Vegan Supply is an intimate, customer-focused store specialising in vegan groceries, personal care products, and apparel, and items that complement specific dietary paths, such as gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free. What won’t you find there? The usual plethora of tempting distractions. If you’re someone with a food allergy or dietary restrictions that can be difficult to manage when you’re on the road, then you’ll love Vegan Supply. And if you just enjoy a healthy snack and want to be ‘good’ while you’re on vacation? Well, you’ll love it too!
We spoke to Jason Antony, the the mastermind behind Vegan Supply, and a Surrey business owner whose Crohn’s diagnosis and subsequent health journey has inspired him to help others be healthy.
The decision to open Vegan Supply, and his nearby restaurant locations for the popular ‘MeeT’ in Vancouver, was a deeply personal one:
“I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and wrestled with pain and discomfort for years. After various dietary and pharma trials and tribulations, I finally found a dietary-based solution that worked best for my situation,” Antony told us. “Years later, I discovered how rare it was to find food retailers with the primary goal of nourishing their customers. With so many people suffering from chronic illness, I realized we could be the business that prioritizes health, has few food distractions, and offers the best local options.”
Living with Crohn’s has taught Antony a lot about health and diet. He believes that we all have a personal food puzzle that needs to be discovered and it’s not just about food, but lifestyle and emotional makeup as well. It’s that secret combination that makes us feel our best. Antony’s advice to anyone striving to be healthier is to figure this out!
“Solve your food puzzle – that magic mix of things you should do to make your body well. There’s a different mix for each individual. The food piece is so important because we as individuals need to figure out what we need,” he expressed emphatically. “ If you follow your personal food and lifestyle puzzle, you will be well!”
Vegan Supply, formerly known as Antony and Sons, is a manifestation of Antony’s passion for health and drive to help others. We asked him what made his small and intimate store so unique:
“It’s not the things we have that make it so special, it’s the things we don’t have. The distractions we have are few, and the ones we do have are chosen with thought (like our ethically-sourced organic fair trade chocolate). If people were to do their day to day shopping in our store, they’d be healthy by virtue of what we don’t have!”
When you do visit Vegan Supply, make sure to introduce yourself to Jason. He’s not just inspiring and extremely well-informed, he’s also a super nice guy. He’ll be there, ready to show you around, answer your questions and share with you his passion for being well.