TOP 100 MAGAZINE

Pamela J. Key

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For Pamela J, excellence isn’t just a goal—it’s a way of life. As the founder of ecalm.io, Pamela is leveraging her vast experience in sales, technology, and hospitality to transform how premium small and medium-sized wine businesses operate. Her new venture, set to launch May 5th, 2025, the birthdate of her maternal Great Grandmother, Elizabeth Hallatt, brings artificial intelligence and smart integrations to the wine world, streamlining back-end operations so that wine merchants can return their focus to what they love most: their craft and their customers.

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With over 19 years in the wine and hospitality industries, Pamela’s journey is rooted in passion and purpose. She has worked in some of Canada’s finest establishments, including Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar, where Andera Vescovi, and Stephan Cachard were her devoted wine mentors, and Le Gavroche, also in Vancouver, where Manuel Ferreira played a formative influence in her devotion to wine.  She also credits her success selling Apple computers to Peter Long, and Carlos Bellotti, both incredible leaders. During her time in hospitality, she not only honed her wine skills, but also cultivated the grit and determination that would later fuel her success in tech.

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Pamela’s move from wine to fintech came during the pandemic, when she joined Shopify’s merchant services division and helped wine merchants pivot to online sales from retail platforms. “As I worked with more and more of them, I realized there was a real gap in the market,” Pamela shares. “They needed someone who understood both wine and technology—and that’s when I knew I had to start this company.”

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ecalm.io is Pamela’s answer to the disjointed tech ecosystem that plagues many wine businesses. By integrating tools for billing, scheduling and so much more, her platform frees up nearly 30 hours a week for wine merchants and eliminates costly, clunky inefficiencies. With deep relationships across North America, and winery connections in Europe and Australia, she’s poised to make a global impact.

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Pamela’s diverse background includes a diploma in travel and tourism from Okanagan College, along with certifications from the International Sommelier Guild, Apple Global Training, and the Challenger Sales Program. She was the recipient of the Premier Cru Award at the 2007 Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, a testament to her excellence in service. In 2009, during a global economic downturn, she exceeded targets in Apple computer sales—a feat few could claim at the time. Her people first core value also earned her the RBC Collaboration Award.

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At the heart of Pamela’s journey is a deep gratitude for her roots. “I’m incredibly grateful to have entrepreneurial parents who never tried to put me in a box,” she says. “They always encouraged me to nurture my individuality; to make good decisions, work hard, but follow my heart and my passion.” Pamela also credits her close-knit family (her father is one of 13 siblings) for her sense of community and unwavering confidence. But above all, she honors her husband of nearly 22 years, saying, “He’s everything. The people in my life are my foundation, and no one’s more important than him.”

 

With heart, hustle, and a vision for smarter solutions, Pamela J is uncorking a new era for the wine industry—one that’s as innovative as it is inspired.

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Pamela J. Key
Founder
Website: ecalm.io
Website: https://ecalm.io
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/pamela-key-390a061b
Instagram: @ecalm.io