9 Businesses Ready to Accelerate their Growth this Spring

Taïna Chalifoux, a young Moroccan from Quebec, founded Di Napoli Caffe as soon as she finished her studies at HEC Montréal. She wants to make it simple for office managers to offer quality Italian coffee in biodegradable pods to their team through her “coffee as a service” model. This “coffee queen” also uses technology and artificial intelligence to track usage and predict demand, features that will help her expand her brand across Canada. 

Duckish, established in October 2015 by Carolyn Crewe and Joshua Beitel, is a delightful all-natural, personal care brand that manufactures and sells skin care products to help people feel better in their own skin while making a positive impact on the community. Using all-natural and organic ingredients, this Nova Scotia-based business is ready to lead the way in a market with a growing number of health-conscious customers.  

With environmental and ecological concerns in mind, Francois Byrne realized the potential of transforming the way industries use electricity on job sites. Hybrid Power Solutions designs and manufactures portable battery systems for the mining, railway, public transit and construction sectors. Their systems are quieter, safer and more efficient that other options on the market and help companies meet their health and safety regulations while decreasing their negative environmental footprint. 

Mylène Cusson and Marie-Hélène David pooled their skills and passion to create fully customizable bags that cater to the everyday needs of Canadians. Through Kanevas, there are 1 million different ways you can personalize your bag, from fabrics and colours to internal storage features. Currently focusing their efforts on Quebec, these two young entrepreneurs have their eyes set on the rest of Canada, the US and Europe.

With Nora’s Non-Dairy, founders Katherine Backman and Tyler Bothwell aim to create ridiculously creamy plant-based ice cream that satisfies even the most discerning dairy ice cream fan. Manufactured in Vancouver and available in British Columbia and Alberta, the business is looking at expanding into the US along the I-5 corridor. Believing plant-based foods are the future, they’re proud to be part of a global shift towards more environmentally sustainable and ethically-produced foods. 

Rizer Social is a SaaS influencer technology company that helps advertisers effectively and efficiently plan, execute and analyze performance driven influencer marketing campaigns. The brainchild of Tristan Rahman, they’re looking to tackle the Wild West of today’s influencer marketing with their data-driven and AI-powered approach and work with global brands and advertisers make calculated decisions when executing their campaigns.

The passion for craft and unusual flavours drove James Lester to launch Sons of Vancouver, a Vancouver-based distillery keen on ramping up the production of their spirits in the next 24 months. James and his team are constantly innovating and looking at bringing best practices and techniques from large scale production to the level of craft distilling.

Spread’Em Kitchen makes healthy, cashew-based dairy-alternatives that meet a growing demand from Canadian consumers, more and more of whom are incorporating plant-based foods into their diet. Mellisa Mills left behind a graphic design career after positive feedback on her home-made dips and is now the largest cashew cheeze company in B.C. with national distribution and ambitions to enter the U.S. market. 

Recognizing that there was a gap in the market for professionals that bike to work, Reid Hemsing brought Two Wheel Gear from his parent’s basement to his own factory in Vietnam. Already distributed through MEC, Reid is hoping the rest of the world will soon be introduced to these unique bicycle bags that carry everything today’s cyclist needs to be ready for a day at work.