Not all light bulbs turn on with the flip of a switch. Sometimes, it’s a slow burn.
As one of nine finalists for the Business Development Bank of Canada’s Young Entrepreneur Awards, people are across Canada are buzzing about Abeego, a Victoria-based company that makes a reusable beeswax food wrap that keeps food fresher longer.
“People always ask me about the light bulb moment,” says Abeego founder Toni Desrosiers.
“But it’s hard to point to one. Abeego was more of a slow burn. I worked on my formula for six months and eventually the time came to start selling what I had. I received incredible feedback from the people in my community and people willing to give Abeego a try.”
“Abeego was truly a collaborative effort. I’m so grateful to every person who shared the process with me.”
With a background in nutrition, Desrosiers wanted to find a way to preserve food using natural materials, the way we kept food for thousands of years before plastic wrap came along.
“My grandmother introduced my mother to plastic wrap. My mother introduced plastic wrap to me. Now my daughter will introduce Abeego to her children.”
“That means something to me.”
Through countless evenings of testing and tweaking, it took at least one full year before Abeego reached its current form. With an initial investment with her own money, Desrosiers started touring the market circuit. Abeego has seen phenomenal growth through word-of-mouth driven sales and is now in stores throughout the US, Canada, and beyond.
Today Abeego is a niche product, but as more and more people look for ways lead a healthier lifestyle Abeego might just become a kitchen staple.
Abeego is on the verge of a crucial next step to foster future growth. The BDC Young Entrepreneur Award would come with a $100,000 prize to help share Abeego with the world. At the time of writing, Desrosiers had moved up four spots, into second place.
“I have poured my heart and soul into this business and would love if you would support me by voting daily until the contest closes June 12th at 12pm EDT.”
Grow the hive. Keep Food Alive.
1 Comment
Thank you for sharing my story. Abeego has lead me every step of the way. I am proud that my creation is changing the conversation about food storage.
Best,
Toni