Fall 2023 Intake of Starter Company Plus
Get to know the entrepreneurs taking part in the 10th intake of Starter Company Plus this fall! Read their bios below and follow their journeys on their social channels.
Fall 2023 Starter Company Plus Grant Recipients
Iola Taylor
Cold Duck Creamery
Hello, my name is Iola. I am a wife and mother, and the creator and owner of Cold Duck Creamery
Cold Duck Creamery is a gourmet cold treat that is creamier and more luxurious tasting than regular ice cream. We are able to create a unique ice cream experience by incorporating local, farm fresh duck eggs into all of our recipes.
We combine our fresh duck eggs with other locally sourced ingredients to create a variety of unique and delicious flavours. We are proud to offer a healthier frozen treat option, by not adding preservatives to our products, and focus on providing fresh, small batches that arrive on the spoons of our clients as quickly as possible.
Our products are catered to anyone with a sweet tooth that appreciates the satisfaction of knowing they are enjoying a ‘healthy’ delicious treat that is fresh, locally sourced, and that has no added preservatives.
In 2024 we plan to introduce our frozen custard to the public by attending the weekly farmers market starting in the spring. By early summer we will launch a delivery and subscription program, where households can sign up for a weekly delivery of 2 – 4 of that week’s specialty flavours. By year end, as we come into the cooler months, our goal is to have our product being served in local restaurants.
In 5 years we will be operating a farm-based agri-tourism business, that will not only sell Cold Duck Frozen Custard, but invite guests to come and meet the ducks, tour the farm and production facility, and also be a venue for special events.
We at Cold Duck Creamery want to be the name that families and young adults with healthier lifestyles look for to satisfy that sweet tooth.
Joe & Liz Crowley
Crowley Acres
Our dream for a home based business started 3 years ago when we purchased our dogs Ruby and Honey. The goal was to breed dogs for families in need of Therapy and Service Dogs. This quickly grew into so many more dreams! A home based breeding program meant that we were all in on the dog world. We dove into dog training, temperament testing, and really started to take a serious look at places operating doggy daycares and boarding.
As much as we love our dogs, we also wanted to be able to take our children on trips! This posed a slight roadblock as we are very particular with who handles our dogs and where they stay. Facilities were either booked solid, waitlist, or they just fell short of life on the farm. Our 97 acre farm holds beauty, fields for running, and safety. We got talking to our friends who are equally crazy about their dogs, and the idea of Crowley Acres emerged.
Our goal for the business is to become a hub for dog lovers and their families. We want to be a place for boarding, doggy daycare, private off leash dog park, training, and breeding quality Red Golden Retrievers. The farm is our peaceful place in this crazy busy world, and we want to share it with other dog loving families!
Sara Scheuermann
Steaped Slow Ceramics
Steaped Slow Ceramics are a unique art form in that they bring beauty to objects which can be used everyday. Incorporating handmade pottery into your life can add more mindfulness and joy to the daily rituals they are used for. They invite you to slow down and appreciate the little gifts of life, whether that’s to enjoy your morning coffee in a mug crafted to feel good in your hands or gathering with friends to share a homemade meal in handmade goods.
Whether you’re looking for a beautiful, locally made gift for a loved one, or something special to bring more joy to your day to day, Steaped Slow Ceramics offer a range of handmade mugs, tumblers, tableware and home décor, well crafted with a timeless look so they can be enjoyed for years to come.
Sara Scheuermann is hands, heart and soul behind the wheel at Steaped Slow Ceramics. Each piece is intentionally crafted by her hands, steeped and infused with that good handmade energy. She creates out of her home in Peterborough Ontario.
Katie Jackson
Wanderlight Luxury Farm Stay
Experience the beauty of nature and the peace of farm life at Wanderlight Luxury Farm Stay. Your accommodation is a completely private, off grid geodesic dome, providing you with a quiet, comfortable retreat to rest and reconnect. Packages include: The Nature Immersion Package, The Alpaca Experience Package, The Farm Life Package, The Taste of the Kawarthas Package and the Wildcraft Package (seasonal).
Jordan Lyall
Jordan Lyall Photography
Jordan Lyall is an award winning documentary photographer on a mission to change how we think about family photos. Her Real Life family sessions remove all the stress – no more matching outfits, making it to a location on time, posing, or convincing everyone to cooperate! Instead, you simply spend time together, being yourselves, while Jordan captures real moments. Families get a fun, relaxed, and child centred experience and receive photos that truly capture how things feel instead of just how they look. Jordan believes that every family’s real story is worth telling and that family photos should embrace that instead of pressuring people to only show the “perfect” or styled parts.
Named as one of the top documentary family photographers in Canada in 2022, she is known for creating images that capture the chaos, the quiet, and everything in between in a way that is both beautiful and honest.
Cody Lewis
Cody Lewis Carpentry
With 10 years of experience in carpentry, we strive to provide all our customers with quality and dependable service. Cody Lewis Carpentry offers end to end client experience that offers consistent communication, on-site organization, budgeting, and top-quality work.
Our past projects include predominately renovations and restorations along with some new builds. We have extensive experience in kitchen and full house renovations. If you are looking to add to your backyard, we have a wide variety of experience in new builds for the backyard such as sheds and pergolas. We work with homeowners and designers to produce work to meet the homeowners’ expectations.
Meaghan Kynock
muttmixx
My name is Meg, owner, baker, and dog lover of muttmixx.
muttmixx organically came to mind when my dog Kevin Bacon almost lost his leg in a dog attack. Instead of arthritis and pain meds I began researching how to naturally heal him. After few weeks of the ingredients, I researched in his daily nutrition they helped immensely. Kevin Bacon has not been on any medications in 3 years. I did a post to see if anyone would be interested, overnight 40 emails of interest. I spent 11 hours baking and 9 hours of deliveries from Havelock and surrounding areas as well as further away shipping orders.
I have muttmixx dog lovers of all ages puppies, doggy teens and seniors who are all benefiting from muttmixx, prevention as well as decreasing and eliminating inflammation, allergies, skin and coat care, gland care, arthritis, hip dysplasia and many more benefits have been shared. Only all natural or organic ingredients I bake with.
The PAWsome feedback has brought me to almost 2 years of a BARKing great business journey and various PAWrents sharing these benefits. Fetch your all natural, healthy, healing, vegan, gluten free muttmixx cookies, TOPDOG food topper and special PAWccasion treats.
Mackenzie Caldwell
Grace&Glow Beauty Studio and Training Academy
Hello, everyone. I’m Mackenzie Caldwell, Owner, Master Lash Artist, and Lead Educator at Grace&Glow Beauty Studio. Nestled in the heart of picturesque downtown Peterborough, our studio is a sanctuary where we believe beauty is a journey of self-love and self-discovery.
At Grace&Glow Beauty Studio, we offer services differently from conventional beauty treatments. Our mission is to empower individuals, fostering inner confidence through transformative beauty experiences. Whether it’s enhancing your lashes, defining your brows, or pampering your nails, our diverse range of services is designed to help you feel more confident within yourself.
With a focus on personalized beauty treatments and comprehensive education for aspiring beauty professionals, our seasoned artists and technicians create a nurturing and inclusive space for each client. We understand that true beauty is more than skin deep. It’s about embracing your uniqueness, celebrating individuality, and cultivating a positive self-image.
We firmly believe that self-love is the key to unlocking limitless potential. Our studio is not just about physical transformations; it’s about igniting the inner glow that radiates through every aspect of your life. Grace&Glow is more than a beauty studio; it’s a haven where you can discover and celebrate the best version of yourself.
We’re eagerly awaiting the opportunity to welcome you to our studio and to help you embark on a transformative journey towards self-love and confidence. Let us bring out the best in you at Grace&Glow Beauty Studio.
Fall 2023 Starter Company Plus Participants
Shane Keil
Tech Medicine
At Tech Medicine, we’re your prescription for seamless IT solutions in the healthcare industry. We take care of all your technology needs, so you can focus on what you do best – providing excellent patient care. We collaborate with your vendors to resolve any tech issues, provide remote and onsite support to your staff, ensure data security through backups and monitoring, offer robust endpoint protection, and equip you with a complete productivity suite. Plus, we help you source the right physical infrastructure to make sure your office is running at peak efficiency. Let Tech Medicine be your trusted IT partner, so you can keep your patients healthy and your practice thriving.
Maeghan Ireland-Danielis
Belmont Spiritual Health and Wellness Centre
Meet Maeghan, the owner and creator of Belmont Spiritual Health and Wellness Centre in the village of Havelock, Ontario.
Conveniently located in the downtown core, Belmont Spiritual Health and Wellness Centre is a hub for complete Holistic Health. We feature four treatment rooms hosting various practitioners , a generous Studio for classes, workshops and meetings, a workout area, as well as a lovely giftshop which carries a variety of locally sourced products geared toward helping our clients achieve Holistic Wellness. Our goal at the Centre is to relieve some pressure from our strained healthcare system while encouraging the community to take their health in their hands and live their best life!
Gabby Wohler & Bryerson White
Pizazz+ PTBO
Pizazz+ PTBO is a mobile party planning & executing company servicing Peterborough and the Kawartha. Offering a range of party themes & packages suitable for all ages including everything from décor, snacks, bounce houses, karaoke, face painting, and more. Pizazz+ PTBO operates on a book by consultation basis. This allows the owners to discuss the clients budget & goals. No matter the budget, they can make the magic happen.
Pizazz+ PTBO prides themselves on working with many other small businesses within the community. Together with their community they plan to run monthly contests & raffles as well as host free promotion parties quarterly to raise funds for their Pay It Forward pot which is used for clients who may not have the budget required to make their dreams come true.
Pizazz+ PTBO is hirable for birthday parties, holiday parties, family reunions, customer appreciation events, festivals/markets for play zones, schools for family fun days + more.