The FEED powered by Loblaw

On this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , host Michael LeBlanc travels to Vancouver for a remarkable conversation with David Long, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank , about reimagining what a modern food bank can—and should—be. Forget everything you think you know about food banks. Under David's leadership, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank has transformed from a traditional emergency foo...

On this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw podcast, host Michael LeBlanc travels to Vancouver to sit down with Paul Gill, Founder & CEO of Naked & Saucy, for a fascinating conversation about food entrepreneurship, innovation, retail growth, and what it really takes to build a successful consumer packaged goods brand in today’s competitive grocery industry. Paul shares the remarkable story behin...

On this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , host Michael LeBlanc travels to West Vancouver to sit down with Patrice Mousseau, Founder and CEO of Satya Organics , for an inspiring conversation about entrepreneurship, innovation, Indigenous business leadership, and building a purpose-driven consumer brand. Patrice's journey is anything but conventional. A former journalist, broadcaster, and nati...

On this episode of The Feed Powered by Loblaw, host Michael LeBlanc sits down with former Bank of Canada Governor and renowned economist Steve Poloz for a timely and wide-ranging conversation about the forces reshaping Canada's economy. Drawing on insights from his influential book The Next Age of Uncertainty , Poloz reflects on how many of the disruptions he anticipated have accelerated far faste...

In this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , recorded in North Vancouver, host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Fardad Moayeri, Principal - Chief Esthetics Officer, Parissa Laboratories Inc., to explore a classic Canadian entrepreneurial journey—from immigrant startup to globally recognized natural beauty brand. Parissa Laboratories, now approaching 43 years in business, began out of necessity. M...

In this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , recorded live at Granville Island in Vancouver, host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Chris Hobson, Founder of Hobbs Pickles, to explore how a creative professional transformed a personal obsession into one of Canada’s most distinctive emerging food brands. Chris didn’t set out to disrupt the pickle category—but after years in advertising and a deep pa...

In this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , recorded at the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens flagship store in Toronto, Michael LeBlanc sits down with Enza Cianciotta, Founder of Solenzi Food, to explore the intersection of food innovation, entrepreneurship, and the evolving Canadian grocery landscape. Enza’s journey into the food industry is anything but traditional. After spending more than 30 year...

In this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , host Michael LeBlanc explores the remarkable entrepreneurial journey behind The Handpie Company, one of Canada’s most distinctive emerging food brands, with founder Sarah Bennetto O’Brien. Recorded at the historic Loblaws Maple Leaf Gardens store in Toronto , the conversation explores how a classically trained chef from Sudbury, Ontario, built a thri...

Recorded live inside a Real Canadian Superstore in Port Coquitlam, this episode of The FEED Powered by Loblaw features an in-depth conversation with Stewart Samuel , Director of Retail Futures at IGD . Together, we explore the future of grocery retail, AI-driven commerce, hypermarket reinvention, and the evolving expectations of Canadian shoppers. Stewart leads IGD’s global insights and foresight...

Some of the most remarkable food stories in Canada do not begin in corporate boardrooms—they begin on farms, with families deeply committed to quality. In this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , host Michael LeBlanc sits down with John Miller and Marie Miller, co-owners of Miller’s Dairy , recorded live at the Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws flagship store. Miller’s Dairy is a multi-generational O...

In this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Chad Jakeman, Chief Executive Officer of Jakeman’s Maple Syrup Products , to explore how one of Canada’s most iconic food products is being scaled for modern retail—without losing its heritage. Jakeman’s is a 150-year-old, family-owned Ontario business that now funnels more than half of the province’s maple syrup t...

Greetings and welcome to season two of The FEED, powered by Loblaw podcast!    We conceived of The FEED as an opportunity to showcase thought leaders, taste makers, innovative brands and leaders, who are making a difference in the grocery and health industries and helping Canadians Live Life Well. We’re off to a great start, wrapping Season one and 2025 with a powerful interview with Benjamin Tal,...

In this wide-ranging and insightful conversation, Benjamin Tal, Deputy Chief Economist at CIBC, joins Michael LeBlanc to close out Season One of The FEED powered by Loblaw with a clear assessment of where Canada’s economy truly stands—and where it is headed. Tal opens by reframing the post-pandemic narrative. While Canada avoided a formal recession, he characterizes the economy as “resilient, not...

Autonomous vehicles have long been promised as the future of logistics, but in this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , that future arrives decisively in Canada. Host Michael LeBlanc sits down with Rich Steiner, Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Gatik , to explore how Loblaw and Gatik are launching Canada’s first fully autonomous, commercial middle-mile delivery oper...

This episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw features an inspiring and deeply practical conversation with Natacha Rey, Founder of Lemon Aide —the breakout Canadian brand reinventing how consumers think about cleaning products. Natacha's entrepreneurial journey is anything but conventional. Raised on an organic farm, connected to nature from an early age, and later trained in homoeopathic medicine in...

In the latest episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , host Michael LeBlanc welcomes Danni Peirce, Chief Sourcing Officer at Loblaw Companies Limited , for an energizing conversation that offers a fresh lens on retail sourcing in Canada. Still less than a year into her role with the company, Peirce brings a seasoned global executive perspective , shaped by two decades of sourcing and leadership rol...

In this episode of The FEED powered by Loblaw , Michael welcomes Mark Brandt, Co-Founder of Twigz Pretzels , one of Canada’s fastest-growing and most talked-about snack brands. Twigz has captured national attention with its bold flavour innovation, uniquely Canadian brand identity, and remarkable growth story — a journey built by a tight-knit sibling team that turned a simple spark of inspiration...

In the premiere episode of The Feed powered by Loblaw , host Michael LeBlanc sits down with retail industry leader, author, and analyst Bruce Winder for an in-depth exploration of the trends reshaping Canada's grocery landscape. With over two decades of experience at Canadian Tire, Air Miles, Zellers, HBC, and Sears, Bruce brings insider knowledge to today's most significant retail questions — fro...

Get ready for The Feed podcast, Powered by Loblaw!  We conceived of The Feed as an opportunity to showcase thought leaders, taste makers, innovative food and health brands, and, yes, a few key Loblaw executives who are making a difference in the grocery and health industries, together helping Canadians Live Life Well! The Feed powered by Loblaw is produced and hosted by Michael LeBlanc, and in our...