Our Story
I’m Darren “Salty” Blanchard, founder of Salts of the Earth. Our story began on Prince Edward Island in 2015. For eleven years, I’ve handcrafted sea salt from the Atlantic waters off the Island’s North Shore. I still take pride in making something here that people bring home to their own kitchen tables.
My friend Anna Howard is a big part of why those tables mean so much to me. Through her work with Random Acts of Kindness PEI, Anna showed me how much a small act of kindness could mean. When we lost her in 2017, I wanted to carry some of that kindness forward. For me, that meant making time for people here on the Island, especially men who were going through a hard stretch and could use someone to talk to.
Since 2018, I've helped 27 men. A lot of that work starts quietly, one person sitting down with another and listening. Through our local non-profit, Islanders Helping Islanders (iHi), we’re building on that work. It’s also why I’m changing how we run Salts of the Earth. I want the business I’ve spent eleven years building to help fund that support here at home.
The Best Friends Campaign is where the salt and the community work come together. We call it Breaking Bread to Break the Silence. The idea is simple. Invite a friend over, cook something together, and put the phones away. Sometimes it’s easier to tell someone how you’ve really been while you’re peeling potatoes side by side. By the time supper’s ready, you’ve already started the conversation.
If someone came to mind while you were reading this, give them a call. “Are you free for supper this week?” is a good place to start.
Darren “Salty” Blanchard
Founder, Salts of the Earth
Prince Edward Island