Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Nastasia Genova, Co-Founder of Two Brothers Toffee, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We make small-batch artisan toffee that combines traditional confectionary ingredients with an unexpected twist of modern, unique flavours. We offer the two "classic flavours" of Milk & Dark toffee, in additional to 8 "exotic flavours" of Smore, Hazelnut, Whitegold, Fireball, Whitecran, Espresso, Cherry & Chai. We recently also created two Vegan toffees to serve the Canadian Vegan community, which we felt was very underserved in great confectionary creations. Our customers are chocolate and candy lovers from all across Canada!
Tell us about yourself
Would you believe us if we told you Two Brothers Toffee was fully created in the middle of chemotherapy treatment and the world pandemic?! It's no joke, and also why many people call us crazy! And we love it! Our greatest accomplishment is this creation that brought us joy during some of the hardest times. That's why every batch of TB Toffee & Chocolate is our "chocolate lining" and made with love and gratitude just for you! Our Two Brothers Toffee base recipe was created by Nicholas.
For over 15 years, he tweaked and turned butter and sugar to perfectly create a real almond toffee – and then, Dominic took that base recipe and innovated flavours to put a fun twist on the traditional. We make all our toffee locally in Vancouver and proudly support local and Canadian partners in sourcing our ingredients, packaging, and marketing. We are a family-owned and operated business looking to make an impact on both our local and Canadian communities!
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We made a decision to "bet on ourselves" and "go all in" on creating a business that would bring others joy and positively impact our community. We entered into an industry where we had zero experience, but we believed in ourselves, and we believed in our product. Taking a leap isn't easy, but we want to inspire you to "bet on yourself" and chase your dreams! No matter how crazy they may seem (and trust us, people thought we were crazy!), there's nothing you can't learn and nothing you can't do!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
It's easy to "follow the leader" and copy what others do, especially when it's proven to work. When we developed the concept for our brand, we made one commitment to ourselves, and that was to be authentic. Emulating other brands did not feel "right" to us because it wasn't us. Our entire brand is built off of our three personalities; we are unique, vibrant, bright, innovative, and carry very high standards. Our vision was to "be the Tesla of toffee" – luxurious but hip, all at the same time. We want to set the trend, not follow the trend, and so our brand aims to do just that!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
First, our authenticity. If you're trying to be something you're not, you'll never truly believe in yourself. So, for starters, we've committed to only doing things that align with our values and our personalities. This has made it very easy to have confidence in our brand and be very proud of what we're building.
Second is our constant pursuit of making the very best toffee in the world. From the product to the packaging to the customer experience, and the service, we constantly strive to be the very best. We don't settle for mediocrity in anything we do. If it's not good enough, we make it better. We stay humble and know there's always room to grow.
Lastly, we know we don't know everything. Our ability to ask for help and collaborate has made us exponentially more successful than if we were trying to do everything on our own. It's ok not to know it all; it's not ok not to learn. In return, we are very passionate about helping others in the areas we are most strong. We know we are all more successful when we all win, and there's room for everyone to have success!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://twobrotherstoffee.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twobrotherstoffee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twobrotherstoffee/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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