VANCOUVER, BC (August 25, 2021) — ChopValue, the manufacturer of high performance circular economy designs made entirely from recycled chopsticks, is thrilled to announce the opening of their first Ontario Microfactory franchise concept in Toronto. This exciting news of coast to coast expansion comes just 2 weeks after revealing their first U.S. franchise in Las Vegas. Toronto East will be ChopValue’s 5th Canadian location to service their rapidly growing customer base and expanding partnerships with national retailers like Hudson’s Bay and London Drugs.

Toronto is Canada's largest city — the fourth largest in North America — and home to a diverse multicultural population. Its vibrant neighbourhoods and innovative thinking make Toronto the perfect fit for ChopValue to urban harvest for a greener future. The city is also aggressive in its waste management strategy, having the goal to make Toronto the first municipality in Ontario with a circular economy. ChopValue Toronto East plans to support and materialize the city’s strategic plan to divert 70% of waste from the landfill by 2026.

Both hailing from Ontario, Scott Anderson and Kristina Garrels will be leading ChopValue Toronto East. Having spent time in the Pacific Northwest and the American Midwest growing their family along the way, they are now back where it all started in the Toronto region and couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead for them with ChopValue. 

“I’ve been doing woodworking as a hobby for many years but always found it hard to source sustainable wood,” says Anderson, who has a background in business development both in the for profit and nonprofit world. “It was surprisingly difficult to find a sustainable solution in the wood industry, and when I came across ChopValue, it married the two perfectly. Coming from the franchising industry, I truly feel the collaborative effort from the ChopValue team to support us every step of the way, making it an easy choice for us to open our own Microfactory and make a difference in our community.”

“As a parent, you learn what is important in life,” adds Garrels, who is a Doctor of Urology working in the field of clinical informatics. “It’s really crucial to both Scott and I that we set an example for our kids. We have both built our careers around it. When you put good things out into the world, leave the world a little better than how you found it, and have your work make a difference — you can live a fulfilled life. That’s what ChopValue represents to us.”

“With the recent wildfires increasing in size and frequency as a snapshot of the climate crisis, it’s more important than ever for businesses to rethink the manufacturing process and not only reduce but also capture CO2 emissions,” said Felix Böck, Founder and CEO of ChopValue. “As we continue to expand our Microfactory concept into Toronto, we can serve our customers better through local resources and talent. We’re deeply committed to helping our communities thrive and enable them to do their part.”

Toronto East will be opening in early 2022 and is looking forward to collaborating with local businesses for the city to build back better for a zero waste future. To make a positive difference and recycle chopsticks or learn about opportunities on how to close the loop together, please reach out to torontoeast@chopvalue.com and follow their journey on social media  @chopvalue_torontoeast.

About ChopValue

ChopValue is the world’s first circular economy franchise that designs and manufactures products using an innovative, high-performance material made entirely from recycled chopsticks. Since its founding in 2016, ChopValue’s “urban harvesting” approach has saved over 36 million chopsticks from the landfill, turning them into beautiful and sustainable products for the home and office. Based in Vancouver, Canada, the company operates a global network of corporate and franchise Microfactories that source, manufacture, distribute, and employ within local communities. ChopValue is a certified B Corporation with a simple vision of building a carbon-neutral future, one chopstick at a time. To learn more, visit www.chopvalue.com.