local – VegOttawa Association

Making Trash Panda @ The Merry Dairy

June 16, 2022June 16, 2022Leave a comment

This week I got to live out a life-long dream I never knew I had until it happened: I got to help a local ice cream shop create a vegan ice cream flavour. But not just any flavour. The ultimate flavour. A flavour named after one of my favourite animals. TRASH PANDA.

What, you might be asking yourself, is Trash Panda? It’s a delicious concoction created by The Merry Dairy featuring a chocolate coconut base with drool-worthy chocolate covered pretzels, Oreo bits, and in-house fudge & raspberry drizzle. It’s a kitchen sink kind of flavour that is like a raccoon’s buffet. And I got to try it. It is INCREDIBLE.

I met up with Amelia, head ice cream maker, who has worked at The Merry Dairy for five years. She walked me through the process of creating their delicious flavours and I got to learn all about what led them to their newest vegan flavour.

The Merry Dairy is a local ice cream shop that started their plant-based journey by creating a vegan coffee coconut flavour. They got their name because of the happy, merry-like and joyful experience that comes along with enjoying a good ol’ scoop. Since then, they’ve created over 30 ingenious flavours like Sugar Plumped Fig and Earl Grey or the wildly popular Radler Sorbet. We joked that one day, they might even become the Merry Non-Dairy, because their vegan flavours fly off the shelves. So much so, they had to create a dedicated scooping freezer in the front of their store. (Way to go vegans!)

Back to Trash Panda, though. I’m a sucker for their vegan coffee flavour, but after today I might be a convert. Seriously, it took everything in me to not to ask for a funnel so I could just down the whole batch. As Amelia says, their vegan flavours are created with the coconut base top-of mind. They choose ingredients that will enhance and work with their plant-based option – a dance of flavours. It’s truly an art to watch them work their magic. Everything is made in house, with the exception of the oreo crumble mixed in. They create their own vegan base, fudge and raspberry drizzle. All the way down to drizzling chocolate on the pretzels and chopping them up. Are you drooling yet?

Well, I’m happy to announce that Vegan Trash Panda is now available in store at The Merry Dairy. Head on over to 102 Fairmont (or order online for delivery!) and try it for yourself!

GIVEAWAY: Want to try the Trash Panda Flavour? Share our Instagram or Facebook post and tag us at @vegottawa. Every post that tags us will be entered to win a tub of their incredible new flavour!

NEW DISCOUNT! Jacquie K Cosmetics

May 28, 2022May 28, 2022Leave a comment

Jacquie K cosmetics will now offer a 15% discount for VegOttawa Association members on all purchases from the Jacquie K Cosmetics online store!

Jacquie K. cosmetics is a Ottawa-based makeup brand created with ethics in mind. Created in 2018, the brand has grown from lipsticks and translucent powders to all kinds of makeup products. They offer lipsticks and lip tints, skincare products, blush, bronzer, concealer, powder and eyeshadows in a variety of shades and colours. Plus, they sell adorable stickers and apparel.

Jacquie K cosmetics sources locally in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of every step in their supply chain. Their sourcing model also ensures that the employees involved in making our products are safe & treated fairly. All of their products are vegan, cruelty-free, made in Canada and Leaping Bunny certified. Plus, $1 from the purchase of every lipstick goes to Penny Lane Farm Sanctuary.

UPDATED DISCOUNT! | saaboon 15% Off!

June 25, 2021December 11, 2021Leave a comment

From saaboon.com,

SAABOON is an all-natural, vegan soap boutique based in Ottawa, Canada.

Using the traditional cold-process soap-making method, our handcrafted soaps are made from scratch in small batches to ensure consistent quality. We use only the best natural oils and do not use synthetic chemicals or foaming agents, artificial fragrance oils, artificial colourings, or any preservatives. And we are 100% against animal testing!“

saaboon will now offer a 15% discount off all their beautiful soaps, balms, face oils, deodorants, bath salts,… to VegOttawa Association members! (This replaces the previous discount of 10%)

“Why buy handmade soap vs. commercial soap? The answer is very simple, with handmade soap, you get exactly that – soap. Commercial soap are not always true forms of soap – they are often detergents. Detergents are petroleum-based products, filled with synthetic, harsh chemicals that will leave your skin feeling dry, itchy, and irritated. Most manufacturers also remove a large percentage of the glycerin from their soap because glycerin contains a high resale value. The glycerin is sold to other companies to make lotions and creams. Glycerin is the natural by-product in the soap-making process. It is a humectant (helps moisturize your skin). With handmade soap, all the glycerin is retained. Whereas with commercial soap the ingredients consists of animal fats and other chemicals that will often leave your skin irritated, our handmade soap are made with all-natural vegetable and fruit oils that not only cleanse but leave your skin nourished and moisturized.

We use only the best oils and butters to make our products — these include olive oil, coconut oil, argan oil, rosehip oil, jojoba oil, castor oil, cocoa butter, and avocado Oil.

Your satisfaction is extremely important to us. Our mission is to provide great quality products and excellent service.

Come visit our brick and mortar shop at 595 Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa, Canada.

FOR DAILY UPDATES, NEWS AND FUN BEHIND-THE-SCENES PHOTOS, FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK :: @SAABOON“