Innovation

Miijidaa goes above and beyond to integrate sustainability into everything they do, including their local dishes, exceptional treatment of their staff, giving back to the community through ongoing partnerships, and acting as stewards of their Ojibwe name. 

SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production: 

Creating dishes that use local ingredients and reduce food waste, ex: roasted beef bone marrow is currently on special, which encourages use of the entire animal from a local source. 

In obtaining their B-Corp certification, the restaurant weighed and analyzed their compost to determine that condiments were commonly wasted, then sought out a solution: Asking customers if they would like condiments when taking orders, and individually portioning out condiments in reusable ramekins to limit waste. “That’s not just a little bit of ketchup . . . some farmer had to plant that seed, grow that tomato, pluck that tomato, then it had to get processed into the ketchup . . There’s a whole giant footprint”. 

SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing

The restaurant also understands that sustainability includes sustainable jobs and working conditions for their staff. As Katie explains, “Fundamentally, if you’re burning everyone out on your team, that’s not sustainable”. The management is more than willing to support their employees’ mental health when it comes to assigning shifts and consistently accommodating time off for family and friend gatherings. They also offer health benefits to their full-time employees, which is rare in the restaurant industry, to support health ongoingly. 

Inspiration

The owners of the Neighbourhood Group (NGC) of restaurants, which includes Miijidaa, have always sought out local in everything they do. “The inspiration for Miijidaa kind of came out of their love of everything local”. One of the overarching goals for Miijidaa was its B-Corp certification, and being a steward of tis Ojibway name. Katie explains that the owners “Select[ed] that word [Miijidaa] as a way of honouring the original ancestors of this land”. 

Court is active with Indigenous community groups and the Guelph Indigenous Community Council, and engages in meetings and spirit walks to ensure Miijidaa is not appropriating its name but rather honouring the culture aims to represent. Miijidaa also works with Anishinaabeg Outreach by organizing staff field trips to their spirit garden, catering for their community events, and taking part in harvest dinners and fundraising. 

Even when Miijidaa has to source from larger suppliers, management always chooses the most local options available, with the lowest possible carbon footprints. At one point the bar had no citrus, used house-made shrubs instead, since lemons and limes couldn’t be grown in Ontario. 

Overall impact

Miijidaa’s B-Corp certification and the Neighbourhood Group’s overarching goal to connect with the community has resulted in a number of community partnerships focused on “building bridges" and social and environmental sustainability. This includes partnerships with Indigenous groups, as previously mentioned. In addition, a portion of the commission from art sold from Miijidaa’s art displays goes to Art for Aid, an organization that works with Indigenous youth. Miijidaa also works with Hope House, a community center for people in povert, who has a land plot in Gueph. The center is currently discussing a partnership with Miijidaa through which it may share and grow crops for Miijidaa and the other NGC restaurants. As Katie perfectly summarizes, “If you look after your team and you look after your suppliers and you’re supporting your community, it comes back around”. 

Business benefit

Miijidaa's advancement in supportability has carried huge advantages to the organization, both monetarily and functionally. By focusing on neighborhood obtaining, Miijidaa has reinforced associations with adjacent providers, guaranteeing new, top notch fixings and decreasing the expenses and ecological effect related with significant distance transportation. This approach has worked on the eatery's standing, drawing in guests who esteem economical practices, which thus has expanded income. As Miijidaa effectively advances these neighborhoods, guest dedication has developed, separating Miijidaa from rivals in the area.

Moreover, the obligation to fair representative practices and the way to B Corp confirmation emphatically affects worker spirit and maintenance. Miijidaa offers benefits not ordinarily found in the eatery business, for example, medical services support and adaptable planning, which add to representative prosperity and fulfillment. This emphasis on worker prosperity decreases representative turnover costs, and ensures a spurred and faithful group that maintains the eatery's qualities and conveys a positive client experience.

Miijidaa's participation in joint efforts with charitable organizations and community members have opened doors to more prominent local area commitment and cooperation. By supporting Indigenous youth and joining forces with nearby farming projects, Miijidaa has made an organization of allies and colleagues who enhance its central goal. These associations extend the eatery's market reach and adjust it to purchasers' developing revenue in socially and earth-minded organizations, encouraging long haul development.

Social and environmental benefit

Miijidaa's understanding of sustainability as having social, environmental and economic elements has helped it to reduce its carbon footprint, strengthen the surrounding community and ensure a positive working environment for its staff. Instead of focusing on one specific innovation, this story aims to capture the implementation of Miijidaa's care for people and the environment across the wider Guelph community. 

Interview

Katie Shewen, General Manager