The final episode of the Tofino Footprints video series arrives as spring awakens our senses, cheering us on to spend every moment enjoying time outside with some inspiration from locals who make the most of their lifestyle in Tofino.

Harvesting Passion is the story behind two neighbouring ventures, situated up Tofino’s Industrial Way: Tofino Brewing Co. and Picnic Charcuterie.  You may have been there once or twice on your quest for food and drink made in Tofino!  Driven to provide the community with high quality products while reflecting our region’s values and lifestyle, they lead the way in creating hyper-local business practices while having a fair share of fun.

Tofino Brewing Co. started as a “what if…” idea for friends who were seeking more fulfillment from their daily lives, which included working on  tugboats.  In the words of Neil Campbell, who has since joined the original team and who you’ll meet in this film, they sought to be a positive addition to Tofino by operating as sustainably as possible.  In addition to producing quality beer, the brewery sends spent grains to cross-Island family farms for use as livestock feed, hosts theme nights in its lively tasting room, and more.  The plan is working and this April, the Brewery celebrates its 6th anniversary.

Tucked away across Industrial Road – look for the sandwich board – is Tina Windsor and Picnic Charcuterie.  Behind her red door, Tina has built a loyal following by working BC-raised meats into favourites like Hunter Sausage and Beer and Brown Sugar Ham, cured in a Tofino Kelp Stout brine brewed across the way, a natural partnership between local “makers”.  Like so many Tofitians, Tina came here for temporary respite from city living and months later, with support from the community, this twenty-something with an animal husbandry and landscape architecture background found herself building a tiny shop in this place she fell in love with.  Known as the “Tofino Meat Lady”, Tina incorporates surprising seasonal finds into her products, well-documented in her Instagram feed, and has the respect – and the dependence, one could say – of Tofino’s food loving locals and visitors.

As the Tofino Footprints video series draws to an end, we hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into some of the unique “Made in Tofino” relationships that add to the special feeling you have when visiting our town.