WHO IS THE GREEN MOUSTACHE: THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE BUSINESSApril 10, 2021News
Green Moustache, Owner – Jennifer Just
By Stacy Thomas
If you’re a long-time Squamish local, you might recognize Jennifer Just from her days serving at the Howe Sound Brew Pub. Or, you may have crossed tracks with her on a run at Whistler, where she’s been skiing and snowboarding since she was two. Born and raised in Whistler, Just is as “local” as it gets, and at her vegan restaurant The Green Moustache, she’s bringing her passion for sharing health and whole eating to the community she loves.
After a year studying English at Capilano College and several years living in Vancouver and travelling, Just finally followed her heart when she returned to the Sea to Sky to pursue a career in nutritional health. Some friends in Whistler started cooking with raw food, and she was hooked. She started growing her own food and spent two years at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Vancouver getting certified to be a Nutritional Practitioner.
But she was never far from the mountains and the forests; even while in school in the city, she commuted to Squamish every weekend where she worked at the brewpub. And after graduation from the Institute, she went straight to work at The Green Moustache’s original location in Whistler. It didn’t take long before owners Nicolette and Pierre Richer offered her the chance to open the first Green Moustache franchise in Squamish. She jumped at the chance.
“It felt really rewarding to have people come in and say how great they were feeling and to thank us, just for feeding them real food. So I definitely wanted to share that with people and bring it to another community,” Just says. She opened in Squamish 2016, excited but not without some reservations.
“It’s been a huge learning experience,” she says. “I had little-to-no experience in running a business; we covered it a little bit in school, but it was all me getting in there and doing it.” Not only that, Just and her partner Mike were living in a remote rustic cabin in Upper Squamish Valley, and she would regularly be cut off from the store because of weather conditions or unable to even contact her staff. Even with oft-frozen pipes and only a wood stove for heat, she loved it on the mountain, so it was a tough choice to decide to move into town so she could be closer to the business. But now that she’s here, she’s loving it – she shares a duplex house with her parents who moved from Vancouver three years ago, and she and now-husband Mike (they were married in 2019) are expecting their first baby. She loves having her parents so close – her dad built out the restaurant himself from an empty skate shop, and her mom can often be seen helping Jennifer close or doing other jobs around the shop.
From a nervous 26-year-old striking out on her own for the first time, to a confident business owner and community leader with a passionate staff, Just has come a long way, and is looking forward to growing even more.
“Each year I’m learning more and more. It just kind of makes me that much more driven to do more and have more businesses in the future potentially, to keep growing, and just know it’s not as intimidating as it was originally.”
Above all, it’s all about the people: learning from her staff, her customers, and the downtown business community. “It’s been really awesome to connect with other business owners in downtown Squamish, seeing their passion for their community and their business as well.”
When the pandemic hit, just like most business owners Just had to pivot. They
started offering meals in cook-at-home kits, and there is a new dry goods and produce section so customers can take all their locally-sourced organic food home to stock their own shelves. They’re also moving into meal plans to cater to all those now working and spending most of their lives at home. The take-home products are all low-waste, meaning there’s minimal or no packaging, or they come in glass jars that customers can take home and refill, or return.
It’s a trend that’s catching on and Just’s all for it.
“I love that that’s happening more and more in Squamish – more low-waste markets popping up. I love that’s a direction because for so many years people were wanting things like that, everyone wants to be low-waste, so I love that it’s happening and I love that we can do our part.”
Green Moustache, Owner – Jennifer Just
By Stacy Thomas
If you’re a long-time Squamish local, you might recognize Jennifer Just from her days serving at the Howe Sound Brew Pub. Or, you may have crossed tracks with her on a run at Whistler, where she’s been skiing and snowboarding since she was two. Born and raised in Whistler, Just is as “local” as it gets, and at her vegan restaurant The Green Moustache, she’s bringing her passion for sharing health and whole eating to the community she loves.
After a year studying English at Capilano College and several years living in Vancouver and travelling, Just finally followed her heart when she returned to the Sea to Sky to pursue a career in nutritional health. Some friends in Whistler started cooking with raw food, and she was hooked. She started growing her own food and spent two years at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Vancouver getting certified to be a Nutritional Practitioner.
But she was never far from the mountains and the forests; even while in school in the city, she commuted to Squamish every weekend where she worked at the brewpub. And after graduation from the Institute, she went straight to work at The Green Moustache’s original location in Whistler. It didn’t take long before owners Nicolette and Pierre Richer offered her the chance to open the first Green Moustache franchise in Squamish. She jumped at the chance.
“It felt really rewarding to have people come in and say how great they were feeling and to thank us, just for feeding them real food. So I definitely wanted to share that with people and bring it to another community,” Just says. She opened in Squamish 2016, excited but not without some reservations.
“It’s been a huge learning experience,” she says. “I had little-to-no experience in running a business; we covered it a little bit in school, but it was all me getting in there and doing it.” Not only that, Just and her partner Mike were living in a remote rustic cabin in Upper Squamish Valley, and she would regularly be cut off from the store because of weather conditions or unable to even contact her staff. Even with oft-frozen pipes and only a wood stove for heat, she loved it on the mountain, so it was a tough choice to decide to move into town so she could be closer to the business. But now that she’s here, she’s loving it – she shares a duplex house with her parents who moved from Vancouver three years ago, and she and now-husband Mike (they were married in 2019) are expecting their first baby. She loves having her parents so close – her dad built out the restaurant himself from an empty skate shop, and her mom can often be seen helping Jennifer close or doing other jobs around the shop.
From a nervous 26-year-old striking out on her own for the first time, to a confident business owner and community leader with a passionate staff, Just has come a long way, and is looking forward to growing even more.
“Each year I’m learning more and more. It just kind of makes me that much more driven to do more and have more businesses in the future potentially, to keep growing, and just know it’s not as intimidating as it was originally.”
Above all, it’s all about the people: learning from her staff, her customers, and the downtown business community. “It’s been really awesome to connect with other business owners in downtown Squamish, seeing their passion for their community and their business as well.”
When the pandemic hit, just like most business owners Just had to pivot. They
started offering meals in cook-at-home kits, and there is a new dry goods and produce section so customers can take all their locally-sourced organic food home to stock their own shelves. They’re also moving into meal plans to cater to all those now working and spending most of their lives at home. The take-home products are all low-waste, meaning there’s minimal or no packaging, or they come in glass jars that customers can take home and refill, or return.
It’s a trend that’s catching on and Just’s all for it.
“I love that that’s happening more and more in Squamish – more low-waste markets popping up. I love that’s a direction because for so many years people were wanting things like that, everyone wants to be low-waste, so I love that it’s happening and I love that we can do our part.”
