#ShoppingLocal in The Beach with Farmacia Health Bar
You probably saw it in the headlines and your social feeds. Over the pandemic, so many businesses were forced to close up shop. That’s why it so important now more than ever to shop local.
For that reason, we’re starting a new series called #ShoppingLocal, where we interview local business owners in The Beach region of Toronto to highlight what our neighbourhood is up to, where you should go, and how you can support your friendly, neighbourhood business owner.
First up is Steve Sanna, the founder of Farmacia Health Bar. On a bright and sunny July day, he joined us to discuss his journey of being a business owner - the trials, the successes and how he has invented a new-age pharmacy that promotes health and well-being in the Beach of Toronto.
Check them out and receive 20% OFF their Personalized Detox Program this July 2022.
Our Interview with Steve Sanna from Farmacia Health Bar
Paul: Thank you for joining us today, Steve. First question, can you tell me a little bit about the business and what the business is about?
Steve: Yeah, so we try to think of ourselves as a new-age pharmacy where you can get stuff that promotes health and wellness. But it's more of a preventative kind of thing, so it's not like if you have cancer, you can come and cure it. It's more like addressing your health proactive. So we have drinks that will address cancers and all sorts of sicknesses out there. So it'll make you feel that much better.
Paul: I’ve been to health food places before, but I haven't seen it done like this, and this is a new approach.
Steve: Yeah, so basically, when I first started, everyone's like, “Go to other juice bars and see what they're doing.” And I wanted a clean slate. I didn't want to go and see what they were doing because I didn't want to get pulled over to what they were doing, right? So I wanted to keep it unique. This is essentially a lifestyle that I've had since I was six years old, foraging through the forest, finding mushrooms and plants and identifying them and using them for health. And then, you know, as I got older, I ran a wilderness canoe adventure company in Algonquin for 30 years. And I was doing this stuff as showing people the plants and harvesting. I lost that job due to SARS and ended up becoming a personal trainer because I needed to keep fit for the trips. I had a customer there that really helped. I was doing all the exact same things, I was selling Chaga and tinctures and making smoothies for my customers as they were too lazy to do it on their own. So one of my customers opened up a yoga studio and asked, “Why don't you come do your hokey pokey and make your bar?” And I said, “Sure”. So I started there, and that lasted about 11 months and it just kind of grew, and I needed a bigger place to call home, and that's why I came down here.
Paul: And why did you pick The Beach?
Steve: Well, my customers were coming from The Beaches, and I was at St. Clair and O'Connor. A lot of my customers that knew what I was doing were coming all the way there, and so I just thought I might as well go to The Beaches since most of the customers are there. And The Beaches is like the best place in Toronto.
Paul: It is the best place, I have to agree with you on that one. So what's next for Farmacia? Do you guys have plans?
Steve: I just gotta make sure we survive COVID. I have survived, I just gotta figure out a way to save money now because all the money saved, you know, I’m still trying to catch up. But I'd like to buy another spot somewhere. Start another spot and have more in myself because I don't want to lose the integrity. We go gather spring water. It's not just filtered water, right? So I got to go once or twice a week to get the spring water. So if I do get another place I might find a business partner that wants to come in with me and runs this place and I can run the other place or something like that. But I'd like to expand without losing the integrity.
Paul: That’s a hard process. When you said you guys made it through COVID, obviously it was challenging, but it kind of leads me to my next question, which is how important is it to shop local?
Steve: I think it's very important, right? Because you know a lot of the businesses around here support me. And I go out, when I'm looking for anything, I'll go local first and then if I can't find it then I'll try to get as locally as possible as I can.