Herbivore Haven Market was started by friends Brittany Martens and Caitlin Sikora, who met through Winnipeg’s local market scene.

“We’ve been doing markets together for years, and we always knew that each other was vegan,” Martens recalled. “We [had been] longtime supporters of each other’s businesses, and that’s how this all started.”

Both Sikora and Martens operate their own small businesses — Sikora owns and operates Real Swanky, creating subversive handmade embroidery using vegan and locally sourced materials, while Martens is the owner of Plant Kitchen and Bakery, producing “vegan comfort classics” such as cakes, cupcakes and cinnamon buns.  

The two were on the phone one night in late 2024 when both expressed a desire to start a vegan market. That night, Sikora made their first poster. They found a venue in Windsor Park United Church, where Martens bakes, and their first market took place in March 2025.  

Martens and Sikora found that their respective skill sets balanced well with each other. As a baker, Martens knew her way around public health inspections, meeting standards requirements and completing the necessary forms, while Sikora stated she was more on the “maker” side of markets. 

“[Having different skill sets is] incredibly helpful because it feels like we’re the yin to each other’s yang,” Sikora commented. 

In creating the market, Sikora and Martens hoped to “bring the community together” and teach the community about the vegan lifestyle, regardless of people’s views. For the vegan community, the market is an opportunity to shop without having to read product labels. “It’s a really great opportunity for people to be able to go into a large, comfortable space [and] feel very welcomed, no matter what they eat or how they view things,” Sikora explained. 

The duo was not originally expecting a large turnout at their first market, estimating 300 to 400 people in attendance. The turnout far exceeded that with an estimated 1,200 people. The line circled the back of their venue, and many of their vendors sold out within the first few hours. 

“That first market really blew us away,” Martens recalled. “We were expecting a good turnout, but that was [an] excellent, amazing, incredible turnout […] Hearing that great feedback is a really proud accomplishment for sure.” 

“I think it’s really cool that we will get people coming up to us that we’ve never met before asking about the market,” Sikora added. “I think that’s really cool that we had such a big splash so early into the conception of Herbivore Haven.” 

As of January 2026, there have been three editions of Herbivore Haven Market with over 2,900 attendees in total. In selecting venues, Sikora and Martens choose locations that are accessible and bus and cyclist friendly. They also highlight vendors on their Instagram page and in a zine produced for each edition of the Market. Back issues can be found on Sikora’s Real Swanky website. 

For the future, Sikora and Martens hope to continue hosting Herbivore Haven events every few months. 

“I think for the future, [we are] just continuing with that growth, and [will] keep riding this wave of doing the market a couple times a year and keeping the vegan scene alive,” said Martens. 

The next Herbivore Haven Market will be held on March 22 at Southdale Community Centre. To apply to be a vendor or learn more, visit Herbivore Haven Market on Instagram @herbivorehavenmarket. For the Herbivore Haven Zine, visit realswanky.ca.