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Light & Free partners with renowned Canadian street artist to celebrate diversity and self-expression

The brand partnership with Burnt Toast includes a Toronto mural installation produced by MURAL and limited-edition packaging




Boucherville, Quebec – September 21, 2020: Today, Danone Canada is proud to announce that Light & Free, its newly launched unconventional yogurt brand, has partnered with renowned Canadian street artist, Scott Martin, also known as Burnt Toast. The partnership includes a stunning hand-painted mural by Burnt Toast and MURAL at Toronto’s Stackt market (located at 28 Bathurst Street) between September 21 and September 25 and limited-edition product packaging illustrated by the artist for the brand’s Watermelon, Cucumber & Lime flavour.


The Light & Free partnership celebrates local artists, like Burnt Toast, who march to their own drumbeat, promote positive self-expression and allow their most authentic selves to shine through.


As a brand that values individuality, inclusivity and diversity, Light & Free is passionate about supporting local Canadian artists, like Burnt Toast, who share a commitment to promoting likeminded messages. Through the partnership, Light & Free hopes to empower the unique individuality of all Canadians and inspire them to engage in a positive dialogue where differences only bring us closer together, enabling us to spark meaningful connections.


“Light & Free is all about offering consumers a delicious yogurt option that allows them to break free from unconventional flavours while celebrating all forms of positive self-expression and the beauty in the diversity around us”, said Jeremy Oxley, Vice-President Marketing, Strategy & Insights at Danone Canada. “Burnt Toast is a Canadian artist who seeks inspiration from individuality, and this made him the perfect partner to help tell the Light & Free brand story. We’re so excited to work with him and provide him with a platform to fuel Canadians’ passion for expressing their realest, most authentic selves.”


Burnt Toast’s Light & Free artwork shines a spotlight on the beautiful diversity in our society.


“It is incredibly important to me that my work reflects the beautiful diversity in our society, especially in today’s world,” says Martin. “When I was approached by Light & Free, I was inspired by the opportunity to help the brand tell its story. The mural and custom product packaging I’ve designed for Light & Free are about celebrating and embracing our differences and recognizing how they bring us closer together. As a Canadian artist, I am committed to doing my part to shine a spotlight on the wonderful diversity in our society and making sure individuals from all walks of life are celebrated.”


The mural created by Burnt Toast, all pastel-coloured and simple in its traits, reflects the artist’s signature style while embodying the spirit of the Light & Free brand. The piece depicts three individuals that have come together to celebrate each others’ uniqueness, sparking a connection through their differences. One of the characters has a spoon in his back pocket, a subtle nod Light & Free yogurt – typically enjoyed with a spoon. A heart emoji featured in the piece represents our modern way for showing love online – something he hopes his piece will inspire. Scott says that his style is all about being fun, cheeky and celebrating our daily surroundings and that this opportunity with Light & Free not only helped to support his craft during the pandemic, but also enabled him to develop artwork with a message that he is incredibly passionate about.


Light & Free X Burnt Toast contest
Kicked off on September 3, Light & Free has launched a contest through its Instagram handle to celebrate the arrival of its new limited edition product packaging created by Burnt Toast for the Cucumber, Watermelon & Lime flavour. Calling on Canadians to engage with @lightandfree_ca and @burnttoastcreative on IG, entrants are eligible to win exclusive artwork from the artist including a custom tote bag, face mask, shirt and coupons to enjoy the Light & Free limited edition flavour. The contest ends on September 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.


About Burnt Toast
Burnt Toast Creative is the working alias for Scott Martin, a Hamilton, Ont.–based illustrator. Scott’s work has been described as “playful cynicism,” mixing bright, fun designs with sometimes dark undertones. Scott has become an internationally known artist and freelance commercial illustrator. His designs have been featured in numerous publications and campaigns worldwide. You can find more of his works on his Instagram, @burnttoastcreative or at burnttoastcreative.com


About Danone Canada
One of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, Danone Canada is a business unit of Danone and operates from headquarter offices in Boucherville, Quebec, and Mississauga, Ontario. Danone Canada is the country’s largest consumer-facing Certified B Corporation®, demonstrating that the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Danone Canada’s ambition is to produce healthful dairy and plant-based products, as well as coffee creamers and beverages; to create economic and social value; and to nurture natural ecosystems through sustainable agriculture. Its portfolio of brands includes Activia®; Oikos®; DanActive®; Danone®; Silk®; So Delicious®; Light & Free®; YoPRO; Danette®; Stok; International Delight®; and more. For more information about the company, please visit danone.ca; facebook.com/danonecanada; Instagram (@danone.canada); Twitter (@DanoneCanada) or LinkedIn (Danone Canada).



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Contact:

Caroline Lavallée

Danone Canada

caroline.lavallee@danone.com