After immigrating to Canada from Nigeria to continue her education at University, Lola established herself in the IT consulting world before identifying a gap in the retail market with a lack of authentic, ready to eat African foods.
Lola and I cover the full spectrum of the It’s Souper startup story, including the challenge of selling what is typically considered a seasonal product, selling into her first retail locations and how she approaches competing against established brands.
Other key takeaways include the value of in store demos (now that they are back in play) and how she focused on brand building and marketing exercises when they weren’t an option.
Lola provides great insight into the grants that have been available to her and leveraged to assist in scaling her business - and what she considered the most critical components to focus on when working through the application process.
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Launched in 2018 and located in Toronto, Ontario Lola’s Afro-Fusion gourmet soup and sauce line was inspired by the fusion of cultures that exists in Canada, a yearning for authentic flavours from Africa, and a desire to share it with her community.
Their mission is to produce delicious tasting soups, meals, and sauces made with high quality ingredients and exotic flavours that meet the demands of today's diverse world, and ultimately to inspire a new found love for food.
Lola’s soups can be found in over 50+ retailers in and around the GTA and Quebec and online at itssouper.com
For 10% off online orders use the promo code: PackH10
https://itssouper.com/
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Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsor
FoodPak: https://www.foodpak.com/
Leave a review, rate the show and if you have any questions or feedback I would love to hear from you : hayden@thepackheavypodcast.com
70. Driving a side hustle onto the retail shelf with Andrew Zuk - Founder & CEO of Plantworthy Food
69. International expansion, funding & company culture with Margaret Coons - Founder & CEO at Nuts For Cheese
68. Bringing a family tradition onto the retail shelf with Heather Tofanello - Co-Owner at Nonno’s Pasta Shop Ltd.
67. Exploring new markets in the food based CPG world with Rushd Khan, Owner of Barakah Eats
66. Key market & consumer research ideas for your CPG startup with Jared Kligerman - President at The Think Tank & Co Founder at Wander Nut Butters
65. CPG Packaging & Labeling Requirements with Roger LaRochelle - Principal Consultant at RLR Consulting
64. Roll up your sleeves and get it done with Mellisa Mills - Founder & CEO of Spread’em Kitchen
63. Current end of life systems for flexible packaging with Colin Isaacs - Owner & Senior Sustainable Development Analyst at CIAL Group
62. Climbing the CPG mountain with Jasmine Byrne, President of Big Mountain Foods
61. How to launch and run an equity crowdfunding campaign with Lori Joyce - Founder & CEO at BETTERWITH ice cream
60. 30 minutes with Suzie Yorke - Board Member & Founder of Love Good Fats
59. Print technology in 2022 and what that means for your packaging project with Kelly Roberts, President and CEO of Canflexographics
58. Brand building, equity crowdfunding, pinpointing your value proposition and parenting while growing your business with Lori Joyce - Founder & CEO at BETTERWITH ice cream
57. It’s time to level up your CPG industry network with Aaron Skelton - President & CEO of the Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA)
56. The pathway from idea to operational with Myrna Selzler Park, CEO and founder of Bodacious Artisan Foods Inc. aka BABz
55. The winning formula of intimately knowing your industry, product and consumer with Richard Pollock - President & CEO of Pauling Labs (Ener-C)
54. The Art of the Launch: Instagrammable Packaging, Iconic Branding & How to Get Your Brand Visibility Online with Rebecca Rochon, Co-Founder & CEO of Pivot & Pilot Creative Inc.
53. Addressing food waste, hunting for the right investors and the next evolution of Susgrainable with Co Founder & CEO Marc Wandler
52. Keeping motivated in business, the strength of mindset and a recap on the year that has been with Coach, Podcaster and Author, Brad Bodnarchuk
51. Sustainable seafood harvesting, shifting to an online sales model and the skill of sales with Guy Dean, President & GM at Organic Ocean Seafood Inc.
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