Farmers’ markets to 4000 stores in seven years
Nuts for Cheese seemed to come out of nowhere from my perspective in Vancouver, but it’s no wonder why this cashew-based company’s ridden the wave. From its brilliant wedge-shaped blocks to spreads, this company has founder & CEO Margaret Coons‘s passion for food all over it.
Since this interview in late 2022, the brand is probably available in even more retailers.
Justin Manning: Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of VEG Networking Canada. It’s important to honor, acknowledge and respect that many of us are located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of many Indigenous peoples of Canada. So here we are, VEG Networking Canada, where plant-based vegan companies connect and collaborate. We have a special guest with us today who is a passionate advocate for underrepresented leaders in business, a nuts and seeds cuisine connoisseur from an early age, and a stickler for top-shelf standards and certifications. VEG Networking Canada is pleased to introduce the founder and CEO of Nuts for Cheese, welcome Margaret Coons.
Margaret Coons: Thanks so much for having me, happy to be here.
JM: So can you tell everybody who’s listening to VEG Networking Canada today and in the future when they hear the story of yours?
Can you tell us a little bit more about your own personal vegan spark, your own vegan origin story?
MC: Yeah, for sure. So I’ve been plant-based for a long, long time. I’ve been vegetarian since the age of 12. I, you know, stumbled upon some pita content at an early age, and I was never a huge meat eater when I was growing up, anyways, but did not grow up in a vegetarian household. So around the age of 12, decided I was a vegetarian, and pretty quickly learned how to, you know, start to create my own meals, and got really creative in the kitchen and really passionate about food in my teenage years.
And when I went to university, I kind of expanded my perspective on, you know, how I wanted to eat and what felt good, and in terms of my own diet, but also in terms of the implications on the environment and animals and, you know, on people’s health, and so I decided to become vegan around the age of 19. So however many years that’s been now, it’s well over a decade, but I was super lucky to start working at a vegan restaurant during my undergrad.
So my passion has always been food, but I took a job as a line cook at a vegan restaurant in London, Ontario, where I was doing my undergrad in English at Western and kind of worked my way up through through the ranks of the restaurant there, prior to starting my own company. So that’s really the origin story of my own plant-based experience. But a lot of it’s really been centered around just a passion for food and creating really good and delicious dishes.
JM: And would you say that your experience being a line cook at that restaurant was where you had your entrepreneur spark and really started to take that on and rise through the ranks there? Or was there a previous business to Nuts for Cheese? Or,
How did you become an entrepreneur?
MC: I mean, prior to that role, I had always worked in the restaurant industry. So every job I’ve ever had has been, you know, working around food, and so working my way up through, you know, the restaurant ranks, and eventually becoming a chef at this restaurant definitely sparked an entrepreneurial spirit within me.
And, you know, my original dream was really to continue to work in the restaurant industry, and I thought I would have my own restaurant someday. And I guess I did always have the entrepreneurial bug, because, you know, prior to starting the company, I was attending all these seminars of how to own your own restaurant and trying to figure these things out at like, the age of 22 and 23 and I’m very happy that that’s not how my entrepreneurial journey went, because I feel very passionate about product production and being able to share the foods I create with a much larger audience of people.
But I love restaurants. I think they’re, you know, one of the greatest joys of being alive is getting to go and taste delicious food that people create.
JM: And who knows, some people listening might be thinking, Oh yeah, a Nuts for Cheese restaurant, let’s put that in the roadmap. So never say no.
MC: Restauranteurs listening, just put my product on your menu.
JM: BINGO, BINGO. So in terms of your industry being in the alt-dairy,plant-based cheese, nuts, cheese made out of nuts…
What are some trends or transformations you’ve noticed in that niche, or maybe the industry as a whole?
MC: For sure. I mean, I think there’s like no denying that plant based foods in general are trending a lot as people are shifting their diets towards things that make them feel good but also align with their values and ethics. But I think I’ve seen a major shift from the time that I had my first farmer’s market stall, and people would walk by being like, what is vegan cheese? Or I don’t need to have that. I’m not vegan.
Like, there’s just such an unfamiliarity with this type of product. Seven and a half years ago when I started the company, it’s so much more mainstream now. And I think it’s really cool to see the evolution of grocery store shelves as well as, you know, just the way that different retailers are creating space within the retail footprint for this type of product, whether it’s being assimilated into, you know, more conventionally available foods, or they’re carving out a special vegan kind of destination in the store that’s, you know, been new and evolving over the last number of years. So it’s really fun to kind of be a part of that conversation and be able to support that transition that the grocery stores are going through.
JM: And in terms of your passion for standards and certifications and how you’ve operated your business since I think 2015 in that space,
Have you spotted any trends or shifts in terms of standard certification, things like that?
MC: I mean, I think for us, like our focus has always been the quality of our product and the quality of our company culture and, you know, kind of like that focus from the ingredient sourcing all the way to what we’re putting out into the world. So for us, certifications have always been important, and we’ve definitely seen a shift towards more folks being involved in different organizations that can kind of give accreditation, depending on what the focus area is.
But for us, organic certification has always been super important. You know, we’re a vegan company, obviously, but we have really focused and kind of doubled down on some of those more social responsibility type certifications for our team members, our you know, our team is really a huge focus for us, because they’re the amazing folks that create this product and are so passionate to come to work at this company every day. So as of recently, we’ve become a certified living wage employer. We’re also a certified LGBT owned business. With the Canadian LGBT Chamber of Commerce recently became a Rainbow Registered company as well. And so those are the kinds of things that we’re really focusing on. And you know, of course, our quality program is super important to us as well, so we’re working towards our BRC certification currently.
JM: Well, yeah, it’s all about the people who produce the great product. So business started in 2015. You said it started at farmers’ markets. Maybe walk everybody listening up to speed on where we’re at today, because the next question is,
Where is Nuts for Cheese going in the future?
MC: Sure, how much time do you got? So it’s, you know, it’s been a really fun number of years growing and scaling the company. So like I mentioned, I started in 2015 with the farmer’s market. And really, I was, you know, I was 24 at the time. I didn’t know what was going to become of this kind of fledgling business that I was trying out for the summer, and it started very quickly to gather some attention from local retailers and restaurants that were interested in carrying the product or giving it a try.
So, you know, there I was like Googling, how do you put proper labeling on a package? And I was renting a restaurant kitchen in the middle of the night, the one I was working at. I was renting that kitchen to have a certified space to make the products and then taking them to the farmer’s market the next day. And I was still working full time at the restaurant and full-time with my business for the first year, and then eventually made the transition to be full-time in the business.
But we got our first kitchen space that was outside of the restaurant footprint in 2016 and it was like an eight by 10 farmers market stall, and had, you know, a hand wash sink and a bunch of fridges and some tables that I shoved in there, and we were servicing about 25 restaurants and retailers out of that space. And outgrew it pretty quickly, and then moved to our first ever production space, which is about 1000 square feet, and we grew to about 300 retailers out of that space.
At that time, we were running like a night shift, because we were, you know, on top of each other in terms of not having space to store things and places to put people, essentially. So we—then, in the winter of 2017 moved to the space we’re in now. So we initially took on about 9000 square feet in our current unit, and then year after year, the spaces next to those units became available.
So we now have the full building, and have just kind of knocked down the walls in between year over year. So we have about 30,000 square feet now, and about 30 employees working at the plant, and also remotely, some folks in Vancouver actually as well, but making the product and selling the product, and, you know, doing kind of everything related to running the business as we’ve expanded our distribution so much.
JM: And then in terms of where the products are available now and where it’s going to be in the future, what your thoughts are? Anything?
MC: For sure. So we are currently in about 2000 stores in Canada and about 2000 stores in the US. So we launched in Canada first. You know, obviously this is our home base, and we have developed a really nice, solid retail footprint here with lots of amazing customers. So we’re in, you know, a lot of the major retailers here in Canada. We’re in Loblaws and Sobeys and Metro and Whole Foods and tons of amazing independent retailers and smaller chains as well.
We launched in the States about two years ago, actually right in the middle of COVID. So that was interesting, not being able to travel to the new market that we were opening up. But we, kind of similar to our approach in Canada, we kind of—store by store, region by region, built out the US distribution.
So we’re now available in all 50 states, with lots of amazing chains in the US as well. So, next couple of years, I think, you know, really continuing to expand our distribution in both Canada and the US is a huge focus for us, and also continuing to launch more innovative and exciting products. There’s some new products launching early next year that I’m really excited to bring to market. So that’ll be a lot of fun.
JM: And I have to ask, on behalf of everybody who just heard that, anything you can share?
MC: For sure. So, you know, it’s a little bit premature, but it’s going to be spring of next year. We’re launching a line of cream cheeses. So we’ll have three flavors that—I won’t reveal the flavors just yet, but—they’re really delicious, and I’m super excited about it. And then we’re launching another SKU of our sort of flagship wedge products as well. So we’re launching a sharp cheddar flavor.
JM: Well, see, folks, you don’t, you don’t get, if you don’t ask, I didn’t even think that she would share that with us. So that’s amazing, and that’s really interesting. So seven years to get to 2000 stores in Canada, and then just two years to get to 2000 stores in the US. So huge growth, obviously, in the future, amazing. Now, in terms of all the special guests that we have the privilege of speaking with, they’re already doing their version of giving back, because this—VEG Networking Canada is centered around vegan, plant based companies. With all that being said…
Do you want to share a little bit about what Nuts for Cheese, does and/or yourself personally in terms of giving back and charity?
MC: For sure. So, you know, we do lots of events and engage with lots of organizations in our community, but most of our spend is really focused on investing in our team and in our culture. So like I mentioned, that living wage certification is super important to us being a member of the LGBT Chamber of Commerce. You know, we participate in lots of things in our local community, like the annual Pride celebration. We always have a float, for example, and we typically focus on donating and working with local LGBT-focused organizations that support people experiencing food insecurity.
And then, you know, as I mentioned, to like, really focusing on those certifications is the place where we invest to make sure that we’re supporting suppliers of our ingredients and working with folks that, you know, have quality farming practices, and they’re supporting equitable labor standards for all of the ingredients that they’re producing, and the folks that work for them.
JM: Well, that’s a lot, and it’s so aligned to have an amazing food producer and company give back to food insecurity, that’s That’s remarkable. So this question every time people have so many nuggets and resources. So with that being said, you can list off a bunch and Sandra does what she does best and takes notes and summarizes it. But are there any books, podcasts, or apps like mental health apps or anything on your phone?
So apps, but books and podcasts that you would recommend to anybody listening?
MC: For sure. So books, I love reading founder stories. So, I, you know, especially a CPG founder story. So I just finished reading Mark Rampolla is the founder of Zico coconut water and his book, High Hanging Fruit, that was an incredible story. And really, like could feel, you know, some synchronicities and alignment and some of the things that we’ve gone through.
So I find, you know, reading other people’s experience to be hugely inspirational. And then I also just read Phil Knight’s book, the founder of Nike the Shoe Dog book, which was also, you know, an incredible story. I had, you know, really no idea about the genesis and the evolution of that company. So it was a really good read. I definitely recommend both of those.
In terms of things that I watch, I love watching cooking shows. I think, you know, it’s super important to stay inspired and in touch with food trends and food’s my passion, as I mentioned. So I, you know, kind of love watching anything that’s on Netflix, in terms of food shows.
And then in terms of apps, I like the Calm app a lot for the meditations and the sleep stories. I’ve used that one for years. And I also really like the XPT app, which is, I got a lot of breathing exercises. It’s Laird Hamilton’s app. And I’m also a huge Yoga with Adriene fan, so I do a lot of Yoga with Adriene on YouTube.
JM: Namaste. Namaste. That’s such an interesting title for a book, High Hanging Fruit.
MC: It’s such a good name, isn’t it?
JM: It is. And Shoe Dog would make an excellent film. Um, you touched a little bit on those sources of inspiration.
Is there anything else that you can share with everybody in terms of inspiration? What it means to you? How does it land for you? Other sources of inspiration, or anything around that?
MC: Yeah, I think I get a lot of inspiration from conversations I have with other founders and people who have been through it before. I kind of think, you know, the best way you can learn is by talking to someone who’s been through what you’re going through, and can kind of see the light through the tunnel. You know, for me, I’m a first-time founder, first-time CEO. I was an English major. I have my business background from experience only, like, that’s really where I’ve gotten my MBA.
So I think it’s really important to surround yourself with people that are, you know, smarter, more experienced, even just more confident than you to kind of give you guidance and feedback on what you’re up to and what you’re working on. And I have to say, I’m so hugely inspired by so many other brands and founders, especially in the CPG space, and I just had the opportunity to attend Ernst and Young’s Strategic Growth Forum actually, because I was one of their entrepreneurial winning women this year, and I had no idea what to expect.
But within my cohort of winning women, there was like seven or eight other really inspiring CPG brands, and it was just very cool to connect with them. So I think community is a huge source of inspiration for me personally.
JM: And the founder community is very, very, very, very, very, very strong, very interesting. So you touched a little bit there on some advice, right, surround yourself with excellent, excellent people, and all of that. Last question for you, Margaret, is centered around advice, tips, lessons, really, anything that you would want to share with somebody who’s already an entrepreneur, or maybe somebody who was like you, you were kind of an entrepreneur at the kitchen, and then, kind of, I can’t believe that story, by the way, we can’t believe that story of you making things in the night and then the farmer’s market the next day. So there’s a lot that you have to share this sort of like open-ended question for you.
Please do let us know what you think about advice, tips or lessons.
MC: For sure. I think you know, the typical advice that I always give is like you really do have to kind of jump in with both feet. I think that that’s something that I’ve always done very wholeheartedly, is whatever I’m doing, I’m in it completely. And I think that you really do need to kind of have that quality to to make it as an entrepreneur. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have work-life balance, but it means you need to be, like fully, wholly passionate and committed to what you’re doing.
But I think some other advice I’ve been thinking about, particularly in this, like, you know, economic and political climate and all kinds of different things happening in the world, is just really about being nimble and trying to stay really adaptable without compromising your values. I think that that’s, you know, kind of really important to know, like your North Star, where you’re going, what you’re focused on, and that there’s lots of different ways to get there. And I think one, one mentor of mine always talks about not being, you know, an overnight success, like most overnight successes, are really 10, 20, years in the making. And I think that that’s just important to remember. People are trying to build something. It’s not always linear.
JM: Well, I’m sure everybody listening is thinking of that graph where, you know, from here to here, and then that’s very, very great. Thank you. Now you know, before we let people know where they can drool over your website and on Instagram.
Are there any announcements or anything that you want to mention before we let you go?
MC: Well, we have our seasonal flavor out in stores right now. So if folks haven’t tried it, it’s really, really good. It’s our cranberry and pink peppercorn flavor. Should be available at most major retailers and in Canada and all of our retailers in the US pretty much have it as well. But I think you know, we’ve got some exciting project launches coming next year, so stay tuned, and we’ll definitely share about that on our social channels and our website as well.
JM: Well. Thank you so much Margaret, everybody. You can find out more, and like we said, drool online, www.nutsforcheese.com, just how it sounds. Nuts For Cheese, and exactly the same on Instagram @nutsforcheese. This has been a conversation, a great conversation, with the founder and CEO of Nuts for Cheese, Margaret Coons, and everybody else.
I thank you for joining, and we’ll catch you for another episode of VEG Networking Canada very soon, where plant-based vegan companies connect and collaborate. Take care. Bye for now.
MC: Thanks, everyone.
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