Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nafsika Antypas, president and CEO of Nafsika Inc., located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Nafsika's Garden was founded with one simple goal, to help people who thought they could never live without cheese to go dairy-free. On the eve of 2019, Nafsika's Garden launched across Canada to major retailers such as Walmart and Sobeys and across the US by 2020. Then the brand further expanded internationally by 2021, reaching several European countries like France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Malta, Portugal, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates.
Tell us about yourself
I am a writer, host, and executive producer of the television series, Plant-Based by Nafsika and the owner of the international vegan food brand, Nafsika’s Garden. Raised in Montreal, Canada, I obtained my Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia University, receiving several post-graduate certificates. I later received my health coach certification from the Health Coach Institute.
In 2014, I founded a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, People Against Violence, to help victims of violence seek guidance and assistance with its 24-hour helpline, monitored by certified counselors. But being a passionate vegan, I felt that the best way to help make the world a more compassionate place truly is to help people go vegan. So, in late 2015, I put together a unique show that, within six months, would become the first vegan lifestyle series ever to hit mainstream television (A&E), reaching 70 million households. The TV series, Plant-Based by Nafsika focuses on a plant-based diet and vegan living, a concept I hoped would help change the world through food. This has not only sparked the interest of viewers around the globe but has “planted seeds” helping veganism become more mainstream, a goal I convey in my motto, “If You Plant It, It Will Grow.”
In 2017, I became a certified Health and Lifestyle Coach, helping people make the “Plant-Based Switch” to a healthier, more compassionate lifestyle. But there was one very important obstacle stopping people from going vegan, and that was giving up their beloved cheese. So, by late 2018, I founded the hottest new vegan “cheese” in town, Nafsika’s Garden, hitting major retailers across Canada, followed by the U.S. in early 2020, and is now available in 13 countries.
I have also always taken pleasure in writing, be it for business or pleasure. I have appeared on numerous television and radio shows, contributed my writing, been interviewed by online magazines such as PETA, VegNews, EmpowHER, Insider, Health Digest, and more. I am the author of “Ghosted,” “The Plant-Based Switch” and other books. Having majored in English Literature, I could never go anywhere without a pen and paper. I knew it was time to have my stories and ideas published if I was going to make a difference in the world, which has always been my ultimate goal.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Expanding to so many countries in a span of 2 years. Like I always say, "If You Plant It, It Will Grow!"
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Hard to say. I love running businesses. But perhaps it could be the fact that everything is on your shoulders. So it's important to build a good team to lighten the load when necessary.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First, do your homework, have a contingency plan, and when you're ready, just go for it! The sky is the limit.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I love how people are starting to really embrace veganism and the plant-based lifestyle. There are amazing reasons to go vegan: To improve your health the environment and save the billions of animals that are abused and slaughtered every year.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://nafsikasgarden.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nafsikasgarden/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nafsikasgarden/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nafsikasgarden
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nafsika-antypas/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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