OUR TEAM

Kelli Ebbs, General Manager

Kelli is one of the visionaries and member-owners behind the development and operations of the Co-op. In cooperation with the Co-ops Board, staff and volunteers, Kelli has cultivated a space where fresh, local, and sustainable food meet since its beginning in 2014. Kelli's belief in resilient communities is rooted in good, clean food. It comes through her love for preparing and sharing real food, and savouring the deep connection that good food feeds her family and community. Healthy food systems equate to healthy, food literate communities and healthy, food literate communities create conscious consumers, and deep connections to the amazing people growing and raising our food. Communities like these also play a vitally important role in building thriving local food economies, which in turn creates more resilient, engaged and empowered people. When Kelli moved from BC to Ontario in 2010, she started her food work as ED of Muskoka's Culinary Tourism organization which quickly led her to recognize an evident gap in easy access to locally produced, clean foods. In 2014, with a small and mighty group of food activist allies, we conceptualized the not-for profit co-operative organization, Muskoka North Good Food Co-operative. Through consistent community outreach and education, the development of a commercial production kitchen, Cafe, and Grocery Market with a primary focus on regional and northern Ontario produced agri-food products, was opened in 2018. In the midst of this Co-operative development, Kelli worked as Central Canada's Advisor for Breakfast Club of Canada's First Nation, Metis and Inuit Student Nutrition programs with a focus on food procurement, nutrition density and community food literacy training. Kelli feels fortunate to be collectively propelling Muskoka's first and only community-owned Food Co-op into a change-making hub of great food, new friends and social well being.