Have you ever noticed the benefits of a meandering discussion with happy people? That’s what we experienced when we talked to Emmanuel Castiel and Chantal Bekhor about their company VG Gourmet Vegetarian Foods Inc. Pure delight! Let yourself be transported into this business’s delicious world.
Their journey
Chantal Bekhor was a fifth-grade teacher of math, science, and English. Emmanuel had been working as a lawyer for a few years when he realized that what really appealed to him was business. So, he rolled up his sleeves and went back to school for an MBA. With his new degree in hand, Emmanuel worked primarily in marketing and then in sales for several companies.
The couple gained experience, each working hard. Things were almost perfect. Almost. The two lovebirds consider themselves dedicated, committed, and motivated. As a result, work took up much of their lives and, one day, they realized that time was marching on. And it was taking with it opportunities to be with the ones they love. Things were almost perfect, but they were missing one little thing: quality time, spent together.
“We always said it would be great to do something together one day,” Chantal says. “We’re going to start a business together.”
All that was missing to get the ball rolling was an idea. A WHAT?
No problem. The couple knew that one day, an epiphany would come.
… and then, one day…
Chantal has been a vegetarian since she was a little girl. After visiting a farm when she was young, she said she no longer wanted to eat meat. Decades later, she still respects the pact she made with her younger self, but she never felt she should compromise on great food. Because what she loves to do most is to cook. She prepared delicious vegan meals, concocting the recipes herself.
One evening, while the couple was savouring a delicious veggie burger, created and prepared by Chantal, the idea bubbled up naturally. The burgers were so delicious! So much better than the products on the market. Chantal and Emmanuel had tried every burger available, and none had lived up to their expectations. They had spotted a need! The brilliant idea would get them closer to their goal of working together.
Making it happen
Chantal started by making vegetarian burgers in her kitchen at home. She made them for family, friends, friends of friends, and as time passed, demand grew. That was when the couple realized that it was a good business idea and that the time had come to seriously consider it.
The budding entrepreneurs had an important advantage: they worked well together. Plus, their strengths were complementary. Chantal is a goldmine of information about cooking and more, and a creative genius for recipes, whereas Emmanuel is in his element with sales and representation.
They embarked on the adventure. Not wanting to invest in equipment and set up a commercial kitchen, the couple turned to a subcontractor to launch their operations. It had the necessary infrastructure, equipment, and skilled employees for larger-scale production and the advantage of having already produced burgers.
This arrangement worked for a year, but Emmanuel and Chantal soon realized that their production needs outstripped the subcontractors’ ability to meet demand.
The couple thought they had a good idea when they launched the venture, but they quickly understood that it was much more than a good idea: it was the project that would change their lives.
The next steps unfolded quickly: renting space, purchasing equipment, handling administration, and more, leading to the creation of VG Gourmet Vegetarian Foods Inc. in 2015.
There are many aspects to a business, and it is a mistake to believe that one person can be effective at all of them. In their case, the cooking, recipes, marketing, and sales were completely in hand. But the couple had less experience with operations.
But sometimes life gives you just what you need, and having started out with a subcontractor gave them a mountain of knowledge that sharpened their operational skills.
The entrepreneurs also had the good fortune to have an excellent distributor in Québec as part of their business network. Very soon, their vegan beetballs could be found in over 250 stores in Québec and Canada.
In four years, their space had become too small, and the couple moved their facilities to a larger space in Saint-Laurent where VG Vegetarian Gourmet Foods has been operating for three years.
When we asked them about their greatest challenge, the answer was, “figuring out how to make our line of products stand out from the crowd of vegan brands. […] We kept hearing “Okay, another veggie burger, another brand of veggie products: they’re all the same.”
“Ours isn’t the same; it’s completely different: we have something unique to offer!” says Emmanuel.
What’s that difference?
Their product is different from other brands that, for the most part, try to mimic the taste of meat. VG Vegetarian Gourmet Foods wants their burgers to taste like vegetables. Plus, the beetballs are produced exclusively from fresh food, be it herbs, vegetables, or beans, with nothing adulterated, dried, or frozen.
“Even though we’ve been at this for eight years, my greatest source of pride is seeing a customer taste them for the first time, and their faces say, “Wow, that’s surprising!” That’s what makes me truly proud,” says Chantal Bekhor.
“In the same vein, it’s being able to tell people who want to eat vegetarian, or, at least, who want to eat less meat, that they don’t have to compromise and settle for poor quality products,” says Emmanuel.
The company’s products include a wide range of burgers and prepared vegan meals, available in the frozen food section of most Québec grocery stores. Every day, they are getting a bit closer to their goal of helping Quebecers eat healthily and sustainably.
Wind in their sails
Chantal and Emmanuel have several projects on the drawing board. A new veggie-ball recipe is coming soon, and partnerships with food distributors are being negotiated, to offer just two examples. The future is looking bright!
And speaking of the future, Chantal and Emmanuel have made sure their company is doing business sustainably. Their packaging is made from recycled materials and is fully recyclable. Food waste is composted. Their raw materials, such as vegetables, herbs, and other items, come from Québec and, if that’s not possible, from Canada. Almost all the company’s managers are women and, of the 19 employees, 90% are recent immigrants. Not to mention that it is a vegan business.
Do these sustainability efforts seem simple? Within reach?
That’s because they are. Taking the road of sustainable development is entirely possible, and desirable, for any company, in any sector. The practices adopted by VG Gourmet Vegetarian Foods meet several of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, such as goal No. 3 — Good health and well-being, goal No. 8 — Decent work and economic growth, and goal No. 12 — Responsible consumption and production.
If these entrepreneurs had just one piece of advice for someone wanting to start a business, it would be this: “Believe in yourself and find your passion. Because if you don’t follow your passion and you don’t believe in yourself, what you are doing?” says Chantal, her eyes shining.
What else is there to say?
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Emmanuel and Chantal developed a great partnership with our regional director for Montréal, Sylvie Gasana. The trust they have built has enabled the business to delve even further into opportunities for innovation and development.
Thanks to the engagement of invaluable partners: Économie Québec, through its agent Investissement Québec, the Government of Canada, National Bank, the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and Fondaction, Evol has a large envelope to support, through conventional loans, businesses with inclusive, diversified ownership that generate positive social and environmental impacts in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG).