1 Filtered Review of Copper Branch - Bishop

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Avatar SheldonLawlor

SheldonLawlor

Points +15

Vegetarian
18 Dec 2015

GMO Coporate Fastfood Posers

Copper branch seems more interested in your wallet than your health. After working there for a short period I feel that people should know some vital information about their food and practices. Copper Branch Veganaise and all their sandwich / burger sauces are made from non-organic Canola (90%+ chance GMO Monsanto canola oil - due to inadequate labellling laws in Canada). Canola oil is also used to cook a variety of vegetables and is the base for their deceivingly delicious brownies. This is is troubling since Monsanto giant round-up pesticides are sure to be in high abundance in Copper Branch menu items. Copper Branch has also been reported numerous times to: La Societe des Normes du Travail for having refused to fully pay their employees. They pay their employees minimum wage even though these great young people make every recipe from scratch, and are responsible for everything from Janitor services to food service. Copper Branch is the McDonalds of the Vegan trend wave! Personally I would opt for one of their competetors like Crudesence or Panthere Verte who have more abundance in their meal portions and their ethics / business practices.

Pros: tasty food, nice design, colourful meals

Cons: GMO ingredients, un-ethical labour practices, small portions

Avatar

bikutoria

20 Apr 2016

Hey, I was passing by and decided to leave a comment. As a fellow consumer, I agree with your concerns. However, I am surprised that you are complaining as an ex-employee to HappyCow and not to Copper Branch management directly. I presume your act of "exposing" is rather unethical, and if I were and employer, I would doubt to hire you again.
With that said, I also want to say that Copper Branch is a VERY VERY young business. Their goal is to serve healthy and sustainable vegan food. There are many factors that mean "healthy and sustainable", but you singled out some of them without bringing to light how much work this cafe ALREADY does. You shame them like vegans shame vegetarian restaurants - these places already make a step to change for better, and you are not helping but rather impeding their transformation. For instance, yes, the pay may be small, but employees know that they work for a growing food "startup" and need to be passionate about the cause and about GROWING WITH Copper Branch, not earning tons of money right away. Another example is "GMO canola oil" - you have not mentioned that most of their other ingredients are organic. (They barely use oil in the first place, if you ask me.)

Personally, I see the potential in Copper Branch. The food is good, perfect for everyday meals. I support this business, and as a smart consumer, I tell Copper Branch what changes I want them to implement (zero GMO ingredients/replace canola oil). As a smart consumer, I know it is hard for to be fully ethical & sustainable in a fast-paced food industry, but I stand with Copper Branch for them to grow & serve healthy vegan food & adopt smaller changes step by step :)
PS. I still like Crudessence and Panthere Verte, but one - I would not eat there every day, two - Green Panther also has "sugary" sins. I still love these two, but I feel your comparison is very unfair. Did they pay you?