Meet the team

Caitlin Peeling – Sales and distribution manager

Nickname: None! Caitlin!

Favourite quote: “…[A]ll life is inter-related. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. And my favourite movie is Rushmore

What I love to do when I am not working: Reading, gardening, cooking, travelling, and discovering new wines!

Favourite Camino product: Whole Brown Sugar

Why I love my job: Having the chance to do something practical in support of my values and ideals; seeing the difference fair trade and co-operation have made in the farming communities we work with; collaborating with a wonderful network of partners across Canada; meeting the consumers who support our brand and believe in what we are doing; and working with such a great team!

Colin MacDougall – Finance manager

Nickname: Numbers Dude

Favourite quote: “It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to have to paint it.”-  Steven Wright.

What I love to do when I am not working: Writing and playing music

Favourite Camino product: Milk with Sea Salt bar

Why I love my job: I love my job because it gives me the opportunity to not just talk about alternatives to the current global economic status-quo, but to actually build such alternatives.

Henk van der Molen – Chief operating officer

Nickname: Henk the Tank

Favourite quote: “If everything is under control, you are not going fast enough” (Ayrton Senna)

What I love to do when I am not working: Enjoy family time, cross country biking, grow our own veggies and fruits.

Favourite Camino product: Chili and Spice Hot Chocolate; those who like it, like it a LOT!

Why I love it here: Managing a postage stamp sized multinational company is just a great thing to do! My brain spends part of each day in South America, Europe and the US. Craziest problem I have ever tried to solve: How about low water levels in a major river in Paraguay causing transportation difficulties for our sugar?

Jason Sooch – Sales & distribution manager – fundraising, food service & direct sales

Nickname: Sooch

Favourite quote: The course of true love never did run smooth – OR – There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

What I love to do when I am not working: Karaoke!

Favourite Camino product: 100 g Milk with sea salt bar

Why I love it here: In my first 6 months on the job, I rearranged all the desks and cubicle walls 3 separate times (as we changed our team configurations and decided on ergonomic efficiencies).  I get to sell chocolate and have my cardio work-out at the same time! 

Jennifer Williams – Chief executive officer

Nickname: Uh, mama? 

Favourite saying: Lead by example.

What I love to do when I am not working: Hike in the forest, swim in lakes, weave tall tales to delight my small boys.

Favourite Camino product:  Still the Bittersweet bar.

I love it here because: Really, there are two reasons why I love what we do, the first is that I love when people love Camino products and our mission! The best example of this was when I was visiting friends in Victoria, while at a party at their place, I shared that I worked for, and was an owner of La Siembra the creators of Camino, the whole room went quiet with awe. “You work for them!!!” Yes, it’s a dream job and I love it! The second thing I love is meeting with producers and bringing them their products in our packaging, discussing their realities and creating new opportunities for them and their communities through Camino products.  One of the best moments I experienced was in the Dominican Republic when we shared with Ovidia, one of the family farmers who’s cacao beans go to the making of our 10 g bars, her story published on the inside of our chocolate bar wrappers. She was thrilled, as were the rest of her family and neighbours.  It's the connection on both sides, with consumers and producers that makes my work deeply satisfying.

Jorge Peña – Production and logistics manager

Nickname: None!

Favourite movie: Il postino, favorite song: Mano a mano (Silvio Rodríguez and Luis Eduardo Aute)

What I love to do when I am not working: Playing tennis and cooking. Enjoying a good glass of wine or a good cup of coffee!

Favourite Camino product: hum, many of them! Some of my ultimate favorites are: the Panama extra dark Chocolate bar and the Puffed rice and quinoa candy bar.

Why I love my job:  I love it here because I can take part in the creation of an alternative economic model. From managing a women’s garment manufacturing co-operative in El Salvador to visiting the Mondragon co-operative in Spain, I have been inspired and now I can be part of La Siembra. I can believe I am contributing to making the products that my family and friends have loved all these years and I can now proudly say: “Yes! I work at La Siembra”.  

Kelly Storie – Bookkeeper

Nickname: Superfemale

Favorite quote: Nothing is given – all is created.

What I love to do when I am not working: scavenging

Favorite Camino product: the new peanut butter bar!

Why I love my job: I love my job because I am inspired by our mission. It is not only work but meaningful work.

Liane Gallant – Customer service representative

Nickname: Hum. Maybe Lili, but only a few people call me that.

Favourite TV shows: Law & Order and Criminal Minds.

What I love to do when I am not working: Hang out with friends/family, cooking and camping. Oh, and TRAVELING!

Favourite Camino product: Bittersweet 71% chocolate bar… mmmm. Actually, our 80% is great too… It’s a tossup between them both. I also looove to dip my peanut buttered toast in a hot cocoa drink. I use our cocoa powder and cane sugar.

Why I love it here: I love the work environment here; we all have our own independent things to accomplish, but we need to work together to realize them. I enjoy the work and social balance – there are frequent planned/spontaneous social activities. I especially look forward to summer ultimate frisbee! I also love being on a test tasting panel; I have developed a keener sense of smell and taste. Most of all, I believe in co-operative movements and fair trade. It’s a winning combination!

Linda Ullyett – Office manager

Nickname: Firemonkey

Favourite saying: One should alter their reality each day with an ice cold martini at 5:00pm.

What I love to do when I am not working: Run and eat, eat and run.

Favourite Camino product: 1 drop of semisweet couverture, melted in the mouth at 3pm each day.

Why I love it here: I can wear whatever I want to work.

Mélanie Broguet – Marketing and communications manager

Nickname: Mel

Favourite movie: Chocolat! With Juliette Binoche and Jonny Depp

What I love to do when I am not working: Eat good food, spend time with my friends, and walk my dog Kazabazua.

Favourite Camino product: The Coconut bar and the drinking chocolate with a hint of peppermint schnapps.

I love it here because: I work with the nicest people of the industry. We are all in the same boat trying to do good things, ethically... and for our taste buds! Speaking of taste buds, I love being part of our tasting panel. Food is a very serious thing for me (I guess because I am French ;)) and being able to taste our ingredients in a proper and trained way for quality control and recipe development purposes, I feel very privileged as well as empowered to say that our products are really awesome!   

 Rew MacCrimmon – Operations, purchasing & inventory manager

Nickname: !!^$% (pronounced " !!#@&* ") Ok, no answer here.  Rew is already short enough.

Favourite quote:  you don’t have to brush all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep. -Unknown

Favourite expression:  Ya basta!

What I love to do when I am not working:  Collect and listen to music from all over the world.  My tastes are broad; from Jazz to Reggae to Electronic to Avant-Garde to Ambient to World... My collection is not complete if I don't have a little bit of everything!

Favourite Camino product:  Dark Hot Chocolate (mixed with my morning coffee!)

Why I love it here: Where else can I work with pets in the office?  I once felt something graze my toes and looked down to see Ruben the dog under my desk.  This place will be even better once we introduce cats.

Ruben – Office zenness Co-manager

Nickname: Rubsy

Favourite song: Who let the dogs out

What I love to do when I am not working: Well, where should I start: sleep, chew, wrestle with Kaz, sit on laps, hold myself available for treats... oh no, that’s what my workday is like! So when I am not at work? Hmmm, sleep, chew, more sleep....

Favourite Camino product: Frankly, I like them all! Although I never get any...

Why I love my job: There’s nothing like giving and getting a little bit of love!