COVID-19 Updates

 UPDATED: Monday, March 16th, 2020, 6 PM


Greenhouse’s Evolving Response to COVID-19

Hello Friends,

We hope you and your families are in good health and in the best spirits possible. We will be updating this blog post regularly as new information emerges; please stay tuned. At present, here is what’s going on at Greenhouse:

1. We plan to continue producing for as long as it is safe.

As you know, our mission is to offer widespread, sustainable access to plant-based nutrition and wellness of the highest quality. We believe this is more important than ever under the current circumstances: maintaining good health, getting enough nutrients, and staying hydrated are top priorities for all of us. For as long as we can safely do so, we plan to keep making and distributing fresh products.

As of Friday, our production facility, including the adjacent administrative office, has been closed to all team members except for those whose presence is essential for the production and distribution of our products. These team members pass through a compulsory health screening including a temperature check and health questionnaire at the entrance to our facility each day. The remainder of our team continues to work from home.

2. As always, we uphold exceptionally rigorous food safety standards.

Our always-stringent food safety protocols are being reinforced and added to at this time, with additional sanitation steps and sterilization procedures being implemented at all levels of our supply chain and distribution process. As always, properly sanitized lab wear is worn at all times inside our facility, which is certified under both the SQF (Safe Quality Foods Institute) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) programs, meaning that we uphold the industry’s highest levels of food safety and quality protocols.
 
For further food safety and quality, our beverages are treated with UV-C Light Filtration, a unique, cold process that takes place in-line and allows us to maintain the nutritional and environmental integrity of our products while ensuring that they are safe from potentially harmful microbiology. Read more about Light Filtration here. After being treated with Light Filtration, our beverages are filled into sterilized bottles and sealed with sterilized, tamper-evident caps in an entirely aseptic environment, and kept at a temperature below 4 C throughout the distribution chain.

3. Currently, all of our distribution channels are open.

These include:

  • Partner retailers, i.e. grocery stores // Locations map here
  • Home delivery from greenhouse.ca in the wider Toronto Area and Vancouver // Delivery zone map here
  • Our Toronto retail stores // Store locations and hours here

4. We have implemented some additional food safety measures at our retail stores.

Our retail stores remain open, but we have implemented some additional safety measures to ensure that they remain healthy spaces for our team and community. These include:

  • Pausing our bottle return program (details below)
  • Pausing our bring-your-own-cup program (details below)
  • Not accepting cash at present
  • Pausing sampling
  • Pausing Smoothie and Hot and Iced Beverage production beginning tomorrow, March 17th
  • Sanitizing high-touch surfaces at least every 30 minutes

5. We are offering some new volume discounts in response to popular demand.

We are ramping up production of our most popular Boosters, and by popular demand, we are now offering 6-packs of Fiery Ginger and Inside Job for $20 ($4 in savings) in our stores and via home delivery and UberEats.

With our best wishes,

Anthony, Hana, Emma, and Team Greenhouse

P.S. We would love to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to send us your questions, concerns, or suggestions: hello@greenhouse.ca and founders@greenhouse.ca.

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Wednesday, March 11th, 6 PM
 

Dear friends,
 
We are implementing some new precautionary measures to protect our community from the potential spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The public health risk posed by COVID-19 for the general population in Canada is currently considered low by the Public Health Agency of Canada. However, as we have seen in other countries, this can change quickly, and it is important that we take proactive steps to keep our community healthy. At Greenhouse, we are implementing the following protocols starting Thursday, March 12th:

 

  1. Pausing Our Bottle Return Program - We are temporarily pausing our bottle return program in our stores and via home delivery until further notice is provided. We ask that you please rinse your empty glass bottles and place them in your Blue Bin for recycling. Our lids can also be rinsed and recycled. Touching something with the virus on it and then touching one’s face is one of the primary ways in which coronaviruses spread (source: Government of Canada); for the health of our community members and store environments, it is therefore prudent that we avoid handling and storing used bottles for the time-being. While Greenhouse loyalty points will no longer be offered for returned bottles during the pause, they can still be earned on purchases and redeemed as usual. Thank you for your understanding.

  2. Pausing Our Bring-Your-Own-Cup Program - For the same reason as above, we are temporarily pausing our bring-your-own-cup program in stores until further notice is provided. While it pains us to suspend this program aimed at reducing waste, we believe it is a necessary measure for the moment. Once again we appreciate your understanding.

  3. Exercising Added Prudence for Sampling - While we are continuing to offer samples in our stores and at events, we have made some changes to the way samples are offered, including ensuring that they are poured on demand and keeping contact with vessels to a minimum, to minimize any risk of contamination. We are also refreshing our retail and event teams on food safety guidelines.

Furthermore, as a food and beverage manufacturer and provider, we are conscious of our responsibility to ensure that all health and safety measures are being reinforced at this time. Our production process is certified under the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) program, meaning that we are held accountable to strict and carefully documented food safety protocols. All team members across the organization are required to disclose travel to high risk areas, to stay home and immediately inform their healthcare provider if symptoms arise, and to practice proactive hygiene measures including proper, frequent hand washing. 
 

Once more, we greatly appreciate your support in keeping our community low-risk. We remain focused on sustainability and look forward to reinstituting these programs and new ones in the near future. Please do not hesitate to contact us at hello@greenhouse.ca if you have any questions.
 

With our best wishes,
 

Team Greenhouse