Latest news with #Hayloft
Calgary Herald
26-06-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Olympian's expanding coffee company helps fellow athletes reach their goals
Article content In 2020, Olympic speedskater Hayden Mayeur opened a mobile coffee company called Hayloft to support his athletic career — and now he's providing flexible work to other athletes with the same goal. Article content 'We've fully rebranded and shifted the business into creating this new atmosphere for athletes to be able to make that extra cash that they need to be able to focus on their Olympic dreams,' Mayeur said. Article content Article content Mayeur started the company out of a 1978 Citroen 2CV truckette, which he converted into an espresso bar in his garage. Since then, he's been catering to corporate and private events across the city. Hayloft has grown to include two carts, and now a barn on wheels that he'll use for festivals and larger events. Article content Article content The expansion means he'll need to grow his team. Mayeur has brought other athletes on board with the goal of giving them the same flexible work opportunities that he's created for himself. Article content 'In amateur sport nowadays, unfortunately, the funding just isn't where it needs to be,' Mayeur said. Athletes get some support from government, but with expensive equipment and fees on top of their day-to-day bills, most rely on sponsorships and part-time jobs to make ends meet. Article content 'Nobody across the entire country in amateur sport is here for money,' he said. 'It's all because we want to represent this country. But at the end of the day, we also have to be able to stay off the streets.' Article content Article content Article content The athletes will be allowed to work around their training and competition schedules, picking up shifts when they're able. Mayeur also offers them higher wages to alleviate some financial stress. Article content Mayeur said he was inspired by the impact Hayloft had on his own career, and wanted to do the same for other athletes. He had previously worked part-time as an ice technician at the Olympic Oval, but struggled to balance it with his training and competition schedules. Article content 'The same year I was able to leave my part-time job, I won a world championship,' Mayeur said. 'I would say a good chunk of that comes down to what the business has been able to do for my work hours, and I want that to be accessible to more and more athletes.'
Perth Now
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Mother Mother refuse to 'pander to the TikTok era' after going viral
Mother Mother will never "pander to the TikTok era" with their songwriting. The Canadian rockers - who have exceeded nine billion streams globally - found themselves going viral on the video-sharing platform in 2020, after their 2008 song Hayloft was used in edits, cosplay, and creative transitions. As a result, the group dropped Hayloft II, which also became a hit. Frontman Ryan Guldemond subsequently noticed on Reddit that some people were critcising them for going after commercial success with their music - but he insists that couldn't be farther from the truth. He told "I was reading people saying, 'Oh, they pander to the TikTok era with their new writing.' And it's like, Huh? I don't think that's true. If anything, it's the opposite, like, yeah, you know, the TikTok thing came along and made a bunch of songs that were really unviable, commercially famous, and that was to us that sent a message like, Oh, just be yourself. Like, just write from the heart and follow your whims. And that's the best thing you can do, is to be just totally authentic. And if that means you're writing kind of weird, unconventional songs, then so be it." The 'Finger' singer insists the whole TikTok viral experience taught them to "reject writing strategically for anything". He continued: "And so I've sort of taken that message and really ran with it, because I agree. I think the best thing anybody can do, whether you're writing a song or just, I don't know, whatever in life, just to be who you are. So I'm grateful for the TikTok thing, for sending that message, and if anything, yeah, like I said, it has made us reject writing strategically for anything." Mother Mother returned on June 6 with their new album 'Nostalgia', comprised of songs old and new to mark their 20th anniversary. Stream 'Nostalgia' now on all major streaming platforms.
