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Built With Heart: Celebrating the Canadian Women Behind Brands We Love
Every business begins with a quiet decision. A woman looks at an idea no one else can see yet, and chooses to believe in it anyway.
This Women's Entrepreneurship Day, we're celebrating three Canadian women who made that choice. Each one built something from the ground up, with her own hands and her own vision, and a deep belief that the things we bring into our lives should be made with care. One of them is our own founder. The others are women we're proud to call friends.
Tami Nasu, Founder and CEO of withinUs
Tami didn't set out to build a company. She set out to find something she could trust.
After walking alongside her mother through years of health challenges, Tami began searching for a high-quality marine collagen she felt good about. She couldn't find one in Canada. So, in 2013, she decided to create it herself, starting withinUs from her basement in Burnaby.
The road wasn't easy. Bringing a premium marine collagen to Canadians meant more than a year of research, conversations with doctors, scientists and regulatory advisors, and navigating Health Canada's licensing process to earn one of the first Natural Product Numbers for marine collagen. She did it with no outside investment, and she has kept withinUs proudly independent ever since, so every decision can be guided by people, planet and purpose instead of shareholders.
That same determination has carried withinUs through more than a decade of growth. Today, it's a Certified B Corporation, and the first woman-led collagen company in North America to earn the certification. It's a milestone Tami describes as a reflection of the values withinUs has upheld from the very beginning.
For Tami, being a leader means showing up for the people around her. She is a passionate champion of Canadian businesses, and especially of other women building something of their own. She believes the strongest brands grow in their own communities first, which is why she's proud that withinUs is 100% Canadian and woman-owned. Through withinUs To Give®, she has made giving back part of how the company operates, including supporting Make-A-Wish® Canada's Women for Wishes.
But ask Tami what she's proudest of, and she'll tell you it's the community. The women who have been with withinUs for ten years or more. The customers who write in to share their stories. The ones who still remember the handwritten notes and origami cranes tucked into their orders. That community is the reason she keeps building, and the reason withinUs exists.
Bri Paulson, Founder of Love Co. Ceramics
Creating with her hands has always been Bri's way of finding calm. While finishing her degree at UBC Okanagan, she felt an overwhelming pull to get back into pottery. She bought some clay, started creating, and in her words, "suddenly everything just clicked." The distant dream of becoming a potter turned out to be exactly what she was meant to do.
Today, every Love Co. piece is inspired by nature and the childhood memories Bri still treasures: wandering through the forest, sunshine on her skin, picking fresh strawberries. She designs each functional piece to bring that same grounded, nostalgic joy into your everyday rituals, from your first cup of the morning to your evening wind-down.
Building Love Co. Ceramics has been, as Bri says, the most difficult thing she has ever done. It wasn't built on having everything figured out, but on learning as she went and having the courage to start before she felt fully ready. For Bri, strength isn't about perfection. It's about flexibility, stepping through the hard moments, and "continually choosing to grow from within."
On the hard days, she thinks back to "little me," the girl who would be so proud to see her follow her heart and chase her dreams. And when things don't go to plan, she gives herself the same grace she'd give a piece of clay that collapses at the wheel: she gathers it up and begins again.
Leah Alexandra, Founder of Leah Alexandra
For Leah, jewelry is personal. From her studio in Vancouver, she has built a fine jewelry brand known for modern heirlooms: pieces that balance timeless elegance with a fresh, contemporary eye. Delicate gold chains, luminous gemstones and meaningful talismans, all designed to be worn every day and layered with ease.
Leah believes every piece should feel like it belongs to the person wearing it. That's the heart of her Spark Studio, where customers can create custom and permanent bracelets, add personal engraving and design something that is entirely their own.
This month, Leah opened her newest store at Yorkdale in Toronto, a space designed to feel like stepping inside a jewelry box, with honey onyx checkerboard floors and hand-finished marble counters. It's a beautiful next chapter for a Canadian woman-founded brand, and we couldn't be more excited for her.
Sam Rayner, Founder of Maris Dae
Sam built Maris Dae on a simple belief: some of the most powerful ingredients for your skin come from the sea.
Every Maris Dae formula starts with its own algae blend of bull kelp and red seaweed from the waters off Vancouver Island, fermented in the brand's lab and paired with hydrating actives and nutrient-rich plant oils. The result is a line of thoughtful body care, made in small batches in Canada and designed for skin that's ready for real life.
Maris Dae is women-owned and a member of 1% for the Planet, so a share of every sale goes back to protecting the environment its ingredients come from. And Sam has been taking TruMarine Collagen for years, which makes this partnership feel like a natural fit.
Christine Riediger, Founder of Bush Berry
For Christine, a good cup of tea starts long before the kettle.
Inspired by the ancient art of herbalism and the natural world around her, Christine founded Bush Berry to craft organic tea blends that reflect a commitment to clean, fair and healthy living. Every blend is made with high-quality organic ingredients, free of chemical pesticides or residue, and sourced from small, family-run farms that use sustainable, earth-friendly practices. Those relationships with local farmers are at the heart of the brand.
Christine's care extends to every detail, right down to the packaging. Bush Berry has removed all plastics from its packaging and shipping, using 100% backyard-compostable materials instead.
As a small, Canadian, female-owned independent business, Bush Berry is proof that every cup can be part of something bigger: a movement for sustainability, thoughtful sourcing and mindful living.
Support the Women Who Build
When you choose a Canadian, woman-owned business, you're investing in so much more than a product. You're supporting a dream, a family and a community.
This Women's Entrepreneurship Day, we hope you'll celebrate the women in your life who are building something of their own, and maybe discover a few new favourites along the way.
Thank you for being part of our story.
