1. What was your original inspiration/ ‘ah huh!’ moment/ epiphany or moment of Truth (what ever you want to call it?!), when you decided that you wanted to transform your ideas into a business? (lifestyle/ a particular person/ a passion)
I’d had the idea for a specialty food business several years ago. It was born out of necessity – I’d had digestive problems since I was a teenager and with the help of a naturopath, I discovered that I was severely gluten intolerant. I wasn’t impressed with the taste or nutritional value of the gluten-free options on the market that I’d tried, so I started doing lots of research and experimenting with my own recipes. I had lots of flops but also eventually a few “keepers” that family and friends said tasted as good as (or better than) “normal” food. I decided to quit my job and pursue my passion for making delicious, healthy gluten-free foods full-time. Some people thought I was crazy – the economy was in terrible shape, I had a “good” job and I wasn’t replacing one steady source of income with another. But I’d had this dream of having my own food business for years – my father had had a very successful pizza business when I was a young girl so I guess the business is in my blood! – and there was never going to be a more “right time.” I got into a business program at the Centre of Entrepreneurship at CentennialCollege. While conducting market research and taste tests of my products, I put together a 60-page business plan for Embrace Foods over the first 3 months of the program and then worked with a business advisor for the next 5 months, meeting once per month to review targets, successes, obstacles, etc.
2. What attracts you to the farmer’s market environment? Does it align/not align with your personal philosophy and/or business
philosophy?
The farmers market philosophy aligns beautifully with my own philosophy and that of the business. Not being able to eat a lot of prepared food anymore (since so much of it contains gluten), I enjoy eating more “simple” foods – fresh, clean, healthy options. The “farm to table” philosophy is very exciting to me – I love to feast on the farm-fresh foods. Similarly, our business philosophy at Embrace Foods centres around our commitment to offering wholesome gluten-free food that tastes delicious, respects dietary preferences and restrictions, and honours our bodies’ nutritional requirements. None of Embrace Foods’ Nature’s Qu Quinoa Cereal, Smoothie Mix, Bars or Cookies contains any preservatives, fillers, or artificial colours or flavours.
3. Does your family/ friends support your business and if so how have they played a role in your success?
I am so lucky to have so many people who have been a tremendous source of support and inspiration for my business. My family, friends, classmates and business advisor from Centennial College and business advisory board have contributed ideas, sound advice and constructive criticism to Embrace Foods since day one. They are helping me to hopefully transform a good business idea into a great business.
4. If there is one thing you could change about our society’s
lifestyle or perhaps an element of consumerism, what would it be?
As a fellow consumer, I understand the pursuit of the “deal.” I want to get a bargain price on a quality product as much as the next person! But, as a food manufacturer, I now truly understand how much more costly it is per unit to produce high quality, tasty, nutritious, perishable and handmade “clean” food than it costs per unit to manufacture mass-produced, chemical and filler-laden, nutritionally void food options with a multi-year shelf life. It seems to defy logic, but it really does cost more to offer products that are “free of” several typical ingredients that more and more North Americans are finding themselves either intolerant or allergic to. I would love it if more people recognized the value to their health, quality of life and our communities of supporting the food artisans who offer those “clean” food options.
5. As many small businesses often start out grassroots and grow with popularity and demand, if given the opportunity to expand into mainstream consumerism (popular coffee chains/ grocery stores/ commercial stores ect) would you expand into those areas? Why would you or wouldn’t you?
I would welcome the opportunity to expand Embrace Foods’ Nature’s Qu line-up into popular coffee chains, grocery stores and specialty food shops, provided we didn’t have to compromise the quality of our products or business philosophy to do so. Consumers who shop for specialty food items have to shop at 3 or 4 stores (on average) to do their weekly food shopping. By expanding the breadth of food options available to include more specialty items, mainstream stores and other retail environments are able to provide more selection and convenience for all consumer and increase their bottom line.
6. What is your absolute favorite part of your business? What do you dislike or you find challenging with your business/ initiative? (if any)
I absolutely love meeting people and creating and taste testing new products and coming up with ideas for future business growth (visualizing where I want to be a year from now or in 3 to 5 years down the road). Book-keeping is a real challenge for me – God only knows how I made it through high school calculus, algebra and geometry!I had to come up with sales and income forecasts for my business plan and I almost lost my mind.
MORE INFOR HERE: http://embracefoods.com/
buds!
