Plant-based Frozen Banana Desserts - Yellofruit
Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Claire Lysnes, co-founder of Yellofruit, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our business is Yellofruit, an award-winning dairy-free ice cream we make in Ontario from Organic ingredients. It's available in grocery stores across Canada, usually in the natural foods section or with the ice cream.
Our customers are:
- Typically female heads-of-household.
- Decision-makers.
- Looking for alternatives to traditional dairy ice cream.
They like that Yellofruit tastes great is Certified Organic, and comes in three delicious flavours, Strawberry, Chocolate, and Mango. Although we're a family-friendly, fun-first brand, our Vegan product also appeals to people cutting dairy and animal products from their diet, as well as those seeking allergen-free products, as ours is made without eggs, soy, dairy, peanuts, or other common allergens.
Tell us about yourself
Our business was inspired by our family's needs. I have a dairy allergy, and our twin sons had a sensitivity to dairy as infants and toddlers. We started making banana-based ice cream at home for them as an after-dinner treat, then thought, "Hey, we should bring this to market!" as we knew of many families in a similar situation to ours, looking for an allergen-free, organic option to give their children.
We are motivated by the positive reception and love our customers have shown Yellofruit! We often get emails and messages from customers with happy smiling faces, messy kids, and praise for solving a need in their life. That's rewarding and continues to motivate us.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
One of our biggest accomplishments as business owners was selling Yellofruit into over 1,000 grocery stores across Canada with listings in major retailers and independent and specialty stores. That number fluctuates as our business grows and changes, but we're proud that buyers saw the potential in our innovative new dessert.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things about being an entrepreneur has been juggling the time required to run a fledgling business while still being available to our family during school shutdowns and other global issues and finding cost-effective yet impactful ways to promote and market Yellofruit to customers.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Three tips if you're thinking about starting a business:
- Have a source of capital.
- Investigate when the right time to scale is.
- Make sure you have people in your life who will support and encourage you, whether that's investors, family, co-founders, peer groups, or networks.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
You can find Yellofruit at your local grocery store. Look for it in frozen food or natural foods aisles. We invite you to try it today and tell us what your favourite flavour is! Thanks for supporting small family businesses like ours.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.yellofruit.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yellofruit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellofruit/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yellofruit
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/froba-products-yellofruit/
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.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.