From Tinder to Acquisition to North America's First Clear Vegan Protein — Melissa L'Heureux-Hache of Vegain

What does it look like to bootstrap a CPG brand from your kitchen, survive an acquisition, and then pivot into a category that barely existed? Melissa L'Heureux-Hache, co-founder of Vegain — a Vancouver-based plant-based sports nutrition company — shares the full story with Phil and Kenny on This Commerce Life.

From launching a vegan hemp skincare brand in Toronto (with zero ability to advertise on any major digital platform), to doing 40+ trade shows in a single year, to getting acquired by a public company in 2019, to co-creating Surge — North America's first clear vegan protein in a can — Melissa's entrepreneurial journey is one of the most honest and energizing stories we've told on this podcast.

And if that wasn't enough? She also opened a café and retail storefront on Vancouver's Seawall. Because why not.

In this episode, we get into:

• How Melissa and her partner Eden bootstrapped and sold their first CPG company with no science background
• The challenge of advertising a hemp-based product when the internet thought you were selling drugs
• What it actually feels like to go through an acquisition and work for the acquiring company for a year
• The origin story of Vegain and why they launched with one of the most niche SKUs possible — a vegan mass gainer
• The accidental innovation behind Surge — and why they pitched it at CHFA Launchpad before the product even existed
• Why they opened a café (and what it taught them about food service, staff culture, and community)
• The retail expansion push and what's next for Vegain

Connect with Vegain: 🌐 vegain.ca 📍 Find them on the Vancouver Seawall

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