Fabio Zeppilli of Smart Monkey Popcorn: providing comfort and thriving in challenging times

Fabio Zeppilli of Smart Monkey Popcorn: providing comfort and thriving in challenging times

Viewers of Dragon’s Den on CBC and lovers of fun and delicious snack  food know the story of Smart Monkey Popcorn. Two brothers, Joseph and  Fabio Zeppilli, quit their lucrative jobs in finance and law to take a  chance as entrepreneurs. Over five years, they’ve built their brand into  a cross-Canada sensation, selling millions of bags of flavoured  popcorn. They’ve built their success by following their hearts, taking  chances, thinking and acting unconventionally, dedicated customer  service, and fearless prototyping. And they’ve payed that success  forward, making a point of mentoring other young entrepreneurs. The  result is ongoing success and growth under the challenging shadow of the  ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

David Barry of Pursuit: generosity, resilience and positivity during the pandemic

David Barry is the President of Pursuit, a travel and hospitality  company with hotels and tourist attractions across North America and in  Iceland. Pursuit has been experiencing tremendous growth in the last few  years, and now, like the rest of the hospitality industry, has been it  hard by the advent of COVID 19. Like so many in this inspiring industry, Pursuit has responded with  real creativity, positivity and resourcefulness. As Dave has said, we  will get through this, and we’ll travel again – some of us this Summer.  In this interview, we talk about how Pursuit is putting Safety First and  ensuring that those who do travel enjoy the best experience possible  this season. We also talk about how Pursuit has been generous in its communities during this challenging time. After we completed this interview, Pursuit demonstrated true  leadership in making a public statement against racial discrimination  and against police brutality. I’ve published the whole text at www.thegrilledproject.com

Beaver Tails - Because Canadians need a treat during COVID-19

Pino Di Ioia and Tina Serrao, along with Pino’s twin brother Anthony  Di Ioia,  head Beaver Tails inc..Since 1978, Montreal-based Beaver Tails  has been delighting customers across Canada and the US, and in  destinations around the world with its namesake pastry. Like many  others, they closed their locations during the COVID-19 lock-down. As de-confinement begins across North America, they have opened  again, and found customers yearning for their unique brand of comfort  food. Today, as they begin building their business back up, they  confront the questions facing businesses everywhere, particularly in the  food and hospitality sector. How do you operate in an era where large public gatherings are  discouraged? How do you reach and satisfy customers in a time of ongoing  social distancing? And how you can carry on delivering joy when  uncertainty is the word of the day? They shared their insight during our conversation, which you can  listen to here.

Bertrand Cesvet of Sid Lee: will FOMO beat fear during and after Covid 19?

Bertrand Cesvet is the CEO of and Senior Partner at Sid Lee [https://sidlee.com/en/],  the international award-winning agency that has made waves for over 20  years by keeping one step ahead. We sat down for a friendly chat about   the impact of Covid 19 on the hospitality and food industries both now  and in the future. Without shrinking from the negative impact of the  current situation, we look at how collaboration, changing consumer  habits at home and possible trends like local tourism might provide  opportunity. At the same time, we address the balance between Fear of  Missing Out (FOMO) and fear, which drives whom, and what the impact  might be.

Jonathan Rodrigue de Still Good inc. et le combat contre les déchets alimentaires pendant la crise de la Covid 19

Jonathan Rodrigue est le co-fondateur et le PDG de Still Good. Still  Good travaille main dans la main avec des producteurs et des organismes  locaux qui ne veulent rien jeter pour concocter des biscuits qui font  craquer. Au cours de cette entretien, Jonathan nous parle de comment il  navigue le crise de la Covid 19 tout en tenant le cap – batir un  meilleure monde en transformant la chaine alimentaire.