Sunnyside Natural Market

For Patrick Guyn and his wife, Patty Nowlin, nothing is more important than community. It’s so important, in fact, that the two decided to leave their respective careers in the oil industry and banking to run Sunnyside Natural Market, a family-operated organic food market that’s focused on providing local food to the people of Calgary. “I worked in IT for over 20 years and my wife worked in the banking industry,” says Patrick. “We're both third generation Albertans. My parents grew up on farm's and Patty's grandparents had a ranch in Water Valley. We have this connection to farmers and food producers in Alberta. This store lets us explore that connection.”

Sunnyside Natural Market itself started out as an eco-store, a place where people could buy ethically-sourced products that, according to Patrick, “don’t contain the long list of chemicals we usually see in things.” It evolved into an organic grocery store in 1997, and soon after Patrick and his wife became regular customers. When they heard it was up for sale in 2005, they decided to buy the store. “We’ve always been big believers in organic food and ethical consumption,” says Patrick. “It’s better for our bodies, the environment and the farmers who actually grow our food. That’s why we decided to buy and run this store.”