Be Fresh Local Market

General manager Laura van der Veer beams as she describes Be Fresh Market. “What makes this place special is that it’s based solely on community.” Laura explains. “We ask them what they want.”

Located on West 1st Avenue in Kitsilano, the artisan market and  café offers healthy food, organic produce and groceries, and specialty items. Be Fresh also has two other locations in Vancouver: a downtown cafe in the Bentall Centre, and an outpost inside the YMCA on Burrard.

The Kits location is much more than just a neighbourhood grocery store. The food market also acts as a community hub and hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including monthly outdoor markets with local artisans and vendors, regular product samplings, Sunday night health and wellness talks, workshops covering a variety of topics (fermentation, healthy cooking, eating organically on a budget), a monthly mindful book club and more. “We keep offering different events to see what best suits the community,” Laura says.

Laura loves that the market allows her to help individual suppliers and producers who are just starting out. “We get to bring in the little guy and promote them as we build community," she explains. Her eyes light up as she reflects on their most recent community event, “It was magical," she recalls. "The vibe was booming.” Laura clearly loves what she does. “It’s like home for us, like family.”