Meet Teta Žofa

My name is Sofia Delišimunović, born in Canada, a first-generation Croatian-Canadian, daughter of two proud Croatian parents.

While I carry love and gratitude for Canada, I have always belonged to two worlds. My heart rooted in Croatia, in the land of my ancestors, in the mountain villages of Žumberak where stories live in the soil and the stones remember every step.

I was named after my father’s beloved grandmother, Žofa, and I like to think her spirit has been walking beside me ever since.

I was raised in the embrace of our Croatian culture - with kolo steps, tamburica songs, stories in our language, and my mama's meals full of memory. My baka's hands and my tata's rythm of nature and land stitched our heritage deep into my bones.

At the age of 19 I began serving Canada as an RCMP officer in remote northern communities, where connection mattered most. Though this adventure filled my heart in many ways, it abruptly pulled me from my Croatian community.

For years I lived in isolated First Nations villages; places where people lived close to the land, where stories were shared around kitchen tables, and where family came before everything.

In that closeness, something ancient stirred. I felt called back to my own roots- to live more intentionally, honour where I came from, and to root myself once more in the land of my ancestors.

Today, I live as an author and herbalist with my family on a small farm, tucked deep in the Canadian woods. We raise animals, work and play amongst nature, and live with the seasons close to the earth and the old ways.

🌿 Forage i Folklor was born from this life.

It’s more than a shop; it’s a living memory! A gathering place to bridge the past and present, with arms open to our diaspora who feel the calling of home, or to anyone searching for connection and belonging in a fast paced world.

Here, you’ll find:

  • hand-made seasonal herbal goods
  • Ancestral stories and children's books
  • Croatian language and cultural learning materials carried by the voices of those who came before
  • Hand-made crafts and arts

I especially love engaging our young children and youth with stories! In a world that often feels chaotic and fast-paced, I want to offer a place of wonder, where imagination, magic, and our cultural stories remind them of who they are and where they come from. I hope they grow up knowing the words, the songs, the plants, and the spirit of the places their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents called home.

If these stories spark a memory, stir a longing, or tug at your roots, maybe it’s a quiet call from our ancestors… telling us it’s time to come home.

Whether you’re here for a letter, a remedy, a story, or the scent of something familiar, WELCOME!

This is where folklore lives and the smell of Baka’s bread still lingers in the air.

With love and memory,

Sofia

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