North Bay Woman

18 NORTH BAY WOMAN S P R I N G | S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 neyed internationally on various speaking engagements, as a cheerlead- er both for veganism and helping women excel in business. In addition, she would lead occasional vegan food tours of Italy. Just reading this list of accomplish- ments might feel exhausting. But for Schinner, it feels as if she's just getting started. "I am having the time of my life," she said in a recent phone interview. "Of course there is stress and a lot of hard work. I feel so grateful that I have the opportunity to do something that can improve the world in some way. While some people look at the impend- ing disaster of climate change and feel helpless, I feel hopeful. I feel that my role is to provide people with solutions to help them transition to a diet that will change the world. I think of myself as a culinarian. I also think of myself as a revolutionary." Eating vegan and living a vegan lifestyle (no animal products of any kind, such as leather, in home, car or anywhere else, and making a conscious commitment to preserving and protect- ing all living beings) has been import- ant to Schinner most of her life. Long before veganism had become a cultural buzzword or meme, Schinner was creating products like the Unturkey back in the 1990s and making other forays into vegan food production. She was way ahead of her time. "I had so many failures earlier on," she reminisced. "For years I didn't make any money; I had debts. But I felt like I wasn't done exploring the oppor- tunities that I had always wanted to have. I didn't give up. I was 57 — an age when most people would say 'why start an enterprise now' — when I launched Miyoko's Creamery." It's very important to Schinner that her message about being willing to always reinvent yourself, no matter how scary it seems, gets across to women. "I want them to understand that it truly is never too late," Schinner said. "It's later in life when we gain the clarity that we can actually succeed. We can be better versions of ourselves than ever. Our 50s and 60s can be a huge periods of life for women to fi nally explore and express themselves beyond the confi nes of family, society restrictions, all kinds of things we may have grown up with. That's when you can go out and conquer the world. . You can do it. I want women to know that." The higher-wattage international spotlight on climate change, silver tsunami of baby boomers hitting elderhood and seeking healthi- er diets, the recognition that factory farming of both plants and animals was unsus- tainable and a host of other reasons, caused people to demand high-quality vegan products in the second decade of the 21st century. Miyoko Schinner was fi nally in the right place in the right time. "In less than six years, we have grown 100% a year. That's almost unheard of," she said. "And we're expecting to grow even more this year because we are launching a new initiative and some new products that "It's later in life when we gain the clarity that we can actually succeed." – Miyoko Schinner – Photo courtesy of Miyoko Schinner

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