[dropcapT[/dropcap]he solar rays weren’t the only things heating up the Inglewood Sunfest Market on July 29.
The Inglewood Sunfest Market is arranged to help many businesses in the market every year, and this year it had 200 vendors, including artisan crafts, small businesses, community organizations, and people who shared their sentiments on social media.
“Thank you YYC, how we missed this! From sun-kissed memories and endless laughter – thank you to all of our visitors, vendors, performers, food trucks, and volunteers for an unforgettable celebration!…,” shared the market’s Twitter account.
Loose Island owner Robyn Loose also helped make things a bit spicier as the event was the Calgarian’s first opportunity to sell her homemade hot sauce.
“Me and my husband Craig [Loose] started the company called Loose Islands in March, however we were into the hot sauce business since 2016,” she said.
The Loose family had the idea to establish the business as they used to compete in hot sauce manufacturing contests at their friends’ houses, and luckily, they always added a title to their name every year.
Loose Islands is a fancy name that Loose and her husband chose because they have always liked the tropics and recently purchased some land in Belize.
“Our family has always loved islands and palm trees, which is why we included the word ‘island’ in the company name and a palm tree on the label,” she said.
Loose has been really fortunate to have not just a supportive husband but also her children in the business.
“There are lot of family emotion attached to the business as even my kids take part in the business,” she said. “In fact, the entire task of bottle labelling is performed by [the children].”
What inspires people is the hard effort the entire family puts into the hot sauce business. The couple also work a nine-to-five job Monday through Friday, which is why they keep the sauce production for the weekends.
“It’s only been a few months since the business began, and at this stage it’s only a side hustle, but I’m hoping that we’ll soon be able to quit our jobs and focus totally on our business,” said Loose.
The couple created a pretty unique way of showcasing the level of hotness in sauce.
“My husband and I came up with the idea of utilizing emojis to represent the heat level of each sauce, from mild to spiciest, in a format of six emoji faces, with the happy face representing mildness while the red face indicating hotness,” she explained.
Loose ensures that her neighbour’s taste and assess the hotness of her sauce before packaging the bottles.
The goal of Loose Islands is to provide a premium one-stop shop for hot sauce and salsas, allowing customers to shop for high quality products easily and conveniently.
“We are constantly tasting new hot sauces and have tried hundreds of different varieties from around the world,” she said. “We do this to be able to provide high quality hot sauces with a unique flavour profile for our customers.”
Many new faces were revealed at the Inglewood Sunfest Market, including Newman Danso, who quit his job last year to chase a dream of being a clothing designer.
Sinners2Saints is a relatable lifestyle brand which was started in 2020 by Danso, who had the desire to explore the duality of the human nature, susceptible to flaws and has goodness embedded in it as well.
“Sinners2Saints aspires to inspire the best in all of us in spite of one’s flaws,” said Danso.
Danso is a Calgarian, originally from Ghana, who wants to reflect what his culture has taught him through the years as well as what his duties in this life are as a Christian.
He formed a team of individuals with similar desire to tailor designs with a purpose to share life’s experiences artistically.
“Using clothing as the canvas, the designs are meant to lead to great conversations, share one’s perspective, and inspire every human regardless of race, gender, or religion to serve as a reminder to strive to the best you were created to be,” he said.
One of Danso’s favourite slogans is “pray for your enemies,” which he says can be one of the hardest things to do.
“But do we really have any enemies,” he said.
Danso is passionate about what he wears and wanted others to feel the same way.
“When people read the thoughts on our clothes, they relate to them because I believe that everyone is a sinner with a desire to be a saint,” he said.
“Even the worst person you can imagine.”
Danso says he sees the world with an optimistic eye, which helps him along his journey.
“Sometimes people who appear to be enemies turn out to be the best experiences of your life,” he said. “God sends them to test you.”
The Inglewood Sunfest Market showcased several personalities and businesses that encapsulate Calgary’s energy.
