Calgary roofing company raises the bar in providing support to developing world

Firm’s annual Christmas pop-up market helps shine a light on fair trade products

When they’re not shingling Alberta homes, a Calgary roofing firm is nailing down the art of growing small industries in the developing world.

One of the initiatives Epic Roofing is boosting in Thailand has helped a grower shift from feeding heroin addiction to satisfying coffee cravings, said Todd Rutkowski.

“One of our partners used to grow opium in Chiang Mai but his grandson has taken all of the opium out and now grows coffee beans,” said Rutkowski.

That in turn is supporting coffee bean roasting shops in Thailand, whose products are sold in Calgary, he said.

“We’re reclaiming land that can provide jobs for people who wouldn’t have jobs,” said Rutkowski.

Epic Roofing purchases some of those beans from Calgary’s Indie Coffee Roasters, with the construction firm selling the product at its More than a Store operation each December.

For two days in December, the roofer turns one of its industrial bays at 2435 22nd Street N.E. into a Christmas market for both its employees and the general public.

The pop-up shop sells fair trade products whose proceeds go directly back to the producers in Africa, Asia and South America.

To prime that pump, Epic provides its employees with $25 vouchers that can be used to purchase a wide variety of goods.

“Our motto is ‘eradicating poverty one purchase at a time,’ ” said Rutkowski.

“We’re inviting people to look at Christmas through a socially-conscious lens and as global citizens.”

That approach began with company founder Merlin Bartel’s travels abroad, where he saw an immediate need to put his construction skills at the service of those without a roof over their heads.

Last year, that desire to help took them to Nepal, where Epic staff helped rebuild homes ravaged by the devastating 2015 earthquake.

Helping Bangladeshis recover from flooding also cemented contacts that opened a new avenue for women there to market goods at More than a Store, said Rutkowski.

“Women coming out of prostitution there are making shirts ... we’re excited to see the new product at our pop-up store,” he said.

Now in its sixth year, the effort has continued to fine tune its offerings that range from coffee to chocolate to home decor and apparel, said Rutkowski.

“We’re learning over the years what’s most popular, what people here really want to buy, so it’s not just sympathy-purchasing,” he said.

Rutkowski estimates that, so far, those efforts have funnelled more than $30,000 back to the producers in the developing world between 2013 and 2016.

“It’s actually a loss for us — our shareholders decided it’s an investment in helping others,” he said.

For a company that’s grown to 170 employees and several construction firms and even an automotive repair business since 2001, it’s an act of giving back, said Rutkowski.