A vegan market has opened its doors in West Kelowna.

Fork Plant-Based Market opened last week and is the city’s first grocery store designed exclusively to cater to the unique needs of vegans and vegetarians.

Owner Jennifer Laforge, who is also a vegan herself, said she knows vegan options are relatively few in West Kelowna, and even throughout the Okanagan Valley, citing several visits from pentictonites and vernonites.

“I saw a need and filled it,” she said.

The store is stocked with BC goods and in-house baking, including perogies from another company that Laforge co-owns.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Laforge continued to operate Flavors Kitchen, a gourmet perogie business that sells its products at farmers’ markets and at several businesses in the area, and saw no decline in sales.

This motivated her to realize her dream of her own vegan shop. “I can’t be happier with how it’s been this past week,” she said.

Plant-based shops, bakeries, and restaurants have become increasingly common in the Central Okanagan in recent years.

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You can visit the Fork Plant-Based Market Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at 2437 Main Street in the Westbank.

Do you have anything to add to this story or anything else you would like us to cover? Email: michael.rodriguez@kelowacapnews.com

@michaelrdrguez
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Vegan and vegetarian