This Commerce Life

Bryan from Market 49 Fine Foods joins Phil and Kenny to share the story of how a COVID-era side hustle for bored chefs turned into a thriving frozen meal business that's redefining quality in the freezer aisle. What started as cooking for friends and family who couldn't or wouldn't cook has grown into a multi-location operation across BC's Lower Mainland. Bryan opens up about his culinary journey...

From Quebec Grains to World-Class Spirits: The Dunrobin Distilleries Story Adrian from Dunrobin Distilleries joins Phil and Kenny to share the fascinating journey of building one of Eastern Ontario's premier craft distilleries. Located halfway between Ottawa and Montreal, Dunrobin has carved out a unique position in Canadian spirits by sourcing local Quebec grains and building a vertically integra...

James Rowley of Glenmore Printing pulls back the curtain on the commercial packaging industry, revealing how commodity price volatility, tariff uncertainty, and consolidation are reshaping the business. James shares his philosophy on being a true partner to food brands—absorbing cost pressures, providing strategic guidance beyond just printing boxes, and helping smaller players navigate market opp...

We catch up with Sonia Strobel, Co-Founder & CEO Of Skipper Otto -  Canada's Largest Community-Supported Fishery Skipper Otto has cracked the code on sustainable, traceable seafood in Canada. Co-founder and CEO Sonia Strobel joins us to share how their community-supported fishery model has grown to serve 8,000 members across the country—and why they finally made the leap into home delivery.   In t...

We sit down with Joy Dutcher, co-founder of Mycelyum, to explore how she turned a personal journey with ADHD and functional mushrooms into an innovative Canadian wellness brand. Joy shares the origin story of discovering lion's mane and chaga mushrooms through her partner Jimmy's background in traditional Chinese medicine, and why they chose the gummy format over powders and capsules.   Check out...

Elaine and Cam, the founders behind Not Too Sweet Drinks, join Phil and Kenny to share their journey of creating a sparkling beverage brand that's actually not too sweet. Recording from Phil's car during CHFA prep with special guests Lara and Christine from Munching on Molecules, this episode captures the authentic story of Vancouver Island entrepreneurs who are redefining the sparkling drink cate...

Sarah Kinlin returns to This Commerce Life two and a half years after her first appearance, and the transformation is remarkable. What started as a tentative step toward professional speaking has evolved into a thriving business as a mindset and leadership coach, author, and professional hockey coach. In this heartfelt conversation, Sarah shares her journey from leaving Johnson & Johnson to buildi...

Shannon and Sarah, Naturopathic Doctors from Guelph, Ontario, are reimagining homeopathy for modern retail. In this episode, they share how they're solving the complexity problem in the homeopathy category by offering curated kits instead of overwhelming individual SKUs.    They discuss their journey from festivals to CHFA, their strategic approach to pricing, navigating Health Canada regulations,...

Join Phil and Kenny as they hit the road with Simran Kaur, Sales Manager for Western Canada at Chiba Organics, for an unfiltered conversation about navigating the Canadian CPG and retail landscape. From her start handling national accounts for McDonald's and Starbucks at Zomato in Delhi to building relationships with independent grocers across Western Canada, Simran shares hard-earned wisdom about...

What if your makeup routine is secretly harming your eye health? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Nieka Sabeti, a practicing optometrist and founder of CHESHMA, a groundbreaking line of eye-friendly cosmetics. After countless patients broke down in her exam room—struggling with dry eye disease caused by cosmetics and feeling they had to choose between their appearance and their eye health—Dr....

The Knuckleheads talk to each other. Two retail veterans with a combined 50+ years of experience sit down for honest conversations about Canadian business, brands, and the challenges facing small and medium-sized companies.  We talk to each other about where we come from and how we got here. Kenny, it turns out, was always pretty linear. Phil, has nothing linear about his career at all.    Thank y...

When Nana Daniels returned from a trip to Ghana in 2016, she experienced a severe lupus flare-up that left her skin severely burned. What happened next changed her life forever. After seven hours in the emergency room with no real solution, Nana turned to her Ghanaian roots and created her own remedy using raw shea butter, vitamin E, and essential oils. The results were so remarkable that friends...

From Auto Mechanic to Artisan Sausage Maker: D-Original Sausage Haus Story Join us as we sit down with Clint from D-Original Sausage Haus in Steveston, BC, who shares his unconventional journey from automotive mechanic to box manufacturing to crafting premium German-style cured meats. Clint discusses the challenges of running a brick-and-mortar deli in a post-COVID world, the art of making authent...

From Cologne to Canada: What We Learned Walking 10 Football Fields at Anuga Phil and Kenny take the podcast on the road to Anuga, one of the world's largest food trade shows in Cologne, Germany. Recording their raw observations while navigating German parking lots and autobahns, they share what surprised them most: Bulgaria's emerging food innovation, the surprising absence of crowds at the Chines...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Shauna Fidler, founder of Design Farm and producer of the Basin Food Summit, as she takes us deep into British Columbia's Kootenay region—a place where local food culture thrives and producers connect directly with buyers who care. Shauna shares her journey from running a cookie shop in Calgary to pioneering gluten-free baking before it was mainstream, an...

From Ice Cream Cart to National Brand - The Hazel's Ice Cream Story In this episode, hosts Kenny and Phil sit down with Sam Vermeulen, co-founder of Hazel's Ice Cream, to discuss the remarkable journey from a COVID-era ice cream cart idea to a growing national frozen novelty brand. Sam shares how what started as a father-son dream of running an ice cream shop evolved into handcrafted premium ice c...

Scaling CPG Brands with Roadmap CPG's Michelle Prychidny and Koreann Webster In this episode of This Commerce Life, hosts Phil and Kenny welcome the dynamic duo behind Roadmap CPG - Michelle Prychidny and Koreann Webster. Together, these industry veterans share their combined decades of experience helping emerging CPG brands navigate the treacherous waters of retail scaling. From their early days...

We sit down with Sanaz Bahrami, founder of Melts Infusions, who shares her remarkable journey from aspiring surgeon to herbal wellness entrepreneur. After nerve damage derailed her medical career dreams, Sanaz discovered the power of adaptogenic herbs during a challenging period in graduate school studying biomedical engineering. What started as brewing "peace tea" in her apartment to manage anxie...

From Stadium Cleaner to Craft Brewer - The Latina Beer Story Phil and Kenny sit down with Carlos Castro, the Venezuelan-Canadian founder of Latina Beer, for an inspiring conversation about entrepreneurship, immigration, and following your passion. Carlos shares his remarkable journey from cleaning Rogers Stadium as an entry-level job to building his own craft brewery in St. Catharines, Ontario. Wh...

The Kristina Farrell Episode: Fighting for Canada's Food System from the Inside In this episode, hosts Phil and Kenny sit down with Kristina Farrell, CEO of Food & Beverage Canada, to explore the complex world of Canadian food manufacturing policy. Christina, who represents domestic food and beverage manufacturers across the country, breaks down the critical distinction between companies that actu...

CHFA Now Toronto 2025 Preview with Aaron Skelton & Lynsey Walker Join Phil and Kenny as they chat with Aaron Skelton (CEO) and Lynsey Walker (Chief Marketing Officer) from the Canadian Health Food Association for an exciting preview of CHFA Now Toronto 2025, happening September 19 - 21, 2025 What's New This Year: BDC & Be Local Thursday Night Event - Special networking event at BDC Square (37th fl...

From Bartending Tips to 24 Locations: The Foxy Box Story In this episode of This Commerce Life, we sit down with Kyla, the bold founder and CEO of Foxy Box Laser & Wax Bars, who turned bar tips and brazilian waxes in her dining room into a 24-location franchise empire across Canada. Starting 12 years ago in her dining room (yes, you read that right), Kyla used her bartending tips to fund her ventu...

A celebration of success. Re-sharing Caitlyn Vanderhaeghe's episode from 2022 on the evolution of Kidstar. In light of her announcement last week of getting National distribution, we thought it'd be a good time to re-share Caitlin's journey with Kidstar.  A small Canadian company, that put in a lot of work to get here! Congrats Caitlyn and the Kidstar team!!   Check out Kidstar here: https://kidst...

Mid-Summer Update - Road Trips, Trade Shows, and What's Next Phil and Kenny reconnect for a candid mid-summer update on what's been keeping them busy and what's coming up for This Commerce Life. After spending five hours together booking travel (and learning they should have let Keelin handle it), the duo shares their exciting plans for the fall. In This Episode: Anuga 2025 : The hosts are headed...

Amy Rempel - From Third-Generation Grocery to Pioneering Kids' Skincare In this episode, we sit down with Amy Rempel, owner of Elevation Brands and founder of Fresh Faces Skincare, Canada's first skincare line specifically designed for kids. Amy brings a unique perspective to the natural products industry as a third-generation grocery professional whose great-grandfather helped bring Metro stores...