What started as a small idea in a classroom at Okanagan College (OC) has grown into something truly unusually good. And now, the team of OC students whose entrepreneurial start-up took off into a legitimate business is giving the enterprise back to the community that made it possible.
The Enactus Okanagan College team is proud to announce that the Unusually Good Food Company is being licensed to Okanagan Beverage Co., the same team that helped the students bring their juice dreams to life from day one.
The Enactus Okanagan College's Unusually Good Food Company team, along with theOkanagan Beverage Co.
"This is a full-circle moment, and we couldn't be more excited for what's next," said Michaela Dew, President of Enactus OC, a group of students in the OC School of Business that develop business ideas and compete against their colleagues in business competitions.
The Unusually Good Food Company began with a simple mission: fight food waste and give back. It started with making apple chips from imperfect fruit fruit that would have been thrown away and donating them to schools across Canada and food banks around the world.
As the idea grew, so did the impact. The team launched a juice line to help fund their social enterprise model. In 2022, that small classroom idea turned into something bigger than anyone imagined. The Enactus OC team became the Enactus Canada national champions and proudly represented their country on the world stage in Puerto Rico, placing in the top four at the world competition.
Soon after, Unusually Good juice hit shelves in 11 Loblaws stores across Western Canada. Now, the students are passing the torch.
"This brand means a lot to us," said Michaela Dew, president of Enactus Okanagan College. "But we always knew it was bigger than us. After all the support we've had from the community, it's only right that Unusually Good continues in the hands of people who believed in it from the start."
Okanagan Beverage Co. has been a champion of the Unusually Good mission since day one. From bottling the very first batches of juice to helping scale production for grocery shelves, they've played a hands-on role in turning student ideas into real-world impact. The company, known for its commitment to supporting local farmers and reducing food waste, is the perfect home for the brand's next chapter.
"The Enactus team captured the essence of what we already do, in this brand." said Kristen Trovato, owner of Okanagan Beverage Co. "The mission behind Unusually
Good to turn food waste into opportunity is something we believe in deeply. We're honored to carry this vision forward and continue making juice that does good."
To celebrate where it all started, the Okanagan Beverage Co. has committed to donate one per cent of all Unusually Good sales will be donated back to Enactus OC to help fund future student-led community projects.
Through groups like Enactus OC, students at Okanagan College are provided opportunities to get real-world experience, working in partnership with industry experts as part of their education. To continue to cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs, OC recently launched a new entrepreneurship specialty within its Bachelor of Business Administration degree program, which is available this fall.
"We're very proud of our students in the Enactus Club, as well as the partnerships that our faculty have cultivated over the years," said Dean Joe Baker of the OC School of Business. "This is a success story that starts with the relationship between our faculty, the students and the local business community. Working together, we are preparing these students for success in the real world."
