Spotlight profile: Francesca, Coquitlam Indigenous entrepreneur and small business owner

Francesca believes that there's a better way to do skincare. She is an Indigenous entrepreneur who uses all-natural ingredients and processes to create organic products that are gentle on the skin and the environment. She launched her business on National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21, 2021, and wants to continue sharing her passion for natural skincare with Canadians across the country. Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, she moved to the West Coast seeking a more temperate climate following her college graduation. She began her career as a legal clerk but soon transitioned to owning and operating her own cleaning business following the birth of her child.

While running her cleaning business and tending to her toddler, she was inspired to use her cultural knowledge and creativity to create a line of natural products used to address her child's eczema prone skin. She set upon her journey to explore what natural products were available. She was intrigued and quickly reasoned that if she had a need for more natural products, so must others. She began to proactively seek out online communities of practice, primarily on Facebook, where she found like-minded self-starters with a shared interest in developing natural soap products. A kinship in the community of soap-makers was formed and she spent a year experimenting with product development, and sharing tips and tricks amongst her community prior to creating her custom line of soaps without the use of harsh sulphates and parabens. She registered her products with Health Canada in compliance with health and safety regulations and launched her business. She continues to iteratively improve and expand her product line based on customer feedback. Her primary product is her line of bar soaps, but she has expanded her product offerings targeted to women of all ages to include: liquid and hand soaps, dish soaps, lip balm and bath bombs. She recently added a Smudge Spray, which can be used to cleanse and purify the surrounding environment.

Francesca's offering is unique as she is one of a select few Indigenous female-owned, soap creators in Canada. She is among the more than 1.6 million people in Canada that identify as Indigenous. More information is available on Statistics Canada's Statistics on Indigenous Peoples Portal, a central location where users can find links to data and information products related to First Nations people, Métis and Inuit, including community profiles. On September 21, 2022, new data will be released on First Nations people, Métis and Inuit in Canada from the 2021 Census. These findings will help to better understand the experiences of Indigenous people living in Canada today.

While it is still in its infancy, Francesca has big plans for her business. She currently sells most of her product online through her website, along with distributing to gift shops and coffee shops in the surrounding areas. Ultimately, her goal is to open up a storefront in her current location of Coquitlam, British Columbia. Longer term, Francesca would also like to expand across Canada and have her product featured in large-scale retailers.

Data from the 2021 Census can help Francesca identify where large catchments of potential clientele reside. By accessing the Focus on Geography Series tool, Francesca can obtain a data highlights for the cities that she is considering for her expansions. This resource allows her to access detailed data highlights for each of the 2021 Census release topics, along with a map image of the geographic area.

Francesca can also use the Census Profile tool to better understand how our Canadian population continues to shift over time. By understanding how factors like age, sex and gender, education, marital status, language, income and occupation evolve in different regions across the country, Francesca can identify emergent communities where young families are establishing themselves. Focusing her efforts in these locations will allow her to provide her product to other parents looking for a gentler alternative to personal care.

New insights from the 2021 Census continue to be released throughout 2022. To access the latest data from the 2021 Census, check them out at www.statcan.gc.ca/census.