what they’ll look like before trying them on which you can’t see with clothing. Footwear is more architectural in that sense. Photo: Atelier LMTL Such an interesting journey! Over the last year and a bit now you’ve taken on a role as Head of Design at norda™. How did that opportunity come about? Just before the pandemic, Nick (Co-Founder, norda™) reached out to me about a project. It wasn’t norda™ but more of a client sourcing job. We started working together more and on a trip to Italy for that work, Nick told me about his idea for norda™ and I was very excited about it. About a month after that conversation, right as the pandemic was picking up, Nick reached out and said he wanted to do it for real and I was in between client work with Atelier LMTL so the timing was good and so I said yes. It’s crazy to see how that early conversation has developed now. norda™ isn’t like any other sneaker brand. What was it like working on a hyper-technical trail running shoe and what was the hardest part of designing the norda™ 001? Fortunately, I came into this project with some understanding from a consumer end and was thinking a lot about what was missing from stores. I have been running for years and as mentioned earlier, I am an outdoors person, therefore, familiar with a lot of the technologies used in the industry. This being said, nobody had achieved a seamless upper using Dyneema. Nick gathered a round table of specialists in order to figure out what was needed. With the experience of everyone it was just a matter of time and trial before something concrete would come out and the factory team played a crucial role in achieving this. My personal challenge was to balance the possibilities and the limitations while keeping the design DNA of the norda ™ 001. Always good to have a strong team to work with, especially when working with new designs and materials. From a start to finish approach, what are the steps of your design process like? I tend to keep the practice very flexible due to the reason that every client, brand or project, is unique. The design process starts with a conversation, or I should say with an open ear. Listening to their purpose, why do they exist or why do they want to exist. This leads to the research to understand the market, the scene, the culture we are talking to and what connects them to their product, the object. Afterwards, inspiring images and texts get collected to create a bank or reference. Obviously there is a period of drawing and sketching. If possible, right after I like to let go of it all for a while. This pause gives room for everything to settle down, leaving what’s needed floating atop. From there the products start to take life. Really interesting! You mentioned before the design DNA of norda™. Can you speak more on this? We were looking at how we could meet lifestyle footwear DNA with the sportswear side and achieve a good balance that doesn’t exist with a lot of the other big brands. Many big brands are heavily focused on the sportswear side with exaggerated technical details but I wanted to make something with a more vintage feel and be able to hide the tech within the lifestyle elements. We can definitely see this in the norda™ 001. Super technical but not too eccentric looking. What were some of the design inspirations for the shoe? I am often inspired by cars and was influenced by Porsche for norda™. The lines on a Porsche emit a sense of speed but it’s subtle. On the outside, everything is simple and clean but once you open the hood you see all of the tech. I wanted the norda™ 001 to be like this; able to perform but doesn’t have to look like it. In hand, the shoe is simple but once you’re wearing it, you can feel all of the technology in your step. For the outsole, which I think makes the shoe most of the time (Nike Air, Adidas Boost, etc), I wanted to bring in an organic relationship with the ground. I used the formation of the Canadian Shield, the largest and strongest pre-Cambrian rock formation on earth, to design the outsole and wrapped it up the heel which I think is a unique touch. Do you have a favourite feature on the norda™ 001? I don’t think there is one feature standing out for me. Like a painting you can appreciate the colours, the gesture or the composition, but it’s the whole that makes the experience complete. But having to choose, the outsole plate element of the Canadian Shield and its repetition on the collar as a 3M hit, I find, gives the 001 something very unique and organic. Agreed! Besides norda™, you’ve also designed on a number of very cool projects through Atelier LMTL, every one of them being quite different from the others but all, for the most part, being in the sneaker category. Are there any other categories you might like to explore with Atelier LMTL? Football cleats. I would definitely take on that challenge, especially from an outsole point of view. The cleats give a unique form and many possibilities to play with. This being said, I think menswear is on the top of the list. This category needs some attention and creativity to respond to what men need in a modern and functional way. We’d love to see what you come up with for all of it. Switching gears here a bit now. The footwear design space is one that many aspire to be a part of but it can definitely look intimidating from the outside. What tips would you give to someone who is looking to get into footwear design as a career? Get busy, stay curious. Take jobs with purpose, like learning from someone or understanding the basics of the industry. From there, move up, down, sideways, but when you become stagnant, move to keep learning and growing. Design is specific and in order to sharpen it you will need to understand all aspects of the industry like manufacturing, marketing, merchandising and many more. Understanding culture is also a key ingredient. Cultures come with a set of beliefs, unknown rules and a visual language. This last one cannot be underestimated. That is excellent advice and definitely even applicable to those not looking at the footwear space, especially in regards to the comfort zone advice. Definitely! Once you’re in different spots, you should always continue to ask questions and speak to people to learn and then the minute you feel you’ve learned something, move on. It’s also important to have checkpoints in the moment to help you understand what you’re trying to achieve, where you’re at and what the future may look like for you. Absolutely. Getting a bit more personal for the last question. What are your top 5 sneaker designs of all time, excluding norda™ and anything else you’ve worked on? Mmm, I don’t even own 5 sneakers right now [laughs]. I am with them all the time for work but I have never considered making a list or collecting them. This being said, court sneakers like the Tretorn Nylite have patterns I really like for their unique and curated look. I am also very into menswear classics like the original P204 from Padmore and Barnes. They have been some of my favourites since childhood. I also am wearing the Keen Uneek sandal a lot and will always love Clarks. I could name others, but it would be mostly on the aesthetic as I have been deceived often by either the fit, the comfort or the quality. A great list nonetheless! For more on norda™, check out our Introduction to norda™ story and make sure to follow norda™ and Atelier LMTL on Instagram for more exciting work and updates. Also, don’t forget to keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.



