VEG Networking Canada

Welcome to our newest member! In 2015, Dianna Yale, AKA Dee, went vegan. She found all the plant-based cheeses options available in the store were full of questionable ingredients and also did not meet the texture requirements (in her opinion!).

She started learning about plant-based cheeses crafting by reading all of Miyoko Schinner's books and began creating her own recipes based on what she had learned. Nine years later, after keeping the cheese crafting as a small, hobby business, she officially started Dee's Nutty Cheese and rented a commercial kitchen space.

The business has been alive since early 2025 and the products are now making it into retail stores. Dee is at expos and markets, constantly growing her brand awareness and sharing her beloved, melty fermented cashew cheese throughout the Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley areas. Learn more: https://deesnuttycheese.ca

Welcome to our newest member! Ruhee Dhillon is the founder of Rubies Bras, a luxury bespoke bra company and online mentorship school and an independent fractional CMO. Born and raised in Edmonton, Ruhee graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in marketing in 2004 and worked in the corporate and consulting sector for over 20 years. After moving to Toronto in 2015, Ruhee began the leap and started her passion project, a custom bra business, which has now evolved to high-end couture commissions and an online sewing school.
Learn more at her websites: https://rubiesbras.com/en-ca
https://www.vivamarketing.co/

Welcome our newest member, Alixandra "Alix" Brown! Alix is the founder of Artzy Health Nut Wellness, where she helps women peri to post menopause feel strong, confident, and energized through plant-based nutrition, enjoyable movement, and creative self-care. A certified personal trainer, nutritionist, art therapy practitioner, and menopause coaching specialist, she draws on her background in psychology, fitness, nutrition, and art—as well as her lived experience with menopause and ADHD—to bring both expertise and relatability to her work.

With a neurodivergent-friendly approach, Alix blends evidence-based strategies with creativity to make healthy living doable—and even fun. Her mission is to end the stigma around menopause and empower women to embrace it as a time of opportunity, strength, and renewed confidence. Check out her website: https://artzyhealthnut.com/mbprogram

This week at VEG Networking Canada, we're meeting Paulina Pino-Rubio. From her volcano-surrounded and art-rich Puebla, Mexico, Paulina grew up as a q***r anti-colonial artist, educator, and ecofeminist, combining her life experience and sensitivity with her groundedness and versatility.

Coming from a right-wing city and very patriarchal environment, she went against the current when—armed with a background in language teaching and a bachelor’s degree in business and international trade—she took a leap to follow her true dreams of acting. While at it, she noticed that most of the stories being told in media about women and q***r community were very stereotypical and even harmful. That’s when she moved to Vancouver, Canada in late 2021 to expand her career and be involved in a safer place that tells stories about women and q***r people of color through a more real and decolonial lens.

She's performed and produced stage and film productions across North America, and while doing so, has contributed to her community by teaching languages as a tool for empathy and empowerment.

Meeting time: Thursday, August 28, 1pm PT/4pm ET

If you identify as vegan and:
- are a Canadian resident, or
- work for a Canadian company

And you'd like to join us, email [email protected] for the login details. Please, only email if you can attend.