About Sankara & our partner Chefs’ Meal Boxes
Question 1: First of all, what exactly is Sankara? How long has Sankara been in operation?
Sankara is a social enterprise which operates an Online Multicultural Marketplace to buy and sell authentic cultural cuisines, grocery, arts and crafts. We are a collective of independent cultural chefs, restaurants, grocers, and artisans who plant roots in our communities by sharing culture. Sankara allows anyone to conveniently access authentic cultural services and products by local cultural vendors. We're on a mission to build more culturally empathetic communities.
We have been operating as an Online Marketplace since 2017 when we incorporated our business. In the Summer of 2016, we operated a small weekly African food stall at a public open-air market where we sold West & Central African food. Over the months we gained unique experiences and insight from the vendor’s vantage point. After the market closed, our co-founder Chinweotito Atansi, a native Nigerian who transplanted to Saint John 5 years ago, then taught himself to code to build the Sankara platform from scratch. The platform encompasses everything needed to perform the transactions which customers and vendors need to buy and sell unique cultural cuisines, crafts, and grocery. Payments for products are made online, delivery is convenient and contactless.
It is important to note that, unlike a public market where food vendors can cook from home, all of the partner Chefs on Sankara utilize local licensed kitchen facilities or restaurants to prepare their orders. The Chefs and delivery assistants are taking special precautions due to covid-19, to ensure all food is prepared and delivered safely.
Question 2: How did you come up with the name Sankara?
Our business name represents dignity, unity, self-determination and empowerment. We named our business after an individual whose leadership was immensely powerful. That individual was Thomas Sankara, an African leader who believed in the reclamation of identity and the power of unity to self-propel his people into a bright future.
Our blog post contains more on Thomas Sankara and to learn why we chose this name for our company.
Our logo is an Adinkra symbol from Ghana meaning strength & humility.
Question 3: What variety of countries are included in Sankara?
We represent vendors from many different countries and almost all of the continents. In the past, we have collaborated with partner vendors from 16 countries at one time. Some of the countries we currently represent or have represented include Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Brazil, Mexico, and Atlantic Canada.
Question 4: What inspired you to start this business?
Diversity and culture should be widely accessible and highly celebrated. We believe that people who identify with various cultures can use a platform like Sankara to engage and build deeper connections with their community. They can freely do so by using their cultural products or services as vehicles for empathy all while generating income.
Question 5: Tell us a little bit about some of the different Meal Boxes you offer?
To adapt to the current climate, we built a new Meal Box model to allow partner Chefs across the province to safely feed the loyal clients they normally serve through catering, events & at public markets. These Meal Boxes feature either work-week's worth of pre-cooked meals the week with world origins. They’re practical for anyone looking for unique, easy and delicious solutions to meals. Every Sunday our delivery partners deliver the Meal Boxes non-contact to clients in Fredericton, Moncton and Saint John.
We currently offer Indian Meal Boxes cooked by various partner Chefs such as Chef Raman of Sai Krishna in Moncton and Egyptian Chef Sherry of Salt & Maple street-food fusion food truck in Fredericton. In Saint John, Ethiopian dishes by Chef Tutu and Palestinian Meal Boxes by Chef Murad are popular choices.
For Mother’s Day, we partnered with a local lobster exporter in Moncton, Partner Seafood, who offered local wild-caught Bay of Fundy Whole Cooked Lobster. For Thanksgiving we’re cooking up something exciting too!
Question 6: What do you envision next for Sankara?
We’re excited to continue collaborating with cultural vendors across the Maritimes & expand our reach across the country. What’s great is that anyone with an entrepreneurial bug can join our market. They can use Sankara as a tool to start & build their business, generate brand awareness, and build loyal clients.