The newly launched paper and home goods brand, FoodPar, turns one Jamaican-born, Toronto-based illustrator’s culinary enthusiasm and nostalgia into products that help people connect and celebrate their special occasions.
“FoodPar is for those whose love language is food. It reminds us to celebrate the smallest moments, which often have food at the center,” said founder and product designer, Rachel Osbourne. “Every design is tied to a moment of nostalgia for me, whether it’s shelling and cleaning ackee picked from my backyard tree as a child, or sharing a plant-based meal with friends in my home. Illustrating food has gotten me through one of the hardest years of my life, and I’m excited to share my newfound joy with people who love celebrating life through culinary treasures as much as I do.”
Her illustrations have made their debut in FoodPar’s signature greeting card collection featuring fruits that have deeper nostalgic meaning for Osbourne: ackees, oranges, otaheite apples, and plantains in varying stages of ripeness. The patterned cards, which she sells in her online store, are blank inside so they can be used for any occasion.
The brand is embarking on its first partnership, a collaboration with Caribbean-American greeting card writer and comedian, Onicia Muller, celebrating friendship and womanhood for Women’s History Month and Mother’s Day. Muller has been writing for American Greetings and Papyrus Recycled Greetings since 2018. Cards featuring her prose have appeared in Target, Walmart, and other national retailers. She has created card concepts for campaigns for an African American niche, including collaborations with Jay-z’s RocNation and American Greetings.
The vision for FoodPar’s catalog does however go beyond greeting cards. Osbourne told us, “I’ve started product development on notebooks, notepads, a wall calendar, and gift wrapping paper. My ultimate goal is to create collections and products that lovers of Caribbean food, culture, and stories can bring into their everyday lives and share with their loved ones for small and big occasions.”
Investing in story
The Jamaican-Canadian Casting Director and former Content Marketing Strategist sees storytelling at the heart of her career and every brand.
Osbourne is taking the strategies that have worked with past clients who are makers and retailers and is implementing them in her first product business. She believes an investment in consistently finding the stories in your brand is the key to longevity. She harkens it to shifting your mindset as a founder to a focus on selling stories rather than being purely product or service focused in your marketing.
“When we talk about selling stories, we’re talking about building relationships with customers through entertainment, education, or a combination of the two,” she said. “In a sea of digital noise surrounding commerce and products, stories are the biggest drivers of making a real connection with customers.”
The FoodPar story is layered with personal and cultural experiences that are anchored in one universal truth: food brings us together in truly special ways. From concept to delivery, Osbourne considers what food as a love language looks like for her ideal customer and aims to deliver an experience that honors those feelings.
