UnPeeled

The trouble with building something people love is that larger, better-resourced companies notice. And Microsoft noticed.

By Shannon Peel Every brand has a story. The best ones start with a problem, a purpose, and people who care deeply about both. Mountain Equipment Co-op had all three. What happened next is a masterclass in what goes wrong when a brand drifts from its identity, and what it takes to find its way back. This is not just a business story. It is a brand story, and a complicated one. MEC was Born in a Tent on Mount Baker In 1970, a group of Vancouver climbers were pinned down by a s

The story of Future Shop is a story about a scrappy Canadian brand built from scratch by an Iranian immigrant, sold to its biggest incoming competitor at what looked like a moment of strength, and then slowly absorbed until it ceased to exist. The central question this article examines: Was selling to a U.S. competitor the act that killed the Canadian brand? And if so, could Canadian law have stopped it, and should it have?

The trade war did not cause Diageo to abandon Crown Royal's Canadian manufacturing. The internal decisions were made two years before the first tariff. Here is the full story — from Samuel Bronfman's 600 blends to the empty field in Lambton County.

Since June 2025, Bick's Pickles have been disappearing from Canadian retailers. At Safeway stores in Edmonton, a sign on the shelf reads: "Bick's pickles are currently unavailable as an unfortunate impact of tariffs." Sobeys has delisted the brand entirely. The CEO of Treehouse Foods — the American company that now owns the Bick's brand, confirmed that retailers told him the 25% Canadian counter-tariff makes them "just too expensive, frankly" to stock.

Telling a Brand Story is not as difficult as it looks. Discover how to tell your brand story using a storytelling technique.

building a strong brand presence is akin to having a well-dressed storefront on a bustling main street. However, with the digital marketplac

Which industry do you work in Website design and development, digital marketing strategy. What is your top personal value? Honesty. We...

How the power of public relations can help you raise brand awareness for your story.

A brand story of a software person by training and by temperament who accidentally created a CRM system, for sales and marketing consultants

It took a change in fortune for AlKarim Chatur to start earning an MBA in Life and find a better way to live and work

"Nevertheless, she persisted," is a motto adopted by the modern day feminist movement in 2017 after an incident in the US Senate. but its m

Shannon Peel sat down with Jem to peel back the layers, get to the core of his story, and plant the seeds of inspiration. If you have found

Kathi taught that “having a clear Vision of ‘WHY’ you are doing ‘WHAT’ you are doing anchors you with a solid foundation, and clear Mission

Meet Nina Venturella the Coaches’ Coach who for 30 years has been blazing trails and changing people’s lives as an entrepreneur. She spent 2

Meet Alan Raisman, a Beachbody Coach who shows you that working out doesn't have to mean something your body can't handle. Working out can b

Justin Bousquet, he is a Realtor in Connecticut who helps people with their most expensive ventures and hopefully set them up for future suc

Alex Yates is a Luxury Travel Adviser who has lead a life of adventure and learned some lessons as a single mom. Read her brand story

Edward Lissack is the Computer Doctor located in the Coquitlam area of BC's Lower Mainland. He shares his life lessons with APeeled.

Jonathan Gottschall dives into why we tell stories. An academic book with studies about our brains and behaviour reactions to storytelling