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From a Toronto Café to 200+ Stores: How Lazy Daisy Foods Built a Brand Around a Customer Favorite! · Selling on Giants: The eCommerce Marketplace Podcast

• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Selling on Giants.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Mr.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Will, and this episode is part of our going retail series where we sit down with founders and operators to unpack what really takes to move a brand into retail.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm joined by Dawn Chapman, founder and CEO of Lazy Daisy Cafe and Lazy Daisy Foods.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Dawn started Lazy Daisy as a neighborhood cafe in Toronto, built around homemade, farm-inspired food and focused on community.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: What began as a local cafe favorite eventually turned into a retail product when customers started asking how they could bring Lazy Daisy's famous buttermilk biscuits home.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: That demand led Dawn down the path of building a consumer-packaged good brand.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: And today, Lazy Daisy Foods is in over 200 retail locations across Canada, with expansion into Whole Foods and other retailers coming up next.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: In this conversation, Dawn shares what it was like turning a cafe favorite into a retail ready product, the learning curve of entering the CPG world, and what founders should think through before making the leap into retail.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Let's dive in.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: But Don, thanks for joining us.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: You are the co-founder or sorry, are you the founder, co-founder, owner of Lazy Daisy?
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: I am the founder and CEO of Lazy Daisy's Cafe and Lazy Daisy Foods.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, can you tell me a bit about Lazy Daisy and what you sell today and kind of what's your mission?
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Sure, sure.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: So I opened my cafe in 2011 here in the east end of Toronto based on growing up on my grandparents' farm.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: So I really believe in local, homemade, all natural food and supporting community.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's what our cafe is all about.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: Since 2011, we started winning awards for our breakfast sandwiches and our homemade buttermilk biscuits, which you've tasted.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Delicious, by the way.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: And uh so during the pandemic, people were like, Dawn, we miss your biscuits.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: We have to have them at home.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Biscuits.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: So we created a frozen bake-at-home version that we then started retailing in packs of six.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: And since we started doing that about 2023, we officially launched.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: We're now in about uh 200 or so doors across Ontario.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: Nice.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, we went out west and we're gonna be launching in Whole Foods West and Choice the Supermarkets uh in May 2026.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: That is amazing.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: And Don, you've been very busy on the marketing side.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: I could see that.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: So the the transition or how you got into like physical product was strictly from COVID, and it was your customer base saying, hey, where can we get we need your biscuits?
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: And that was the uh the catalyst that led you to kind of start moving the product, making a retail version of the product.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's exactly right.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: People have also asked me to open more Lazy Daisies cafes, and that is uh extremely I I just I was like, I'm not ready to do that again because I've already done it.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to do something that was more interesting and challenging, something that I've never done before.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: I was a little bit more exciting, and I really felt in my heart that our buttermilk biscuits are something special.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I really wanted to share that love of home baking that I grew up with on my grand and grandpa's farm to people across the country who just want that love of home baking.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: They want to experience it, but they don't have the time.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, unfortunately.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: And most legacy brands that are in the frozen section of supermarkets, they're focused on convenience, but not necessarily taste and quality.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: But for us, all those three have to come together, right?
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: So convenience, quality, and taste.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's integral to what we do.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I could totally a heavy taste of the biscuits.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: It definitely is a step above anything we get here in the United States for sure.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's kind of funny.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, my grandma was a baker too.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: She used to make biscotti biscuits were her her big thing.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: And uh uh I could see how uh just whenever I have them, she's lucky enough she's still around.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: I still uh reminds me when I was a kid and I got to experience it's amazing what taste can like do in terms of memory and and reliving uh certain events.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm sure it was the same for you as you were developing these biscuits.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it evokes a feeling and it's a nice feeling, it's a warm feeling, it's a comfort.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I think in today's society we we really want that.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: I think we need it.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I agree.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: So uh as you were quick question uh on the product.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, like obviously, what you make in a cafe, was it already mostly retail ready?
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because I'd imagine when I talk to other um uh owner, business owners who are in the food space, uh, a lot of times they start from like, I made something for my Boy Scout troops and they loved it, and then it turned into something bigger.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: And then when they describe that process of like getting it food, uh getting it shelf safe and like everything you have to do to make sure it has shelf life and the branding and appeal, like were you already most of the way there because you were running a cafe?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'd imagine the biscuits are relatively consistent, or was there a learning curve for you as well as you were getting your product ready for retail?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's a huge learning curve.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: First of all, I didn't know what CPG meant.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: I had to oh, consumer packaged goods.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: There we go.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but going from the cafe to how do you get it into first of all, you have to, we were baking from straight from the dough.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: So then we had to go, okay, well, can you bake from frozen?
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: How what's the timing?
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: What's the temperature?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like defining that.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: Then you have to go, okay, well, how are we gonna package these to retain so they don't get freezer burned?
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so we landed on um backpacking.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: But then, well, how are you going to label it?
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what is the packaging gonna look like?
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: Then you have to figure out, okay, well, then you have to go and get all the nutritionals done.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: Where do I get that?
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: So there are a lot of different steps.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: And when you don't know, you don't know what you don't know.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: So you're you're you're learning as you go.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why it's been really important to me and why I recommend you belong to uh a founders group or uh I belong to a founders helping founders group um on WhatsApp, people I know who are also CPG founders, and I'm also a member of Canadian Women in Food.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: So as I was learning all these steps, I was able to ask the questions.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you know, entrepreneurs, you actually feel like you live in a vacuum, but you don't.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: There are people you can reach out to to ask.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: That's amazing.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: So when you initially got started, you were already running the cafe, so you had some business experience.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: So, like when you decided to get into retail, I'm sure you did a little research, but then did you immediately start trying to find these user groups, or did you have a consultant at first, or was it kind of a did you kind of fumble your way and eventually it all came together?
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I I talked to people I knew who are already in the business.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: Like I was part of a woman's goal group.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: And uh one of the women in that group, her name's Christine Manning.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: She had founded Manning Canning, so she had lots of CPG experience.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I just leaned into my network of friends and and colleagues.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Friends and family.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's pretty awesome.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: So uh what was the first retail space you guys got into and what was that like?
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, the first retail store I got into, um, a good friend of mine knew somebody at McEwen's Food.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: She says, Oh, when you're doing your biscuits, she goes, Oh, you gotta go talk to George at McEwen's.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, I'll go talk to George at McEwan's.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I got a uh sample pack of biscuits.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: I went to McEwan's, which is a lovely fine food store uh in North Toronto, and I spoke to George.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I think just the the planets aligned because when I went in to do the tasting with him, he another brand was moving out of a freezer, and they said, We're looking for a brand to fill this freezer.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, and there he goes, These are delicious, we want them.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: It was like snap.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: That was it.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: I couldn't believe it.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: I couldn't believe it.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: I should have known it wouldn't have been it's not as easy for all the other retailers.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: But that first was uh an absolute dream, and another was uh a smaller east end shop, like a bodega called um City Cottage Market, and they're very, very focused on supporting local brands.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's cool.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: And uh those are my first two, and they're just fantastic.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: That's amazing, and that's pretty cool.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's nice uh uh George was ready and like talking about serendipity, the fact somebody was moving out, and he's like, Well, we got some freezer space.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's uh pretty awesome.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: It was it was that was great.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: As you were uh as you were moving from uh food service into retail and kind of going through that process, what surprised you most about everything that went into it?
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: I know you mentioned like ingredients, branding, packaging.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: Did anything stand out that you're like, I didn't know I had to do this or anything along those lines?
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, onboarding with bigger retailers surprised me.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: And the amount of paperwork and forms that needed to be filled out.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: Forms like basically I love marketing, I love talking to people and demoing, like that's my jam.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Forms and percentages, and that that was a bit much.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I actually hired somebody to help me do the stuff I didn't want to do.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_01: And you really need to build a team to shore up the things that your your you know your strengths, but what are it's almost more important to know what your weaknesses are, and then to build a team that shores up your weaknesses so that you can grow and expand.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's really smart too.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: So you uh knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are, you brought somebody on and then you said, Hey, do all this paperwork.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna do marketing and sales.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: And that was that your first hire, by the way, or uh outside of the cafe for retail?
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: Uh aside from our bakers, obviously.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_01: That was my that was my first hire.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, sort of a director of operations, like they've been my right hand since since the beginning.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: Was that the young lady I met at the show?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: Forgive me, I forgot her name.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, Danny.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Danny Danny, very cool.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you was nice, a good sport too.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: We all wore the biscuit um cutout you guys had.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that was a lot of fun.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, our photo, photo booth opportunity.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that was great.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: Very cool.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, what was harder than expected about getting into retail?
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: So you mentioned the first two kind of went along swimmingly, but uh you mentioned the other getting into other retailers have been challenging.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Is that the hardest part, or is there something else that you've found the most challenging as you're expanding your retail footprint?
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Another challenging part when talking to buyers is you know, we our buttermilk biscuits, they're all butter, real buttermilk, all real ingredients, no additives or preservatives.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's a clean product, it's homemade, it's delicious, and of course it's gonna cost, it's gonna cost more.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: So being able to talk to the buyers and say, this is worth it.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: You don't have anything in the freezer that's that's quality, convenient, and clean and delicious, right?
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_01: So, and customers are willing to pay for that.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: People are more and more discerning about what they're eating, they want a better for you product, and the people who want the better for you products are willing to pay for it.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: So, and this is the thing if a retailer says no because of price, well then maybe they're not your retailer, and that's okay.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: So coming to that conclusion was a big step for me because you know, I would take it, you know, in my like a kick in the guts, right?
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: Oh no, a no.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: A no is not necessarily a terrible thing, it just means you have to gravitate toward your customer.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_01: And there's some people are gonna be your customer and some people are not, and that is okay.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: That is pretty interesting too.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: And you're right, that's uh product market fit makes sense, and if it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, do you have any tips for our listeners on how you might approach a broker?
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: So, like what I've heard on other interviews, it's like uh you try to be benefit-oriented and how you can make their life easier.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: Is it similar in your experience pitching to to buyers essentially?
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: Or is it uh like is there any tips?
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, going into retailers, you know, go in, keep it tight.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: They don't have a lot of time.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: You don't want to faff on about yourself.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: You want to keep it, you're you're telling a story, first of all.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: It's a story, it's not a it's yes, it's a product, but it's also a feeling.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: There's a story behind it.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: And also, yeah, how are you going to support your brand?
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said before, going into you got to get it from carts and into hearts.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: So basically, you can it's easy to go in, you're in the freezer, but it'll just sit there.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: How are you going to get it into customers' baskets?
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: And you have to be ready to support that.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: So, for example, Lazy Daisies, we support on demos, we support via social media, interesting marketing as well.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's integral.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: You have to go in and be ready to say, I'm I'm going to discount three times a year, or why don't we kick off with some, you know, I'm gonna send you some sample packs for your team.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I also do um team training, for example, at Whole Foods.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_01: I go in and I do a session with their team so they know how to sell as well.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: Interesting.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's pretty cool.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of so part of it is buying you as the entrepreneur, the brand, the story, and then obviously a great product.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then secondarily is like, how are you gonna support uh baskets and hearts, right?
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: So how you're gonna support that the purchasing journey and how you do that, it's a promotional strategy, it's it's advertising, it's uh demos on the floor, and that's kind of uh that's how you get in the door and start start working in retail essentially.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Very cool, awesome.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: Don, this was super, super fun.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I got a couple like two or three fun questions, and then uh and then we'll just wrap it up.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so low pressure, and thanks for sharing everything.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: This was really, really valuable.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm learning a lot about retail as we go through this too.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um but in one word, uh, retail in one word is fun.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: Nice.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: For me anyway, man, that maybe not everyone will answer that, but I'm enjoying myself.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: I love sleeping.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: It sounds like it, it's fun.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing like making money while you're sleeping, which is different from uh a lot of other businesses.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: For sure, for sure.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, what's next for Lazy Daisy Foods this year?
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: Lazy Daisy's Foods is going national this year.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we're gonna be out on the West Coast in Whole Foods from May, and we're looking on our innovation for doing some frozen buttermilk pancakes.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh, so look for that.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, we'll be doing the RD this year, and so uh we'll see where that all goes.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: Very, very, very fun.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome, Don.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm I'm excited, I'm looking forward to it.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you guys got to get in the US, so it's easier for me to get some of your biscuits.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: 2027 will look look for us in 2027.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: I will.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Don, thanks very much for joining the show.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, so everybody knows who's listening.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: I have the website and the social medias for Lazy Daisy Foods will be in the show notes and description below.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, thanks everybody for listening.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Will.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks, everyone.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: That was Dawn Chapman, founder and CEO of Lazy Daisy Foods.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation is that retail isn't just about having a great product, it's about storytelling, building relationships with buyers, and being ready to support your brand once it's on the shelves.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: As Dawn put it, it's not enough to get your product into the freezer.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: You need to figure out how to get it from carts into hearts.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_00: Her journey from cafe owner to retail founder is also a reminder that some of the best retail products start with real customer demand.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: When people kept asking for her biscuits during the pandemic, that signal turned into a completely new business opportunity.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: If you'd like to learn more about Lazy Daisy Foods, you can find their website and social channels in the show notes below.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to Selling on Giants, and we'll see you on the next episode of Going Retail.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: Cheers!