The Virchew Team
Founder
Laura Simonson
Best Pal: Seva
Laura is Virchew's heartbeat. She leads this venture with pure passion and a dog-loving soul. Inspired by her first border collie Shanti, Laura began research into plant-based diets for canines in 1989. Shanti's results were so remarkable that Laura Knew she was on to something. 30 years later, after decades of research and development, Virchew is here. Laura's whole heart in a bowl of good things for all dogs. Shanti would be so proud.
Lead, Operations & Research
Tatiana Victorino
Best Pal: Khyber
Tatiana immigrated to Canada from Brazil after falling in love with the West Coast. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Engineering and vast expertise in process design and improvement, lean manufacturing, business operations, and quality assurance. She also leads a plant-base, cruelty-free, sustainable lifestyle. One that her main squeeze, Khyber, is 100% on board with.
Lead, Customer Care & Happy Wags
Shannon Rose
Best Pal: Bella and Boston
Shannon is a passionate vegan and Nutrition Consultant who loves nothing more than to help others pursue healthy lifestyles. She's facilitated numerous community health improvement programs and, after a chance encounter with Laura at a local event, is now pairing her nutrition expertise with her loves of animals to keep both our two-legged and four-legged customers happy.
Lead Consultant, Veterinary Partnerships & Sales
Kerry Craig
With over 20 years of working in the food and beverage manufacturing industries and 10+ years in Veterinary healthcare, Kerry knows what dogs need and what their people want: more ethical, sustainable, and hypoallergenic food options for the fur babies we all love so much. Kerry builds relationships with our Veterinary partners and is our favourite energetic ideas person. She's always got her eye on what's possible next.
Lead, Distribution & Production
Geoff Ward
Best Pal: Rocky
Geoff and his best pal Rock stumbled upon Virchew and the stars (and paw prints) all aligned. His work with Purolator in the past set him up as a shipping, receiving, and team leadership expert-just the guy we need managing Love Bowl deliveries across the Lower mainland. Geoff makes sure that we have enough Love Bowls in house to meet the ever growing demand pups across the province.
Lead Consultant, Communications & Media
Helen Siwak
Helen became an accidental activist 15 years ago. She witnessed a brutal attack by stray dogs on a den of kittens in Athens, Greece. She ended up joining a group of women committed to protecting street dogs in an illegal shelter. When she returned to Vancouver, her activist heart beat stronger than ever. She volunteers with several local animal rights and care organizations and shares her vibrancy and passion with our team on the regular.
ADVISORY TEAM & COMMUNITY
The Virchew shareholder community (75+ people) consists of 12 veterinarians and other extraordinary individuals who represent several diverse professions from nutrition to law to accounting to medicine to architecture to activism.
We’ve exercised our provincial securities exemptions (combined with attracting several accredited investors) with the goal to create a large community of shareholders committed to the social and financial success of Virchew.
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