00:00 Introduction to Belov and Laurie Gauthier
02:58 Belov's mission and its products
06:03 Laurie Gauthier’s entrepreneurial journey
08:48 The challenges of starting a food business
11:55 The acquisition of Mother Hen and its impact
15:03 Belov's Distribution Strategies and Growth
27:11 Rapid growth and production challenges
28:34 Work-life balance
31:49 Visibility and opportunities through the Dragons experience
35:17 Expansion plans and new product development
44:21 The importance of research and development
49:40 Online sales strategies and accessibility
51:47 Collaboration with nutrition experts
54:26 Parent education and dissemination of information
Marc-Antoine Rioux (00:21)
Welcome to the episode of Déclic with Laurie Gauthier from
Laurie (00:26)
Let me tell you, hi Maxime, how are you? Yes.
Maxime Sincerny (00:29)
How are you?
Marc-Antoine Rioux (00:29)
Yes, yes, thank you for taking the time to talk to us today about your company and your career.
Laurie (00:36)
But thank you for seeing the interest in us coming to share our story.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (00:41)
introduce yourself to who you are, what you do, your background a little bit, then to introduce again, Belov, your products, your market, what you do a little bit.
Laurie (00:51)
I will introduce Belov first. It is almost easier to introduce our company. Belov is a company that was born, that arrived on the shelves two years ago, with the goal of raising the standards in the baby food category.
Why? Because there was a need to be filled, there was a gap in the market in terms of a quality food supply. And in fact, it was my partner, who is Steph, who is Maxime's cousin, we can say, who, when she became the mother of little Flavie, after introducing mother hen purées, which everyone knows so well in Quebec because they have been around for 30 years, she realized that there was really a gap.
Maxime Sincerny (01:20)
...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (01:20)
...
Laurie (01:36)
to the texture, in relation to the oral motor development of products after the puree stage. Then we know at the level of the child's development, it is extremely important to gradually introduce small pieces, textures, because we cannot create an aversion either.
So the idea of Belov really came about after that. Steph talks to me, she really should do that. I'm like, do it! Maxime, you know, Steph has a family of entrepreneurs. I say like, let's go, do it! She's like, no, I won't do it alone, I'll do it if you come on board. And I was in the middle of, I'm going to make a bridge to myself afterwards, but I was in the middle of questioning my career. So when she threw this idea at me, I said, ok!
Maxime Sincerny (02:15)
...
Laurie (02:25)
We do it and at worst my other projects because I was talking about entrepreneurial projects that I wanted to undertake. I say, we do that first and then we will make the connections. But we know that an entrepreneurial project is a project that we will steady for several years. I don't know if one day my other projects will be but it doesn't matter, we are so committed to the Belov race and we have so many projects. Currently, we offer three product lines.
We have our cereals which are actually oat mixes for babies enriched with iron. We also have our textured meals which is the range that really gave birth to the idea of Belov. We have this range which is small pieces. We have our famous Puffs which is the popular snack Tant Aimer des enfants, but we also took over the mother hen.
which is a puree range, is like a natural step before the arrival of the texture towards the cold of our meals. So that's the mission for us is really to promote the importance of a small diet from the first bites. Our promise is to ensure that we grow a healthy generation.
That brings several ideas, several projects because the baby category, in our opinion, and in fact in the opinion of several people, is a category that has remained frozen in time for a long time. So, we have this duty and this mission to come and refresh the entire category with quality and nutritious products for children.
There are a lot of projects, a lot of products that are in development, but it's certain that R&D takes a certain amount of time. We do what we can in terms of lunches, but it's coming. There are a lot of things that are coming. Who am I? I am one of the co-founders of Villove strawberries, alongside Stéphanie. My background was really not aligned with food. You know that, but for the benefit of those who listen, we podcast it
Marc-Antoine Rioux (04:09)
...
Yes.
Laurie (04:27)
I studied finance and taxation at HEC, so I'm a HEC product. I've always been interested in mastery, the only diet, the only eating habits, but...
I never thought in my life that I was going to have a baby food business. But it is so aligned with who I am, with what I love in life, that the path was traced naturally. So before making the leap to Belov I worked precisely in finance, in taxation. I felt that I was not in the right place. So this suggestion came from Stéphanie and I said, my God, let's do it, I'm going for it. Of course, everyone didn't understand my decision at first, my parents.
He was stressed, he like, let's see, I look good, his baccalaureate, his master's degree to go make baby food, what's this story? But I think the lesson that it could have shown to everyone around me is that it's so important to follow your heart, even in business. And we have this mission, yes, on the food level, to promote the importance of signs of eating habits.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (05:14)
...
Laurie (05:38)
But there is also the mission of the place of women in entrepreneurship. No surprise, you are two men, I am a woman. Women are underrepresented in entrepreneurship, among other things, often by the role... It becomes difficult to wear both hats of what people think. It's what people think of being a mom and being an entrepreneur. The famous mompreneur that we put forward when we do the dragons.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (05:59)
Mm-hmm.
Laurie (06:07)
This word has stuck and we see that there are lots of people who also use it on social networks. We didn't invent it, but I think it may revive the concept. But it's so possible. I think there are even people who can say to themselves "my God, they don't have time for their children, they don't even have to wash them". I think they have baby food to give them. But the truth is, it's such a privilege to be an entrepreneur.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (06:25)
...
that's it.
Laurie (06:35)
manage your schedule, to have that flexibility. Yes, we work hard, we work a lot, but I don't do 60-70 hour weeks, I believe more in productivity. When we work, we are really in a "focus" period, we are really invested, we remove the sources of distraction because we know that at the end of the day, we have our grandchildren, then we have our family to take care of, and it's super important to us.
This is the long description of what Belov is, who I am as a co-founder. It was like my journey before, but I think it allows you to see precisely. The essence of Belov is two co-founders, it's two young mothers.
big ambitions, but who don't stop themselves from dreaming on a professional or personal level because my little Flavie who gave birth to Belov, had little Laurent this summer, I had Laura three months after giving birth to Belov, and now I'm still pregnant, it's more serious!
Maxime Sincerny (07:34)
That's what's even more impressive.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (07:34)
Congratulations again, yes!
Laurie (07:36)
We're getting to the mark in November! It's like the second one came really quickly because you know, I wanted to have some distance between my baby and Steph's, but we take them when they come. It's the most beautiful blessing in the world. There will be two babies in 2024 for Belov, but that doesn't stop us and it won't stop us.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (07:56)
It gives new ideas.
Maxime Sincerny (07:56)
It's super impressive, huh?
Laurie (07:58)
Yes, that's it. I was making a little speech at Matux to talk about our experience when we did it two years ago. I think that's our tagline. We make baby food and babies.
Maxime Sincerny (08:13)
Then you named some highlights with pregnancies, births, etc., growing families. Could you give us a little more in terms of time and date? This moment, we are in October 2024. You can start maybe from when Belov was created, then until today. I think it was quite fast as a development. It was quite impressive, especially juggling.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (08:13)
It's good.
Maxime Sincerny (08:40)
all the growth in your family at the same time.
Laurie (08:44)
Yes, yes, then it is
because yesterday I was just having a discussion with someone who was like connecting a competition that we're currently participating in, and she said "My God, when I listen to you, I feel like it's been business time for 10 years, because we've gone from business to business in two years of marketing." But anyway, that discussion with Steph and the idea of Belov was born during like the holiday break in 2020. And
sat down with his father, the factory too, then we said first step, make your recipes. It started the same way, at the beginning of 2021 where we were really in bed at night, on weekends because we had, were in the maturity project, but I was working. There, it was really the pre-start-up phase, embryonic R&D design. But I remember that we still incorporated the company in February 2021.
It took, for example, all the time to finalize the research and development, the industrial process, all the certifications that come with it, to have our listings. We also made a major pivot because initially, it was Steph and I, we thought we were going to produce ourselves in a commercial kitchen, in a more artisanal way. When we did our scaling tests,
We said, but my God, we assessed the production capacity. We said, there's nothing interesting in there. We'll never get there. It's not profitable. We won't reach our break-even point. So then, we pivoted to subcontracting. But that's because we were well surrounded. Then there are people who told us, yes, but it's not... You don't have to do it yourself. There are companies that do this, subcontracting for creators of ideas who come with their recipes. is like, hey, it exists!
is that you enter another gang because there are minimum orders and you have to go and secure your listings also on the other side because if you have minimum orders that are super high and you don't have all the infrastructure behind you to come and distribute this merchandise, it doesn't work either.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (10:31)
...
I think you also have a challenge with respect to the type of certification available depending on the type of subcontractor and the federal versus provincial scale and all that kit.
Laurie (10:54)
...
Absolutely, since we are in the baby stage, we wanted to be sure to have federal plants, CFIA and also plants that were capable of handling fish, meats, which are the most complex certifications to have, raw. So there, we quickly started this pivot when we did our first scaling tests in 2021.
But it's time, until we get here, the process of ideating the packaging, the branding, it's really long to start from an idea and then arrive at a finished product. It took until October 2022, so it's two years, "ish", that's it, it was October 2024, when we first saw our products on the shelves. I remember, it was in Saint-Jérôme, in an IGA.
that distribution had started, and then we saw our first products on the shelves. It took a long time, it took almost two hours before a product was on the shelves, but we had been told that in food that's what it took. It's 24 months, we did it a little faster than that, but honestly that's what it takes. That's what we were, it's long, it's really long. In any case...
There, I'm going on forever, but in short, October 2022, products arrive on the shelves, there the beginning, the cereals the signs with IGA, 250 points of sale, maybe a little more, I don't remember exactly. Then we continue with the help of our brokers who really were an anchor for us, then an immense source of...
of pushing and contributing to the success of the business because food, like any field, has its particularities. But to have the help of a broker to come and open doors, it's really, really game changing. We, had the right broker. This was in our process before we launched, doing our research, figuring out who was going to be the right representation partner for us.
and who is the one, the broker, to allow us to bring brand tea across Quebec.
Afterwards, the listing of IGA, Métro, Jean Coutu Familiprix, and so on from Avril. Then we continued with the help of brokers to have new listings. Then gradually during 2022-2023, our products began to arrive throughout Quebec. Then quickly, we reached the thousand point of sale. In fact, think that it was not even six months since we had already reached the thousand point of sale. It also comes with a frenzy and an excitement from the beginning,
because all the people who have the power supply, who have a listing and who are planogrammed will be able to testify to the same thing, that is that there, the first orders are coming in. Because they have to bail out all their retailers. There, it's super exciting, my God, it's going to be the jackpot.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (14:11)
It may even be with every order.
Maxime Sincerny (14:13)
...
Laurie (14:14)
So, that, you look at that there, when does the first repeat PO, the purchase order PO, the good order arrive? It takes a certain amount of time. Before people know, after they know your product, after that, they manage it, the shelf empties, there, ok, that's it I then ordered a case. But it's really a whole process, and it takes time.
So that's where there's like a reality check, we're like "ok, these are the first orders, this is not the state of reality". So that also comes with lots of challenges and learning because we have the first orders, it's huge, there we go into production like crazy, but there it takes time to have the first "repeat business" because...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (14:59)
Mmh.
Laurie (15:00)
that the entire network and all of Quebec learn to know its brand, it takes time. But there you produce and in food you have issues at the level of best before. There was a lot of learning there was a lot of learning in the first years in food because of that. But we found ourselves like that from October 2022 to gradually expand our distribution network through food banner, pharmacy, specialty store. In fact, Clément also had reach out.
In fact, think that we put a pre-launch on social networks where there was the cat. Then we are really happy to work with the Clément stores because it is a beautiful Quebec company, a magnificent success story. Then they have our products available on the Christmas board in certain stores. In short, we saw that it had a name, Gouma.
for our brand, for our products. there, continued in 2023 the introduction throughout Quebec and came the opportunity of mayor for. So, which was precisely through the Dux match that I was at yesterday to talk about our experience, we are matched with a mentor.
Then there, we start to hear like the marpoule is not doing too well or at least that there are fewer and fewer of them and it is more difficult to find. Then there, we hear like the mother hen is in the wind. We do our little research. At first, the answer is negative finally through this mentor who is a...
the founding president of a large food company in Quebec, we say to ourselves is it possible for you to look in your network? He confirms yes, it is for sale, here is the person to contact. We are like OK, cool. We make our approach and then we say to ourselves let's do it! We enter an acquisition process, it's been six months since we launched our company.
Maxime Sincerny (16:53)
Yes, and if I remember correctly, you already had your hands full just with Belov and everything he had to do at that time.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (16:53)
...
Laurie (16:58)
Yes! Yes, honestly, when I think back, I'm like seriously, it's so not good timing for us. We were a pinote who was starting to understand what the industry was, and this business. We're starting to acquire, it's a Quebec flagship, the mother hen. Everyone has a great story to tell about a child who was raised with mother hen.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (17:19)
Mm-hmm.
Laurie (17:24)
And we said to ourselves... But that's what Stephanie I often reminded you of, said you had stuck it. You said one day that we were going to buy the mayor for her. That convinces you!
Maxime Sincerny (17:33)
...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (17:35)
It was too good an opportunity even with the timing to be able to pass on it, so it's certain that...
Laurie (17:40)
That's a bad trigger. was like, do we let this opportunity pass us by because it's too soon, too fast for us? Too big too? We were like, no, let's do it. And honestly, I think one of the characteristics that it takes to be a good entrepreneur,
Marc-Antoine Rioux (17:54)
Mmh.
Laurie (18:00)
this naivety, to cultivate one's entrepreneurial naivety and say "let's just do it". We launch into the process anyway. I think that you know, before reaching the end of the acquisition, there is like a whole legal process, there is a "the legend". There are many cases that will perhaps lead to it falling through, but just to have the curiosity to say "we are interested". We launch into this process.
It was an intense period for us. Of course, at that time, it was only Steph and I in the company. Necessarily, we came to cannibalize a little of our time that we put into Belov and our expansion. Of course, if we had to do it again, we would do it again.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (18:36)
Mmh.
Laurie (18:49)
because we wouldn't have wanted this brand to die out, because we believe in it a lot because it's a perfect complement. If it's a pureed product, we're in the lead. We believe in all types of food. There are many emerging trends in terms of feeding methods. But we believe in the relevance of purees for little ones, especially at the beginning of the introduction of complementary foods.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (18:57)
No, no.
Laurie (19:13)
The feat was there, the feat was so there, the opportunity was there, it was big, but we said to ourselves, let's try. Finally...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (19:22)
I remember when we were looking at the analysis in the beginning and comparing the big competitors in Europe and etc. we were like "Ouch, their product range is INSANELY 10 times bigger than the kits. There were the puris, the snacks, the meals, there was "Name it", there was the collection, and there were around a hundred, two hundred SKUs. So, you don't, for sure when the opportunity presented itself and you had all the...
the child's period, at least before he goes to eat the balance sheet as such, it is game changer for your continuity in the offer.
Laurie (20:00)
Exactly, this mother hen had a beautiful diversified work. They had a lot of products also through the 30 years. But the portfolio was like about 19 products, but it's also equity on the brand. Every time we talked, well we are Belov, a company that does the same thing for us. But like mother hen!
Marc-Antoine Rioux (20:15)
Mmh.
Maxime Sincerny (20:21)
...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (20:21)
Exact.
Laurie (20:23)
We used to say "no not exactly like mother hen mother hen it's puree, we're just on textured food" well what is textured food for babies? it's little pieces for the development of the author. So in any case, mother hen was part of our side and in fact, mother hen has always been a source of inspiration for us because the values and the reasons why...
Annick Lamothe and her mother, who are the two co-founders, launched la mère-poule. These are the same reasons that pushed us to want to launch Belov. It is responding to an unmet need.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (20:57)
Mm-hmm.
Laurie (21:00)
In the past, it was puree. Now, it's become small pieces. The heart and love were there. It's the desire to offer the best to children. Then when we were in the process of developing Belov, we had Reach Out to Nick Lamothe because there is a connection. My best childhood friend, his mother.
her cousin is married to the mother. The genealogical age, But anyway, we had her email, we had communicated it and she was so wonderful. I remember, we had spoken to her, then she told me the story of mother hen as if it were yesterday. It was incredible. She is a notary by training, a bit like me who had done a process.
I still had my master's degree in tax law, whatever, but she did her law studies, then a major shift in her life, but so inspiring, full of good advice. She gave us recommendations regarding distribution, regarding retailers, regarding moving towards a federal plant, because if you want to expand, but there you will face certain challenges, otherwise in terms of growth.
It's crazy because the recommendations were still relevant 30 years later. Well, now, 28,
Marc-Antoine Rioux (22:22)
Exact.
It's more like education around science and new discoveries at least in terms of the child's diet that will change. But after that, the brand keeps all its essence in itself because it was already well addressed. And at least, it remains very, very authentic in your approach also not to distort the brand.
Laurie (22:32)
...
Exactly, She had been a source of inspiration for us, then the brand or had always been. In any case, all that to say that we launched, finished that it was signed in September, in mid-September, September 15, 2023, we became the owner of the brand. After that, there is a whole process to relaunch it. It's long, it's long, but October 2022, Villain arrived on the shelves.
Maxime Sincerny (23:03)
Yeah.
Laurie (23:08)
At the end of March 2023, the due diligence process began, potentially acquired on Mother Hen, which lasted all summer, with all the ups and downs that it represented, the challenge, a lot of learning.
It ended in September, and gradually in September we regained a little more control of "ok, overall, strategy in relation to Belov because we had spent a lot of time on this acquisition, relaunching the mother hen was certainly not restable. It was a lot, but we are really happy to have done it.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (23:41)
...
Laurie (23:43)
Then from the beginning of 2020-2024, the products started to be introduced again in the Metro. After that, in April, it gradually reached Maxi, Walmart and IGA. Then through that, we also developed our Puffs range. So that, the Puffs finally saw the light of day this spring too.
Then it was also before our 2nd that we signed our first national listing with Walmart. It's very red because in the baby category Walmart is a very very very big player.
Maxime Sincerny (24:15)
Nice.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (24:16)
a nice one, huh? That's sick!
Mmh.
Laurie (24:24)
They are the ones who came to us for the national listing. We worked on the Quebec account. Often, that's saying something, but we're going to have a limitation as a food company in Quebec. We come up against a kind of I don't know what when we want to expand our activities outside Quebec. There really is a...
I wouldn't say a trigger because I don't have the time, but there is a bit of a lack of interest in my companies when we talk to, say, the head offices are in Toronto or outside. When we study a company from Quebec, I don't know, it's less and less true, but we still feel it, maybe it's different. It's difficult for a company from Quebec to expand coast to coast in food.
So it was like unreal that after just 18 months our first products arrived on the boards. Then we talk about a point of sale, then after that the automatic distribution was done over a few weeks.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (25:27)
Mmh.
Laurie (25:32)
Come to us, being one of the very big players, tell me well is it a problem for you to list your two dry ranges nationally? Because the issue with the frozen which will not have textured and the mother hen purees is that it takes freezers in the baby section because it works less well if the freezers are not in the baby section. Maybe people end up doing the referencing and that's it for you, but let's say to generate new...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (25:50)
Mm-hmm.
Laurie (25:57)
The new clientele is more favorable than the competition of tension in the baby category. In short, that was a big sequel. Like our naivety with the mother hen acquisition process, said, let's do it. No problem. No problem, yes. There really is no problem. Adapt its production capacities, figure out how we were going to succeed in buying Nationwide.
by also optimizing our transportation costs and ensuring that we remain profitable because it was too late to change our pricing structures because it was already submitted for Quebec. We have to pay our harmonized pricing structures. I'm not going to say "well, because if I ship to Calgary and it's a lot more expensive, I'm going to charge more."
Marc-Antoine Rioux (26:32)
Mmh.
Laurie (26:39)
It doesn't work the same. So there, it was like... We said yes, problem, absolutely not a problem, and then we said ok, no, it's really problematic, it's a challenge to solve. But finally, we were able to tie it all up, deliver our first POCTs, and then, we see the POS sales because we have access to the POS report, real scan sales, then we see the growth, we see that there's a craze, so it's really fun.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (27:01)
Mmh.
Laurie (27:07)
In less than two years, all this has happened.
Maxime Sincerny (27:11)
This is crazy.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (27:12)
sick. It can't be a more beautiful story of growth as such, and what he has is that you connect it all to your mission and that even if it's an acquisition, a development of new products, educational capsules, of content that you develop, everything is really intrinsically linked to this mission which is really to better feed the generation that is coming if we want.
Laurie (27:36)
Yes, because through these two years, well, you launched in October. I gave birth to my first baby in December. It's not even three months, it's two months. Afterwards, you know for sure, when you're an entrepreneur, you don't have the luxury of completely detaching yourself from your business for a year if it's a baby too. You come back quickly, you do what you can with the fatigue you have, then after a year, you grab a beer, then the meal.
After that, Steph also got pregnant in 2023, she gave birth in June 2024, and then there's a little start in November 2024. We continue to do that, and we really want to send the message that it's possible, and above all, not to limit ourselves. It's not true that having children should prevent us from dreaming professionally when we're a woman. It's not true.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (28:30)
In the end, it was a trigger for you to seize the opportunity to start the business, and then it generated all this too. I think it's a good example of how it can be done in parallel, but that it can also constitute an opportunity in itself in relation to an unmet need on the market.
Maxime Sincerny (28:30)
this is my meaning
Laurie (28:33)
...
How are you ?
Another one of the keys that I think is important as an entrepreneur, just a person in business, to be able to understand that work is not everything in life. If the last few years we had just invested in our business and we said ok we put an X.
temporary on all our family projects, what happens if... Because there is no one who has a guarantee that his company is going to be a success story, there. Then in five years, if Gerber comes with... Canada, which is Nestlé behind, comes with a mega campaign in Canada, with full innovation, they have the cash there to do it, Then they get into us, they have all copied our products, they put hundreds of thousands of dollars in marketing, and then we get washed.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (29:22)
Mmh.
Laurie (29:36)
And then let's say that we would have said, but we, from the moment we launch our company, then we are in start-up, the first five years, no children, I think we would have missed something. That's where I think we come to unbalance a little, if we just say, it's just the work that is important. That too, was a trigger to say, I'm just going to say, F it there.
Maxime Sincerny (29:46)
...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (29:46)
THANKS.
It's okay, it's not censored, on YouTube they put it 18 and over, just deal with it.
Maxime Sincerny (30:05)
Ahahahah
Laurie (30:06)
Yes, we want to live life to the fullest, which means embarking on an entrepreneurial project, but it also means that we make babies.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (30:14)
Exact.
Maxime Sincerny (30:14)
Exactly, also to note in all this that it is not just you who work a lot, but your spouses also, from what I remember, also a lot of work on their side, so it is not just on one side and on the other side they are freer. It is really juggling between work and family, and then it will a little bit give birth to their meaning too.
Laurie (30:21)
But yes!
No.
100% they also have their business to manage. The key, we can never thank our parents enough, for this purpose me, but we have truly exceptional parents. I know that not everyone is lucky enough to have parents who live nearby or just to have parents. We have healthy parents who are not too far from us, who are always available to help, who want to help, who want to see us, continue to dream in the balance sheet.
Maxime Sincerny (30:35)
There is no ease on that side either.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (30:38)
Exact.
Laurie (31:01)
continue to dream in our dreams of mother. We have good support system, help a lot. I do not trivialize the fact that we have help. But it takes a broad to raise a child. If we have help, is like any mother.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (31:12)
Mmh.
And maybe a little moment that I want to come back also between the acquisition of mother hen and the start of marketing, or at least with your entry on the shelves and the timing, I think that it had a lot to give, but the experience at the Dragon precisely, to be able to have this visibility precisely at the start of marketing or at the start of the return in the big luggage, think that it accelerated things quite a bit in terms of awareness in general on your product and your brand.
Laurie (31:45)
100% and we encourage anyone to do this process, it's such great visibility and now I think they're giving a grant to one of the entrepreneurial teams, so it's a company that has actually joined forces with the dragon and has just given I think it's 100,000, we were like the year before there was this great gift, but that's concrete.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (31:56)
OK?
Laurie (32:11)
That's complicated, and it really helps a company, because it takes capital. In any case, it's really shameful that now, there's like an opportunity for an anan for a company that's going to pass.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (32:12)
and sick.
Exact.
then how much you can talk about the reverse of the dragons. It's all well and good that we see on TV precisely, then to see the deal has been accepted, we have an offer with so-and-so, then life is beautiful, then we have a business partner, but the reality,
Laurie (32:44)
This is because we are entering another acquisition process. It is a reorganization of capital, which will have a freeze on the company's value to bring in a new shareholder. We are really entering a tax and legal process that is complex. It is discussions, it is a duel of legends, it is hearings. It is normal that...
It doesn't always come to fruition in reality afterwards because there are so many steps that have to be taken before you have a business deal. For us, it was precisely at that stage afterwards that we realized that it was perhaps not the best fit, that, ultimately, it wasn't going to take the company to something better.
We withdrew, but I think there are still companies that manage to go all the way to make deals, but it's difficult to end up agreeing on fine print everywhere. But that shouldn't stop people from...
this platform because it's really a great showcase. Then so much the better if once the deal is done on TV, everything goes well and there's a deal that's going to be done afterwards. That's so much the better there. But it's sure, it's complex and we hear a lot of people talking about it that it's just Esquempetre's powder.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (34:10)
for that
Laurie (34:19)
It's... Business is business. It's a complex ideal process. In class.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (34:22)
Exact.
Maxime Sincerny (34:23)
It is
Marc-Antoine Rioux (34:25)
There is a great marketing value, too. Then as you say, it is mainly at the level of experience. of the people you meet,
Laurie (34:31)
Exactly. And the visibility that it gives is to have a segment on TV of almost 10 minutes on your company, where you speak, you explain. You have the chance to address a lot of people. So it's great. We encourage everyone to do it.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (34:49)
Yes. And if we talk more, let's put the future in perspective. What's coming for Beelove? What's coming for Mother Hen We're talking about the national with Walmart, but do you have other plans with other banners or whether it's independents somewhere, another territory as such or a very specific objective that you have that we can discuss?
Laurie (35:13)
100% anyway the more we communicate it the more we send it out into the world the more it gets criticized.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (35:19)
Exactly! There are people who hear that somewhere and then help you realize it too.
Laurie (35:25)
Exactly, because it's funny. When I said that we were visiting National for the first time, that's when exactly, and by the way, I wanted to ask you if you want to participate. And if you can leave it in the podcast, it will also advertise the challenge for entrepreneurs. But there are usually entrepreneurs who always give themselves in the fall. It's related to the challenge for entrepreneurs. It's for...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (35:44)
Yes.
Laurie (35:53)
Precisely, talking about our experience is a conference that can be done at the college, primary, secondary, university level. A conference, can do one, we can do three during the period. And you have such a great career, you are such inspiring entrepreneurs that I know that the challenge would benefit from having you in their short every year. So I will send you the links if you are interested. For me, this will be the third year that I am doing it. But precisely, the second year,
Marc-Antoine Rioux (36:13)
Sick
Laurie (36:21)
There was also the show Les Affaires that came to film the peak of the conference I gave at a school in Laval. And I was talking to the young people that we were working and that soon we would see the national product, but we haven't signed anything yet. We were working for that, that's what we wanted.
Then, next thing you know, 6 months later, we had our national listing. That's why I think it was important to communicate and we will succeed in winter to say what we want. So yes, we are currently in the process of continuing our expansion outside Quebec. We have really...
concrete hot that we are working on at the moment. Following precisely the CHFA which is a food trade show that we did. We had contacts who were there, who led us to make other contacts. This kind of event is really good. And among others, Whole Foods that we would really like, that we send into the universe because it is a beautiful banner.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (37:16)
Mmh.
Laurie (37:26)
also hyper aligned with our vision of very healthy nutritious foods.
It's certain that it would also be the other big player in the baby category, it's really Loblaws It would really be a holy grail for us, on the national country, also pharmacies at the national level. That's what we're working on, that's what we want. It's all at different stages, but we're working hard on it. Then in Quebec, we're also missing some, but we're getting there some banners There aren't many left that we're not there. We're working on one, and in our opinion, we're going to...
the distinct not bad by the end of the year. But that, I do not jinx too much because our producer can not not happy. Otherwise, product development, we are in a small category. 80,000 births in Quebec per year, 400,000 in Canada, and it is the clientele that is to be redone each year because the baby grows.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (38:06)
Nice.
It will do.
Mm-hmm.
Laurie (38:26)
That's also a big challenge because when you're addressing an adult clientele, it could be someone who's going to consume your product for 15 years. But for us, the little baby is growing up. Do you see it or not? In short, to really have space and weight in the category and good market shares, you need several products.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (38:41)
Exact.
Laurie (38:51)
There, we work on a lot of things. Sauces, pastas, edges, pockets, but something completely different. But it's all... Yeah, it's
Marc-Antoine Rioux (38:57)
Ouh yeah!
First.
Maxime Sincerny (39:03)
...
Laurie (39:06)
the sub-games in our friends, different meals also in the frozen, a range like in-between, what do we do at the pilot level in the texture, then the high high high quality also at the nutritional level. There is a world between the scrap, that of the competition, what we released initially. There is also that which is something that we can bring. In short, the development list is long as the edge.
So, cereals, mixes, in any case, in short. And these are all products that are in development, it's just that they are at different stages and then we learn to research development because when... You tell us our development process, it's two sentences, but it's two parts of sentences. How we can do differently, how we can do better. But when we are in a development process like that, of R&D, it brings scientific uncertainties.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (39:34)
I love it.
Laurie (40:04)
We have no choice, but that's what motivates us, it's also a part of our passion, it motivates us to find solutions to resolve these scientific uncertainties, to bring better products to the market. It takes scientists, it takes chemists, it takes experiences, it takes understanding at the micro level too because, I give the example of our bars, it's been two years since November that we've been developing our bars, we're not close to marketing them.
Because we want something completely different. But at least you change the water rate in your bar, and your water activity varies too quickly, increases too quickly, you have a stake in terms of your lifespan, but among other things by half. There are a lot of things to consider when developing a product. In short, it's long, but next year, there should be a lot of launches.
expansion we are working hard there from here, is in machine-gun mode, and the same thing at the product level.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (41:14)
you do it the right way. You really take like what is the outcome in terms of improvement and difference, then how we work in reverse to get there and not how we are able to change two or three features, then do the marketing, do the rest of the job while the ingredients maybe will not follow the marketing.
Laurie (41:33)
Exactly. But, we do it the right way as much as possible, but also because we are really well surrounded. You often people will see Steph and me like Belov, but he has a huge peripheral team around us. has accounts, we have consultants, mentors who challenge us, but that's what allows us to have...
business models that continue to have hope of sustainability. Because I mean, it's not after two years that you can talk about business sustainability, but we're still here. But we want to be here in 10 years. Exactly. But it's really the quality of the people we have around us. I think you know too, you're an entrepreneur.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (42:12)
Especially not for a food product.
Laurie (42:23)
The strength of a company is the people around it, the people who come to contribute. That is no exception at Belov. We don't have everything, we like to have help and to be challenged.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (42:39)
Yeah, right. I think that even in reference to your introduction in relation to you, there are not many business leaders either that in the situation that you put yourself in, if you will, put it quickly. Precisely, your background in tax and more finance came to help 200%. I don't know if these projects would have been as feasible without this background either. To be able to work the numbers and to be...
on the better side of the decision, if you will.
Laurie (43:13)
Well, it sure helps, it sure doesn't. For me, these are tools that I use on a daily basis, what I learned on the university benches.
It gives me a certain confidence because I am able to play with the numbers, I am able to understand them. It is certain that it is never lost. At the time that these two areas, these three completely distinct areas, it is very useful in everyday life.
Maxime Sincerny (43:45)
I think it's interesting, all your background helps you on that side, which is not easy for everyone. All the difficulties you had to be the first door that was opened, right from the start it's the most difficult. Then as you were talking about earlier, the more national door is often the first one that is the most difficult at that level. The others end up getting in a little more easily because you have the case study of how it worked with that banner. The next ones, at least you have...
Laurie (44:06)
...
...
Maxime Sincerny (44:15)
in support if you want. The whole research side, the development that you did, the first two years was very difficult, but it's a nasty barrier to the start of the school year for you to avoid having competition that comes in, that competes against you. In addition, the more it goes, the more you are used to it, you release new products, you already know the game, you know where to connect, you have the partners like I was talking to you about earlier who come to support you through all that. I imagine that it's a network there.
Laurie (44:17)
...
Maxime Sincerny (44:43)
grow bigger over time by having it done you know more and more people in the industry who can guide you and then prevent you from crashing at the next one at the next wall but at the end of it it is that each time you are going to accelerate for the creation of the products then you get used to it but that's all what someone who wants to come and compete with you will have a great difficulty the same as you had from the start for the first creation of the first product then all the little ones
Laurie (44:45)
...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (44:52)
...
Maxime Sincerny (45:13)
probably unexpected problem that now for you it has become obvious but for someone new in the market but he can't just come in like that there are three years of career ahead of him before he even gets to start maybe competing.
Laurie (45:17)
Mmh.
Exactly, it's so nothing, says Maxime, because if... Honestly, if someone doesn't take the 24-ish months to develop a product, it's because they forgot something. It requires so much rigor, so much attention to detail, so much questioning, and contributions from lots of people. We have scientists, microbiologists, people from ARD.
Maxime Sincerny (45:41)
Mmh.
Laurie (45:57)
nutritionists too, people in pediatrics who also have research to provide, to give on what is the state of infant nutrition in Canada, but also outside of Canada. if we go into mode, ok, I make this recipe, I launch that, well we can put back so many things, and even after that when we enter the industrial phase. In short, it is so easy to mess up. Someone who would try to do that quickly, I think
Marc-Antoine Rioux (46:23)
Mmh.
Laurie (46:27)
it's almost a sure failure.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (46:29)
And what's fun, in parallel with that too, is that we haven't talked much, but yes, we talk about your experts and everything that comes around research and development and everything but the fact remains that you take the time to do focus groups with moms, to get feedback from everyone, to have people taste the products. That, think that in terms of customer experience, not in terms of customer feedback, it can't be more "valuable" for you, by dint of good French words to say it.
Laurie (46:57)
No but so much and it's such a richness to do these focus groups. We did one last Friday and every time it's done for people. You have so many good ideas, are so... You know when we're still in our company and there are scientists who contribute, they have their very theoretical way of bringing up a point. After that you have the mother who lives the reality of mother.
you know, Biggie Taven, at one point, it's like, it's true, okay, we can create the most perfect product possible, but if it's not practical for the mother, the packaging of the product or whatever, it won't work, we're not meeting her need. It's so rich, the exchanges that we have when we do these focus groups. And it's been a while since we did one, but we're going to make it more recurrent because it has so much value. I will always remember one of my professors at HEC who said...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (47:41)
Mm-hmm.
Laurie (47:55)
and one step away from marketing, he said the biggest mistake a company can make is thinking they know what their consumer wants. Biggest mistake.
Maxime Sincerny (48:05)
Exactly. You think about the product first when reality is the important thing, what is the need of my potential customer first, then how do we develop... You have your vision, you have your potential customer, but how is the vision just going to merge with... Basically, it's his need, then how can your product meet that need to actually arrive at...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (48:05)
Exact.
Laurie (48:10)
...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (48:20)
and to see each other.
Maxime Sincerny (48:28)
to conclude with the vision that you have of feeding young people well, of learning this whole environment of food with the texture and everything that is ultra important, since I didn't even know either before we met, and we talk about all that.
Laurie (48:43)
So you're going to be a dad maybe one day, I'm going to find out all about that.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (48:47)
...
Exactly. And perhaps to draw a parallel as well, perhaps with the kind of two-speed system, if you will, there is still a part that you have made available to everyone to again make the products even more accessible for people who would not have access to these retail points or in their region, there would not be that as such or a distribution point other than through the website precisely, we have made online ordering available for your products, boxes, kits, sets, etc. to discover precisely.
the range of products without necessarily having to go and choose which one is the best or whatever, we have sets that are made for that too. I think there were also customers who ordered from really far up north or from the Gaspé or something like that.
Laurie (49:35)
...
Yes, no, it's true. It's something that we push so much not online sales because we don't know anything about it. We are really in the retail niche right now. But we know that we are missing an opportunity. that it was in our 20-24 plans. 20-24 is not over. But it was to review our entire strategy like because our consumer, our target clientele, yes, it's the baby who eats the food. But you are the parent. And our generation, we consume a lot.
online. The fact that we had online demand optimization targets, it's not the project that's going up, but we have to review that.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (50:18)
Yes, exactly. It's because after that, even precisely, depending on the audiences, depending on the companies too, the fact remains that you have e-commerce business to do with WeCook of this world, prepared meal stuff too, then all the kit that the new mother might want to order also in her order to have her baby meals for the week, then etc. In short, there are a lot of places where we can go, but it's definitely worth a look.
Laurie (50:47)
and we will do the same thing, we will create opportunities.
Maxime Sincerny (50:55)
at the beginning, I found it interesting, from the beginning, you were positioned, then correct me, because it's been a while, that precisely, you were, we, we are mothers, we are entrepreneurs, we are not specialists, then it was quite quickly that you are positioned as, listen, we, can give a voice to real specialists in nutrition, food specialists, etc., that we are going to precisely, you
Laurie (51:01)
...
Maxime Sincerny (51:17)
chat with and will be able to convey their messages on your Belov platform. And now, the platform is also growing with Mother Hen and everything, which gives you an even bigger reach. I don't know if you can tell us a little about this thinking that you had at the beginning. I find the positioning that you took for that, then the generation of content with these specialists. How did you come to this conclusion from the start? What is your perception and how has it evolved over the years?
Laurie (51:43)
...
Yes, and it's true that I'm perhaps not the best person to answer that, because we have all our strengths in the company. Essentially, it's absolutely true, on a daily basis, we have the privilege of being in contact with people who have a...
a wealth of nutritional information, either in pediatrics or in relation to a... example, sometimes we work with the nutritionists of the Olo Foundation who are several nutritionists quite dedicated to children's health. We work with other nutritionists in pediatrics.
pedioles, but also scientists, from certain research centers here in Quebec. In short, it is so much quality information that we have. Then we give ourselves the mission of being able to popularize and transmit it to parents because yes, our generation will seek a lot of our information and our education on social networks, you know. But to be able to have quality information, I think that is really important. And how does it fade? And there, I know that there is a lot of delinquency.
in your question, we quickly said to ourselves, well precisely, we will not wear the doctor's hat, we are not doctors. I did my studies in finance, in physics, SF, at the world, the beautiful big family of Saint-Hubert, in catering, operated its restaurant in Tremblant.
But we have this possibility to create a platform, to create a community of parents who are concerned like us to know what is best at the professional level for their children or just for their development. It is to have found certain specialists and in fact it is even you who put us in contact with Doctor St-Pierre.
Maxime Sincerny (53:31)
Yes, that's right, a little later. You've already started, but later, yes, that's right.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (53:32)
...
Laurie (53:36)
Exactly, that's how Dr. Saint-Pierre became, in fact for us, we find her so inspiring. Yes as a doctor, as an international health pediatrician, but just as a woman. She's so driven, everywhere, she has so many convictions. In short, she's really inspiring, and she's a mother too, she has three children. All over the world, in any case, we find her exceptional. Her documentary, I if you listened to it, but I listened to it, it was really wow.
In short, it's about going to look for it. And doctor too, it's important to say that she's not a partner. We, basically, are going to look for the information that she gives us.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (54:09)
It couldn't be more aligned with you there, you know.
Maxime Sincerny (54:11)
...
Laurie (54:23)
then we make it accessible to parents because our community is made up of parents. precisely, we as we see our role through all this, is to go and get quality information, to make it available to parents, whether through capsules. But we see that long YouTube capsules, it can be less with parents who have little time, but to do wheels, to make small passages, interests a lot, especially hot topics, like viruses.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (54:53)
...
Laurie (54:53)
Looks like a job.
I don't know if that answers your question Maxine, but in short, we are lucky to have a lot of quality information. We crunch it, we popularize it, or we give the microphone to extraordinary people that we admire like Doctor Saint-Pierre, who can themselves pass on their message. We put it on our social networks. Also, there was Geneviève Breault who was an occupational therapist. In short, we could do it even more because the educational aspect is really important to us.
Maxime Sincerny (54:57)
Well, it is
Laurie (55:23)
and I think the parents liked that.
Maxime Sincerny (55:26)
Exactly, at the end of the day, you want to give a lot, and then in return, people automatically end up just being interested in the products, and then thanking you in return. But you don't necessarily expect anything by giving this information, it's just important to you. And realistically, it's not an announcement directly for the brand, but you are still the messengers of this message, of all this information which is in addition, as you mentioned there...
Laurie (55:36)
In a rush, we are at the...
...
Maxime Sincerny (55:55)
and professional quality and not just a corner of the table opinion of someone who calls himself an expert for a day.
Laurie (55:59)
And I'm going to film. Okay, and I'm going to finish the second part. Okay, it's rice.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (56:03)
Exactly. It's really also about raising the solution that is made for the parent, yes, to save time compared to making all that, in the new standard where people, precisely, are more and more informed and are increasingly looking for products in terms of benefits and which will have a health objective and not just saving time as such, but which will be able to juggle with the two objectives of the parent as such which is...
Laurie (56:20)
...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (56:30)
to give him the best possible food, as simply as possible for him.
Laurie (56:34)
The goal is not to be a perfect parent because that doesn't exist and we can't put that pressure on ourselves as parents because it's so easy to feel guilty when you're a parent.
But it's at least giving ourselves tools. When we have a food choice to make at the grocery store, well it's true, I heard on the blog, I had to look, and if I see that, I shouldn't take that, that's simpler. It's about creating an awareness for us too. If we are able to create an awareness so that we can help the parent make the best choices, so much the better. It's not about aiming... In fact, the WHO's positioning is none of those nor the WHO's at all.
health. No CEL is no CEL added until two years. I know this principle, I also know the importance of my first days of life.
But my daughter, she's already eaten a cookie with added sugar. She's already eaten an ice cream cone. When you're at the Aquaticook, you can't go to the Aquaticook cream when you're at the Aquaticook. I think it's important to do a certain dosage up to one year. Honestly, I still recommend that all parents do it.
Maxime Sincerny (57:34)
...
Marc-Antoine Rioux (57:35)
exact.
Laurie (57:45)
We're not looking for the perfect parent, but for me, these tools, I think that can help most people make simpler choices. That's the goal.
Marc-Antoine Rioux (57:55)
You have a little conclusion to make regarding advice to give to someone who would like to get started or at least a message for mompreneurs in particular.
Laurie (58:05)
I think I said it during my presentation and I'm going to say it again because it's really true, but to cultivate your entrepreneurial naivety. I don't quote it as something that I invented because it's something that I've already heard in a conference or entrepreneurial. I think it's Serge Beauchuin.
who during the pandemic had selected a bunch of entrepreneurs and said "Give me your three best pieces of advice". There, he had done like you, basically, a podcast about that. I was really looking forward to it. I remember, it was a woman who said that, but I don't remember her name. I've already tried to find that content to share it with other people because it was all good advice, but to cultivate your entrepreneurial naivety. And what does that mean concretely for me?
Everything is possible, but everything is worth trying. It is worth daring to undertake, or to undertake the ephemeral. But it is worth daring. To the best of our ability. Life goes on. That is the secularism of saying. Let's do it. Let's do it. We'll see after. We'll figure it out.
Maxime Sincerny (59:01)
Mm-hmm.
Absolutely. In the worst case, it doesn't, but we find something else along the way. We find the new path that finally maybe suits us even better than what we had done, that we had set as an objective at the beginning.
Laurie (59:23)
Exactly.
or exactly.
Bofu AI Marketing Agency (59:30)
Thanks for participating and see you next time!
