Our Multicultural Team: A Vancouver Story
Vancouver is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Walk down any street downtown and you'll hear Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, Korean, Farsi, and about a dozen other languages, all before you reach the coffee shop. It's the kind of place where a dim sum restaurant sits next to a sushi bar sits next to a taco truck, and nobody thinks twice about it.
Our team is a reflection of that city. And I don't think we talk about it enough.
Eight Countries, One Team
At last count, the Boxiki team includes people from eight different countries: Canada, Russia, India, the Philippines, Germany, Mexico, South Korea, and Iran. Some of us were born here. Some of us moved here as kids. Some of us arrived as adults with suitcases and dreams and not much else.
Stan grew up in Russia before moving to Vancouver as a teenager. I was born in Surrey to Indian parents who immigrated in the '80s. Our operations lead moved here from Mexico City five years ago. Our lead developer joined us remotely from Berlin. Our customer service star is based in Manila.
We don't have a "diversity initiative." We don't have quotas or programs or a Chief Diversity Officer. We just... hire good people. And in Vancouver, good people come from everywhere.
How Diversity Makes Better Products
Here's the thing that doesn't get talked about enough: diversity isn't just a nice value to have. It directly makes our products better.
When we were designing packaging for our international markets, it was our Korean team member who pointed out that our color choices had different connotations in Asian markets. What felt "premium" in North America felt "funerary" in parts of Asia. That insight saved us from an expensive mistake.
When we were developing our Solza wristbands, our team member from Iran shared how mental health is discussed (and often not discussed) in Middle Eastern cultures. That shaped how we positioned the brand for international audiences — less therapeutic, more universal.
When we expanded into Latin American markets, our Mexican colleague didn't just help with translation — she helped us understand the cultural nuances of how people shop, what they expect from customer service, and why our standard approach needed adjustment.
Every perspective adds a layer of understanding that makes our work more thoughtful, more nuanced, and more human.
The Potluck That Became a Tradition
Before COVID sent us all home, we had a monthly tradition: the team potluck. The rules were simple — bring a dish from your culture, explain why it matters to you, and be prepared to share the recipe if people love it (which they always did).
Those potlucks were legendary. Stan's Russian borscht that took two days to make. My mom's butter chicken that she insisted on cooking herself because "Priya burns everything." The Filipino adobo that converted at least three people into lifelong adobo evangelists. The Korean tteokbokki that was so spicy it made our German colleague drink an entire liter of milk.
We've kept the tradition going virtually during the pandemic, which is both wonderful and tragic — wonderful because we still share recipes and cook together over video, tragic because you can't eat someone's cooking through a screen.
Celebrations All Year Round
One of the best things about a multicultural team is that there's always something to celebrate. Lunar New Year. Diwali. Nowruz. Dia de los Muertos. Chuseok. Christmas. Eid. We don't celebrate all of them formally — some are just a Slack message saying "Happy Nowruz!" with a flurry of emoji reactions — but they're acknowledged. They matter.
It means our team calendar is colorful in the best way. It means we're constantly learning about each other's traditions. And it means nobody ever feels like their culture is invisible at work.
Why This Matters
We sell products in over 20 countries. Our customers speak dozens of languages. They come from every culture, every background, every walk of life. Having a team that reflects that diversity isn't just nice — it's essential. It helps us understand our customers, connect with them, and serve them better.
But honestly? Even if it didn't help the business at all, it would still be worth it. Because working with people who see the world differently than you do is one of the best things about being alive. It makes you smarter, kinder, and more interesting.
Vancouver gave us this gift. We're grateful for it every day.
— Priya