INTEGRITY OF PLACE
Shorefast is a registered Canadian charity formed in 2004 by siblings Zita, Alan, and Anthony Cobb: eighth-generation Fogo Islanders with the goal to build another leg on Fogo Island’s economy following the collapse of the traditional cod fishery that had sustained this remote island for several centuries. The foundation truly exemplifies the meaning of how to care for, reclaim and foster the roots of integral culture and place.
Shorefast’s mission is to build economic and cultural resilience on Fogo Island through envisioning a world where all business is social business. The model on Fogo Island holds learnings, inspiration and acts as a true catalyst for communities worldwide.
“We exist in relationship to the whole: the whole planet, the whole of humanity, the whole of existence. It is our job to find ways to belong to the whole while upholding the specificity of people & place.”
Using business-minded means to achieve social ends, Shorefast describes itself as a social enterprise and has spearheaded a holistic set of charitable programs and social businesses on Fogo Island. Charitable initiatives include Fogo Island Arts, Geology at the Edge, a micro-lending fund, and numerous heritage restoration projects. Shorefast is also behind a suite of social businesses including Fogo Island Inn, Fogo Island Workshops, and Fogo Island Fish, which have garnered worldwide attention as examples of business used as a tool to serve place and community. Shorefast has pioneered the innovative practice of economic nutrition labelling for its social businesses, transparently demonstrating “where the money goes.”
The purpose of our work is to help secure a resilient future for Fogo Island, and our approach holds learnings for people and places worldwide. We are always looking for partners to join us on this journey.
Learn more here: Shorefast
Money spent at Fogo Island Inn directly contributes the well-being of one of Canada’s oldest European settled communities, and is an investment in a different way of thinking.
You will find yourself in the most eastern part of Canada. Surrounded by jagged rocks and a powerful ocean, Fogo Island Inn is located on an island off Newfoundland and is a destination in itself. The award-winning hotel is one of the only 100% social projects in the world, using the most forward-looking and responsible environmental practices, with all of its operating surpluses reinvested back into the Fogo Island community.
Images property of FOGO ISLAND INN
Photos by Alex Fradkin, Kristopher Grunert, Bent René Synnevåg, Coffee Abroad, Michael Hayter, Paddy Barry.