Wabanaki Maple Foudner Wins $15,000 Stacy’s Rise Award
FREDERICTON – Jolene Johnson, the CEO and founder of Wabanaki Maple, has been recognized by Stacy’s Rise Project. It’s the project’s first year expanding into Canada and it’s given Johnson a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
What is Wabanaki Maple?
Wabanaki Maple was established in November of 2018. It aims to put a new twist on traditional maple syrup.
Inspired by her indigenous roots, Johnson creates an “authentic signature line of barrel-aged maple.” These include flavours like bourbon, oak, rum, and whiskey maple syrup. Johnson tells Huddle that she runs the first indigenous-women-owned maple syrup company in New Brunswick, and potentially Atlantic Canada.
RELATED: Win At Indigenous Business Competition Would Support Growth At Wabanaki Maple
With a passion to reconnect with her culture, paired with experience inthe culinary and agriculture industries, Johnson saw an ideal business for her.
“I wanted to reconnect and share our indigenous culture through our maple products with everyone else [in the community]” she says.
Stacy’s Rise Project
In early 2023, the Stacy’s Rise Project awarded four women-founded businesses in Canada a life-changing opportunity. Johnson was one of those winners.
The project started in the United States in 2019. It awards women entrepreneurs with mentorship through PepsiCo, as well as a $15,000 grant. This then helps them to improve their business while learning and developing new skills.
“It works to help empower and champion the women in business,” says Johnson.
Johnson tells Huddle there were around nine thousand applicants for this award, so for her to be chosen was a true honour.
“It’s surreal in a sense that, you know, there’s so many women in business out there,” she says. “So, when this happened, I’m still just really, truly honoured and grateful for that opportunity; to be selected amongst these empowering group of women in the community.”
Bringing it to the next level
With the Stacy’s Rise Program, Johnson says she envisions it will positively affect Wabanaki Maple in a variety of ways. She plans to use the grant to help upscale her business, which she was already in the process of executing. But she is particularly looking forward to the mentorship portion of the award.
After having her first one-on-one session she says that she can see it having a fantastic impact on her, as well as on Wabanaki Maple as a business.
“I’m already ahead of the game with some pieces that I was feeling stuck on. With their [PepsiCo] help, it’s helped me gain more confidence,” Johnson says when speaking on the impact of the mentorship.
Although Johnson has had previous mentors, she tells Huddle that “this is in a totally different direction”.
“My mentor previously was more like coaching and just [helping with] basic business skills and tools,” she says. “But this is helping us take it to the next level.
What’s to come?
Right now, Wabanaki Maple is in the process of scaling up. In growing the team, as well as trying to market to the United States, Johnson says that there are big things to come.
Along with this, she tells Huddle that Wabanaki Maple plans to add to their product line in the upcoming months.
Although she wanted the new products to remain a surprise, Johnson says that there are multiple products already lined up that she is excited to share.
Ryley Roach is a Huddle student intern, based in Fredericton. Send her your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].
Editor’s note: This story was last updated on February 27, at 11:55 a.m.