By NICK STEWART
Eight years after founding Meatless Gourmet Inc. to process her own line of meatless alternative foods, Eveline Kasner is realizing her dream of seeing her products on store shelves.
In late March, the Kirkland Lake-based company saw seven of its 14 products moved into two retail grocery chains in southern Ontario, with shelf space in multiple stores.
“We’re very encouraged and quite excited,” says Kasner.
“This has been a long journey, but every step along the way has opened more doors, and we’re finally here.”
With such vegetarian fare as cabbage rolls, pot pies and samosas as well as "faux-chicken” items such as nuggets and patties, Meatless Gourmet will deliver what Kasner describes as a “full line of products” into the retail environment. Other items from its catalog may later be added if the current line is well received, she says.
Despite having to share retail space with similar products from major food manufacturers, Kasner says her company’s offerings are not in direct competition as they do not contain nuts, animal protein, mushrooms or eggs. This characteristic makes them unique, she says, and opens the product line to a variety of clients.
“We’ve tried to open it up so that people who have sensitivities about certain things can eat our product, as well as vegetarians as well as people who eat meat but are interested in healthy alternatives,” she says. “It’s just about introducing choice into the marketplace. It’s not about our company being against meat, it’s about offering something that’s not necessarily out there.”
While retail availability has long been a goal, the company has only recently arrived at a financial position where it would be possible, Kasner says. As a result, she has dedicated much of the last year to creating a brand, hiring a food sales representative to pitch the product, and attending various retail grocery trade shows.
After securing a deal, packaging was created, test panels were hosted, and market research was conducted to determine how much product a retail environment could support. A major marketing campaign was also developed, which is something the company has never done, she says, as much of her current business has been attracted through word of mouth.
However, making the move to retail doesn’t come cheap: Kasner says shifting seven products to store shelves carries a price tag of nearly $5 million. Of that total, she says $1 million is dedicated to product preparation, though this is a savings over standard costs which usually amount to $250,000 for every item delivered to the market.
Kasner credits funding from agencies such as the Kirkland & District Community Development Corporation (KDCDC) as being instrumental to the company’s success.
“Our biggest challenge has been a lack of funding,” she says. “If it wasn’t for the KDCDC, I don’t think we’d be where we are today.”
With six employees, Meatless Gourmet’s semi-automated facilities are insufficient to process all of the product needs. As a result, the company has entered into a strategic partnership with a southern Ontario co-packing plant, which will supplement the manufacture and delivery of the necessary goods.
In time, Kasner hopes to be able to leverage the company’s success to build a $10 million manufacturing plant in Kirkland Lake. The facility would create 50 direct jobs, though indirect employment numbers will depend on community cooperation, she says.
“We have so much here. We can literally grow the raw materials for the company in the Temiskaming area. The spin-off could be phenomenal, but you need the vision shared by many to make it happen.”
