This Garbage Man is Seeing Green
Dogs are known to get into things they aren’t supposed to. Unfortunately Willy ate some lawn fertilizer which cost his owner a pretty penny at the vet. You will be happy to know Willy fully recovered but it was this incident and others which inspired Kevin Davies (Willys owner) to create a safer and more eco-friendly fertilizer. Kevin has always been passionate about the environment. He has been a “green entrepreneur” for quite some time, but it is his new company Hop Composting, that is truly becoming a leader in this generation of climate change action.
“Celebrate progress instead of perfection.”
It is incredible to see Kevin’s success at the young age of 23. Hop’s headquarters are situated in the south side of Calgary, Alberta. Upon walking into the building you could never imagine old and disposed of food was being composted there before your very eyes. The machinery used is top of the line and it shows.
Hop Composting relies on partnerships to ensure their business is successful. Hop tours the city and collects scraps from partnering restaurants. They then compost them into safe, clean and reusable fertilizer. It is very rare for a business to make money on the input and output of a product but Hop has mastered the unthinkable and they truly reap the benefits on both ends.
Marketing magic
Kevin knew he was on to something innovative but it never really took off until he discovered the importance of marketing. He began creating monthly impact reports for partnering organizations to tangibly show how their contributions were helping the environment. By proving to restaurants that they can make a difference, Hop began to grow. Hop understands that changing peoples habits and perceptions of the environment is a slow process. Still they believe that every tiny bit of help from partnering restaurants has a much larger effect than you could imagine. This young entrepreneur is now looking to enter cities across Canada. His patented technology creates the cleanest soil and a true competitive advantage for this company.
“Building a business model is as creative as painting a canvas.”
Hop is still a young company but what it is doing is so innovative that others are quickly taking notice. Hop was selected by Canadian Geographic and Shell for the Quest Climate Grant of $50,000. To date Hop has saved over 3.3 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. Kevin’s vision is strictly focused on the future and he continues to grow for the sake of the environment. Kevin has made it possible for people to see their own impacts on the environment; this just may be the unique factor that allows real change to happen.
Things to consider
If you are an entrepreneur here are some things to consider:
- Create a clear message to your customers, use marketing to foster change
- Gain support from the community to make your business a success
- Passion will ultimately translate to profit
