Farming Karma’s pear soda named one in every of BC’s greatest merchandise – Kelowna Information

By Tod E. Rheaume On Nov 12, 2022

Photo: Contributed

Farming Karma landed on the podium last week when the British Columbia Food and Beverage Association honoured the best and brightest in the industry.

The Kelowna beverage company, which was formed less than three years ago, took home the Product of the Year Award (Silver) for its pear soda during the BCFB Awards ceremony last Thursday in Vancouver. There were 10 finalists in the Product of the Year category, so placing second is a huge accomplishment for the young company.

“So many feelings: humbled, amazed, happy, thankful, excited,” said Avi Gill, who is part of the family that owns Farming Karma. “The award is a reminder of our journey, the challenges and the victories along the way. When we launched in January 2020, we were a farming family that didn’t have any background in food manufacturing, product development, marketing, packaging, selling, or any of the other things that go along with putting a product in the market.

“With consistent hard work, believing in ourselves, and tremendous support from our community and mentors, we were able to develop a product that we were proud of. To be recognized for that, it’s a dream come true.”

The Gill family grew apples, cherries and pears on its Kelowna land for more than 30 years, but the family business headed in a new direction when the patriarch, Karma Gill, decided he was nearing retirement. His son, Avi, and Avi’s wife, Binny, decided to sell some juice at the local farmers’ market, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Farming Karma now has 10 products, including both regular and vodka sodas. The company’s product is sold in approximately 2,000 stores across the country, and it was featured at the TED Conference in Vancouver in April. It also captured Sobey’s Innovative Product of the Year Award in 2020.

Big Mountain Foods’ soy-free tofu captured gold in the Product of the Year Award category. Kelowna’s Wild Remedies was one of the 10 finalists for its Almond Lavender Dream latte.