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![\"MIKAELA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4311200_web1_241010-Amanda-Buhse-0039.jpg\")
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MIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Since launching Coal and Canary in 2014, Amanda Buhse has met scores of scores of fellow entrepreneurs. <\/p>\n
She aims to produce an eight-episode series called Made in Winnipeg. It will air on Rogers TV this fall, by current timelines.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s this world of mass production and one-click ordering,\u201d Buhse said. \u201cI think there is something really special about meeting people who still create things with their own hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buhse said she\u2019s been thinking about launching a show for years.<\/p>\n
The idea percolated as she sold candles at markets such as Third + Bird and Scattered Seeds. She\u2019s met scores of fellow entrepreneurs. Coal and Canary began in 2014.<\/p>\n
And over the years, Buhse\u2019s platform has grown: Coal and Canary has a storefront at The Forks; she co-hosts a business podcast called The Exec Hotseat; she\u2019s the current Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce chair.<\/p>\n
She was a guest on another Rogers TV series, called The Empower Women Show, earlier this year. The host connected Buhse with network producers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love to know people\u2019s stories,\u201d Buhse said. \u201cFor me it\u2019s, I think, a natural progression.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buhse asked for her own show and got the green-light \u2014 provided she films and edits. She\u2019s not getting paid.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just something I think is important,\u201d she said. \u201cSome of the most inspiring stories in our city do happen kind of quietly behind the scenes. I really want this show to give those voices a platform.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019s planning to spotlight two entrepreneurs in each 30-minute episode. Sit-down interviews will be intertwined with reels of makers at work.<\/p>\n
However, narrowing the list to 16 businesses is tough, Buhse said.<\/p>\n
She put a call on social media for people to recommend Winnipeg companies. Within a week, she\u2019d received around 600 comments to her posts.<\/p>\n
Buhse wrote each business down and spent time dissecting. She wants a diversity of backgrounds and types of products, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good challenge,\u201d Buhse added. \u201cIf it goes well, maybe I\u2019ll do a second season and then be able to include a lot more of those people.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019ll finalize entrepreneurs for the show this week. Booking filming dates comes after, Buhse said.<\/p>\n
Chandra Kremski, founder of Third + Bird, figured Buhse could spend years filling her slots.<\/p>\n
Third + Bird holds more than 180 vendors at its biggest markets; it can\u2019t fit all its applicants. There\u2019s been a steady uptick in makers over the market\u2019s last 18 years, Kremski said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is only going to continue to amplify and bring more attention to incredible businesses that exist in our neighbourhood,\u201d Kremski said of Made in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many amazing people, not only across Winnipeg but across Manitoba that (Buhse) could showcase. I\u2019m really excited to see who makes her debut.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jhocelin Gilbert shares Manitoba business stories through her social media account, La Paila Canada. She met Buhse at a networking event two years ago.<\/p>\n
Buhse has become a \u201creference point\u201d for growth and impact, said Gilbert, who runs a seasonings company called Dominican Flavours.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAt the end of the day, people connect more with people than with logos or companies,\u201d Gilbert wrote in an email. \u201cAs business owners, we become part of our brand story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Small retailers compete with online shopping. Many try to find creative ways to draw customers, including via in-store events, workshops and cross promoting with other local companies, said Brianna Solberg, a legislative affairs director for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.<\/p>\n
\u201cCustomers increasingly want to know who they\u2019re buying from,\u201d Solberg said. \u201cBusiness owners themselves being more the face of the brand has become a major advantage for small, independent businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buhse expects to share more details about her show, including an air date, through her social media accounts.<\/p>\n
gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n
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Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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