Congratulations, Helen!

Helen Long began her impactful career at CHFA in 2001 serving as Board Secretary. It was during this time that she developed and nurtured many relationships within the industry while learning the intricacies of the regulations, the membership and the association. It was because of this exceptional foundational knowledge of the industry, in addition to the remarkable relationships she built, she was the perfect candidate for President of CHFA, which she became in 2011.

For the next decade, Helen led the industry through many pivotal and revolutionary events including, the introduction of The Natural Health Products (Unprocessed Product Licence Application) Regulations (NHP UPLAR) which allowed sales of NHPs to continue as the backlog of 10,000 product applications was assessed. As well as the industry’s exemption from Bill C-17 (Vanessa’s Law), which protected the industry from the tougher measures and penalties imposed upon the drug industry.

As a strong and decisive leader, Helen always believed in the power of her team and was able to guide them through many successful public-facing campaigns including, Save Our Supplements and NHPs are not Drugs, which ensured that NHPs continued to maintain their own regulations and pre-market approval system.

As an integral spokesperson for the industry, Helen was constantly defending the industry in front of national media – the pinnacle of those efforts being CBC’s retraction of a negative NHP story and on-air apology on the national news.

Under Helen's direction, the success of CHFA’s best-in-class tradeshows continued to grow year-over-year, including the introduction of new and exciting ventures such as Launch Pad, which continue today. This, in combination with careful expenditures and improved investment strategies, led to the strongest financial position the Association had ever been in.

Through her leadership, CHFA grew into its own as a professional, industry-leading trade association. Comfortable in Ottawa and respected by government, able to network and partner with external stakeholders and other industry representatives, these relationships truly helped CHFA and the industry to grow, thrive and achieve success.

Helen always put Members first. Through many member forums, surveys, and countless conversations over the years, Helen’s ability to listen, hear and truly support the members, contributed to a trusted partnership and ultimately to her success.

Members were never afraid to reach out and Helen always made time for them, often sending handwritten notes to congratulate them on a new store opening or other professional or personal achievements.

Above all, it was Helen’s hard work ethic, determination and passion that pushed her and allowed her to construct a thriving Association, which helped create the groundwork for the innovation and prosperity within the industry today.

Congratulations, Yumy Bear!

Congratulations, Organic Traditions!

Congratulations, Herbaland!

Congratulations to the Prairie Naturals Health Products team!

Prairie Naturals saw that there was a white space in Men's Health. Their Men's Campaign was an integrated campaign with retail incentives, consumer and retailer education, print, ambassador program, digital, TV and Radio ads. This campaign grew their men's category by over 25% and increased listings at major retail partners nationwide.

Congratulations to the Blush Lane and SPUD.ca team!

Sponsored by:

Blush Lane and SUPD.ca launched a marketing campaign to help combat food insecurity in their community, a cause that both their employees and customers care deeply about. They leveraged in-store promotions, social media, and local news to raise over $7,000 for I Can for Kids, an organization that has made it its mission to get food to children in a dignified way through the distribution of grocery gift cards for families. Food insecurity is a cause that Blush Lane is extremely passionate about, and it remains one of the areas they focus their fundraising efforts in.

Congratulations, Tanja!

Sponsored by:

Tanja started her career in Germany and in 2006 moved to Canada to be closer to her family.

With her passion in natural beauty and health she started working at Finlandia Natural Pharmacy where she quickly excelled serving the Vancouver community with her comprehensive knowledge of both supplements and skin care products. Tanja believes in a balanced holistic approach for beauty and well-being. She is described by customers as caring, understanding, and helpful. Tanja enjoys encouraging customers to transition to natural skin care and wellness products. Her excellent knowledge in natural beauty and decades of experience working in this industry have given Tanja an unmatched reputation.

Congratulations, Jennie!

Sponsored by:

For the past 13 years, Jennie has cultivated her extensive product knowledge, relationships, management and sales skills for her accounts. She collaborates and educates her retailers both regionally and nationally on how to create the ideal customer experience to achieve sales success.

Jennie is skilled at finding opportunities tailored to each account’s needs, achieved through creative and thoughtful solutions, while bringing a proactive and strategic approach to her account planning. Jennie is dedicated to seeing her accounts succeed and reach new goals in business and that is what drives her forward.

Congratulations, Aeryon Wellness!

Up & Away by Aeryon Wellness

Up & Away is the first, 100% pure Boric Acid, shelf stable, vegan, vaginal suppository kit on the market today. Simply put it "Up" and it goes "Away."

Congratulations, Nature's Path Foods!

Sponsored by:

Nature's Path continues to put forth a healthy and safe workplace. Their team members are valued for all diverse aspects. Nature's Path continues to review and improve health benefits to include mental health resources, topping off maternity leave and dependents sick days. Nature's Path encourages its team members to give back to various organizations and recently sponsored the Trevor Project, celebrating the LGBTQ communities.

Congratulations, Jake!

Sponsored by:

Jake is co-founder and rainmaker of Mid-Day Squares. Jake has used social media to build community, make noise, build the brand and build that aspect of “the tribe”.

Jake along with his sister Lezlie and brother-in-law Nick co-founded Mid-Day Squares in 2018. Their goal was simple: they want to put their flag next to all the other big chocolate conglomerates while staying unapologetically themselves. In under 3.5 years, Mid-Day Squares sold over 8 million chocolate bars and has built an amazing team of 60 members.

Mid-Day Squares is turning the concept of functional foods on its head. The Montreal, Canada-based chocolate company is not only redefining what it means to eat chocolate but also how to run a successful food business that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Jake is proud to be unapologetically himself and every day encourages others around him to do the same.

Congratulations, Aeryon Wellness!

Sponsored by:

Creating a business with a strong sense of social activism is vital to the Aeryon Wellness brand. Since its inception, Aeryon Wellness has donated a percentage of every bottle sold to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Shelter which serves as a place of refuge, resource centre, and community hub, since 1978, connecting women to a continuum of care, building their capacity for empowerment and long-term positive change.

Congratulations, Mackie!

Sponsored by:

As CEO of Bioforce Canada for the last 15 years, Mackie has built a leadership team that is more than 65% women. Bioforce places a high value on gender equity as well as diversity, with employee ancestry representing dozens of nationalities and several religions. With a strong team, a blend of corporate skills and an entrepreneur’s DNA, Mackie has helped Bioforce increase its business by 60%. This helped to ensure ALL Canadians have access to and the knowledge of how to live healthier and happier lives, naturally.

On the Board of CHFA, Mackie was involved with several issues and was always happy to help –whether it was setting up meetings with MPs, lobbying on Parliament hill to improve the regulatory environment of our industry with the CHFA team, supporting efforts around government files and working with retailers and suppliers. Mackie is particularly proud to have worked with the CHFA to improve gender equality on the Board.

Mackie has always enjoyed helping people achieve their goals and dreams; coaching and promoting many to become better managers and business leaders. Today she continues to formally and informally coach female business owners in our industry who are introducing innovative and healthy products.