4 Oat and Mill in Canada

Team 4 Poster

Team Reflection

Despite its small size, Oat & Mill is an inspiring example of promoting sustainability and environmentally friendly practices.

The company was founded in 2015 in Canada and has a new vision of offering vegan food products based on environmentally friendly practices. Oat & Mill has shown sustainable innovations that can be achieved in large or small work environments, limited or abundant resources, and that small companies can achieve sustainability, achieve profit, and leave a positive impact on society and the environment.

Oat & Mill’s start in offering vegetarian ice cream as a healthy and eco-friendly alternative has been inspired by the widespread success of oat milk in Sweden. Candace Tierney noted how oat milk was widely accepted by consumers, prompting it to introduce similar products to the Canadian market. Even since the company’s inception, Candace has been keenly interested in implementing sustainable practices that ensure better and more efficient use of resources and reduce waste. Oat & Mill relies on a circular economic model in its working method, a model that aims to convert all materials that can be wasted into valuable resources that can be used in other new products. Oat & Mill is distinguished in its keenness to reduce the waste of food products, through the company’s cooperation with local farmers to benefit from the agricultural crop and fruits unfit for traditional sale, by converting them into suitable materials in the vegetable ice cream industry.

This distinguished partnership between Oat & Mill and local farmers not only contributes to reducing waste but also helps to strengthen and support the local economy and provide job opportunities. This partnership has reflected a practical example of how companies can improve their environment in effective, innovative, and sustainable ways. Since the beginning of the establishment of Oat & Mill, the company has focused and paid great attention to eco-friendly packaging and has made a great effort to reduce dependence on the use of plastics and explore biodegradable alternative packaging solutions.

The company was keen to align these efforts with the global environmental goals, which aim to reduce pollution and reduce the environmental impact of its products. Thanks to these practices, the company played an effective role in raising the level of environmental awareness among consumers and providing an effective model in the field of the food industry. Oat & Mill’s success story has had a profound impact on many ambitious young people and emerging entrepreneurs, proving that sustainability is not just a theoretical idea, but a practical path that can lead to success and profit. The effort of Candace Tierney and her team to balance profit and commitment to environmental responsibility is an example of the possibility of transforming environmentally friendly practices that support sustainability into a key part of business strategies.

Through the achievements of Oat & Mill, future entrepreneurs learn the importance of having a clear vision for companies that puts sustainability as a priority. Although the company is small compared to large companies in the food industry, the company has been able to provide an innovative model that inspires small and large companies. The story of Oat & Mill inspires us to the importance of working to develop and improve our future practices and behaviors towards society and the environment,And review our business decisions and the extent of their impact on the environment and society around us. We must be aware and aware of the impact of our decisions and not focus only on current profits. In our current era, with the large percentage of challenges and changes facing the world, sustainability has become one of the basic and necessary, so environmentally friendly practices must be 10a major part of our daily lives, work strategies, and goals that we seek to achieve.

In conclusion, Oat & Mill is a source of inspiration that reflects the spirit of innovation and commitment to achieving the best for the future, and the balance between sustainability and responsibility. Oat & Mill’s journey is not only to make profits but also to leave a trace for future communities and generations.

By working within a multicultural team, we learned several things, including the importance of cultural awareness and the importance of clear and effective communication in working with people from different cultures, which enabled us to collaborate and work effectively.

This experience also strengthened several concepts that we have already learned in the courses we have learned, such as the skill of time management, due to the difference in zones and times and the variation of our daily schedules. It was sometimes difficult to create meetings that suited everyone’s time, but through what we learned in academic courses, we were able to apply time management skills effectively, as we set fixed times weekly for meetings.These organizational skills that we learned have been very useful in improving the flow of work and coordinating efforts among us, which has contributed to enhancing our productivity and avoiding stumbling due to time differences.

Everyone had a particular job to do in the team: two had to work on the poster design, two had to work on the story, and the last two had to conduct the interviews. It should be noted that the team worked in great harmony and understanding which helped in achieving the target successfully. Regarding success, the timeline which was set was adhered to and the team performed well in communication. There were no major barriers, however some issues were faced, for example finding the exact time when all the contributing parties would be available to complete the project.

Individual Reflections 

Reham

Being part of this project supported by universities all around the world was amazing and a very valuable learning experience. I was a bit nervous and elated about joining an international team with people from different backgrounds, cultures, and styles. I have already had my horizons challenged, new ways of thinking taught to me and how to navigate many situations. We find it challenging with the difference in time zones in different countries, but I took it as an opportunity to become better at managing my daily schedule and leading effective meetings. The team was very supportive and motivated, their varied experience helped me develop in a lot of areas both professionally & personally. Of course we tried to talk at all the worst times, but because of our understanding of each other, we got through everything. I am grateful to my colleagues for their work, encouragement and support on this project. Working in a multicultural team has its own challenges and rewards. What I have found core is the understanding of cultural nuances and being able to adjust your communication when needed.

Tala

At the beginning of this experience, I was a little afraid of going into this new project, but as soon as we started working and interacting with team members, I became more excited about this new experience, how wonderful it was, and its impact on my personal development. I felt that I gained valuable knowledge. Over time, I gained knowledge of different cultures and various thinking methods, which contributed to enhancing several of my skills, including effective communication. Despite the difference in time zones, we had difficulty at first communicating, but we were able to find solutions such as using the conversation group to coordinate and determine times that suit everyone. This experience taught me how to find compromises that facilitate work. Working with members of this team was a wonderful experience and their commitment to work, cooperation, and respect made the work environment positive.

This experience was not just group work, but an enriching experience full of skills, experiences, and awareness of the value of cooperation to achieve goals, I look forward to repeating similar experiences in the future, experiences that achieve the same effect and enrich my skills and personal experience.

Marta

As a team member in this experiential activity, I felt that the experience was both challenging and rewarding. Participating in a virtual team exposed me to diverse perspectives, which broadened my understanding of collaborative work across different cultural backgrounds. The opportunity to communicate and negotiate ideas with teammates from various cultures helped me develop a greater awareness of cultural sensitivities and communication styles. I noticed that certain cultural nuances influenced how ideas were presented and received, and I adapted my approach to be more inclusive and open-minded.

One of the main challenges we faced was managing communication across different time zones. Scheduling meetings required a high level of flexibility, and sometimes, not everyone could be present. To mitigate this, we used shared documents and recorded meetings, ensuring that absent members could stay updated and contribute asynchronously. This approach improved our team’s cohesion and allowed everyone to participate effectively. Overall, this experience taught me the value of patience, adaptability, and clear communication. By addressing time zone differences proactively and respecting each team member’s cultural background, we were able to turn potential challenges into a more enriching and collaborative process.

Claudia

Participating in the AIM2Flourish project allowed me to work with a multicultural, virtual team, which was both challenging and rewarding. Coordinating across time zones initially felt complex, but with tools like Google Calendar and Trello, we quickly streamlined our communication and task management, fostering a sense of shared responsibility. I found great value in hearing diverse perspectives on sustainability and social impact, which broadened my understanding of the role businesses play in society. This experience taught me the importance of adaptability and openness—qualities essential for working effectively in diverse teams.Working in this environment also strengthened my intercultural communication skills. There were occasional differences in opinion, but mutual respect and a focus on our common goals helped us navigate these constructively. Overall, this experience enhanced my ability to work collaboratively in diverse settings, which I believe will be invaluable in my future professional career.

William

When the COIL activity was first discussed in a lecture, I was very intrigued and excited to participate in it. After nearly completing the project, I can now say I was not disappointed. Working with like-minded individuals across the world to interview real, successful entrepreneurs was a great utilization of experiential learning for the betterment of my skill set.

However, not all parts of the project were easy to start. After we learned who was in our group, setting up group chats and video calls was quite a challenge due to a difference in applications and programs used across various continents. For example, popular call programs in Canada such as Google Meets or Microsoft Teams are not as widely used as WhatsApp or Zoom in my group member’s locations. Time zones also proved to be tricky when scheduling meetings, but establishing a consistent meeting time every week allowed us to eliminate that confusion.

Overall, all my group members made it a trouble-free and straight forward process by communicating clearly through text and video calls. We were able to navigate cross-cultural dynamics while addressing the work we had to get done each week. Even with a few mix-ups regarding meeting time, we always made sure to meet to stay on the same page. This experiential learning project really allowed us to feel like business professionals, and learn about amazing companies committing to sustainability for our future.

Leah

When I was first introduced to the COIL activity, I was immediately excited to work amongst a team of individuals living outside of Canada. Looking back as we approach the conclusion of our work together, I would certainly say that I enjoyed the process of collaboration with our team through experiential learning. While the task of completing our interview and other materials was successful overall, we did run into some challenges regarding communication and setting meeting times. A personal challenge that I faced was learning how to use an app I had never used before (Whatsapp), as we decided to create our team group chat on that platform. I found that, because this is not an app I regularly check in my day-to-day life, the frequency of my communication may have suffered as a result. This improved as I fell into the routine of checking the app on a consistent basis, but our time together as a group felt too brief for this improvement to be as significant as I would have liked it to be. Additionally, since we set out meeting times on a week-to-week basis as opposed to a consistent weekly meeting day and time, we ran into some meetings where group members were absent (including myself).

Regardless of the challenges we faced, our group remained considerate of each other and continually kept our priorities and deadlines in mind. I thank my group members for sending out necessary reminders of upcoming due dates, and for making the process of delegating project tasks extremely easy at every stage of the project. I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to work with each of them and will bring the learning I gathered from them to every group I am a part of in the future.