Content submitted by: Total Prepare Canada
How it all started:
It was 2011. Canadians watched as major earthquakes rocked our neighbours on the other side of the Pacific Rim, devastating the areas around Christchurch in New Zealand and the Fukushima Prefecture in Japan.
While coastal British Columbians were no stranger to earthquake risks, there were few options in the local market for emergency preparedness supplies. Canadians knew they needed to prepare, but they didn’t know how to get started or where to turn. Thus, the idea of Total Prepare was born.
Starting out as a small online retailer, Total Prepare set up shop in 2012 in Victoria, BC—right in the heart of the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
Business was slow at first. After all, nobody knew about us yet.
Fortunately, Victoria residents love to shop local, and when they found out Total Prepare was right in their backyard, word spread quickly.
Governments, businesses, and schools soon contacted us to ask if we could work with them to stock their emergency supplies. This enabled us to establish a solid foundation and plan to build on that growth.
People wanted to visit us in person, so we opened a physical storefront on Crease Avenue.
With a storefront came the need for staff members to greet everyone and offer the best customer service around. We began expanding our team to handle the increased foot, phone, and email traffic we received.
Since many organizations wanted custom solutions with items we didn’t stock, we expanded our vendor network and brought on more high-quality suppliers.
Today, we run a busy warehouse and still maintain our retail storefront at 48 Crease Avenue. We’ve also expanded a number of our key products and shipped them to a warehouse in Eastern Canada to better keep all Canadians well-stocked with supplies.
The team continues to grow, and we’re proud to provide local jobs to people who are passionate about preparedness.
We have exclusive agreements for Canadian distribution of products like XMRE (Meals Ready to Eat), Legacy Premium Food Storage (freeze-dried/dehydrated food) and Blue Can Water (50-year shelf life canned water).
As we all know, in early 2020, a new global disaster struck. The Coronavirus pandemic brought unprecedented demand for preparedness products and upended supply chains. People realized how unprepared they were for a pandemic, let alone a natural disaster.
Now, the challenge is to keep preparedness at the front of mind for every Canadian. Recent and current events like the Coronavirus pandemic and the major flooding on the Lower Mainland of BC remind people of the need to prepare. As time goes on and disasters fade from memory, we intend to keep preparedness from becoming just another item on the “one day” list.
To that end, we’re continually broadening our online presence and offerings, and it’s with the help of people like you that we’re able to bring awareness to even more people.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support, thank you for shopping local, and thank you for helping us grow from a small, two-man operation to the thriving business we are today.
Why did you decide to start carrying GF product?
A former business partner's wife is celiac. When we began looking for a food supplier, GF options was a paramount item.
Where do you source product? Are there any locally manufactured product?
We are constantly looking at all long-term emergency preparedness food options, we currently have not found one locally.
Are all of the GF product recipes created by Legacy Food Storage?
Honeyville & Legacy Food create the recipes.
How do they create new recipes and does your team have any input on new recipes?
We have no collaboration on new recipes with Honeyville and Legacy Food Storage.
We love seeing a GF certification on product, why was it important for the product to be certified?
Legacy is completely free of gluten and is safe for those who suffer from Celiac disease, wheat allergies, or gluten sensitivities. Having a GF product ensures that we are meeting the health needs of our clients.
Are there separate dryers and packaging areas for GF product?
Many customers and competitors have asked us to verify some of the claims that are made regarding the quality of Legacy Food Storage, most frequently regarding the Non-GMO and Gluten Free claims. We are very pleased to announce that Legacy Food Storage has partnered with Honeyville to continue to produce their already amazing products. Honeyville has some of the highest rated facilities in the country when it comes to quality and standards of the food products that they produce.
Are there plans to offer Ready-To-Eat-Meals, and other products in the GF variety?
We are always on the lookout for GF MREs and other products to add to our product mix.
Eating during travel can be tricky for a celiac, so your product could make a big difference in peace-of-mind in a worst case scenario. Is it safe to fly with product in checked baggage?
Yes, it safe to travel with!
Do you work with the services abroad (consulates, military, school, etc.)?
We primarily provide our services across Canada to all levels of Government, Schools, Hospitals, RCMP, Military and so much more.
What are your ideas for further growth and development?
Total Prepare is maintaining our course of action to expand our offerings to everyone across Canada.
